2 Kings 16 In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, Ahaz the son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign.

MKJV⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹ In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, Ahaz the son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign. ² Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And he did not do right in the sight of Jehovah his God, like David his father. ³ But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel. Yes, and he made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom Jehovah cast out from before the sons of Israel. ⁴ And he sacrificed and burned incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree. ⁵ Then Rezin king of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel came up to Jerusalem for war. And they besieged Ahaz, but could not overcome him. ⁶ At that time Rezin king of Syria recovered Elath to Syria, and drove the Jews from Elath. And the Syrians came to Elath and lived there until this day. ⁷ And Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, I am your servant and your son. Come up and save me out of the hand of the king of Syria, and out of the hand of the king of Israel, who rise up against me. ⁸ And Ahaz took the silver and gold which was found in the house of Jehovah and in the treasures of the king's house, and sent a present to the king of Assyria. ⁹ And the king of Assyria listened to him, for the king of Assyria went up against Damascus and took it. And he carried it away captive to Kir, and killed Rezin. ¹⁰ And King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria at Damascus. And he saw an altar at Damascus. And King Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the pattern of the altar, and the form of it, according to all its work. ¹¹ And Urijah the priest built an altar according to all that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus. So Urijah the priest did until King Ahaz came in from Damascus. ¹² And the king came in from Damascus, and the king saw the altar. And the king approached to the altar and offered on it. ¹³ And he offered his burnt offering and his food offering, and poured his drink offering, and sprinkled the blood of his peace offerings, on the altar. ¹⁴ And he also brought the bronze altar which was before Jehovah, from the forefront of the house, from between the altar and the house of Jehovah, and put it on the north side of the altar. ¹⁵ And King Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, On the great altar burn the morning offering and the evening food offering, and the king's burnt sacrifice and his food offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their food offerings, and their drink offerings. And sprinkle all the blood of the burnt offerings on it, and all the blood of the sacrifice. And the bronze altar shall be for me to inquire by. ¹⁶ And Urijah the priest did according to all that King Ahaz commanded. ¹⁷ And King Ahaz cut off the borders of the bases, and removed the laver from them. And he took down the sea from off the bronze oxen under it, and put it on a pavement of stones. ¹⁸ And the covered way for the sabbath which they had built in the house, and the king's entry outside, he turned from the house of Jehovah for the king of Assyria. ¹⁹ And the rest of the acts of Ahaz which he did, are they not written in the Book of the Matters of the Days of the Kings of Judah? ²⁰ And Ahaz slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. And his son Hezekiah reigned in his place.