CHAPTER 28
1 Ahaz was of twenty years, when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; he did not rightfulness [or right] in the sight of the Lord, as David, his father, did;
2 but he went in the ways of the kings of Israel. Furthermore and he melted out images to Baalim.
3 He it is that burnt incense in the valley of Ben-hinnon, and purged his sons by fire, by the custom of heathen men, whom the Lord killed in the coming of the sons of Israel from Egypt or towards the land of promise.
4 Also he made sacrifice, and burnt incense in high places, and in hills, and under each tree full of boughs.
5 And the Lord his God betook him into the hand of the king of Syria, which smote Ahaz, and took a great prey of his empire, and brought into Damascus. Also Ahaz was betaken to the hands of the king of Israel, and he was smitten with a great wound.
6 And Pekah, the son of Remaliah, killed of Judah sixscore thousand in one day, all the men warriors; for they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers.
7 In the same time Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah, the son of Jotham, the king; and he killed Azrikam, the duke of his house, and Elkanah, the second person from the king.
8 And the sons of Israel took of their brethren two hundred thousand of women and of children and of damsels, and prey without number, and bare it into Samaria.
9 In that tempest, or time of venge-ance, a prophet of the Lord, Oded by name, was there, which went out against the host of Israel coming into Samaria, and he said to them, Lo! the Lord God of your fathers was wroth against Judah, and he hath betaken them into your hands; and ye have slain them cruelly, so that your cruelty stretcheth forth into heaven.
10 Furthermore and ye will make subject to you the sons of Judah and of Jerusalem into servants and hand-maids; which thing is not needful to be done; certainly ye have sinned in this thing to the Lord your God.
11 But hear ye my counsel, and lead again the prisoners, which ye have brought thence of your brethren; for great vengeance of the Lord nigheth to you.
12 Therefore men of the princes of the sons of Ephraim, Azariah, the son of Johanan, Berechiah, the son of Meshill-emoth, Jehizkiah, the son of Shallum, and Amasa, the son of Hadlai, stood against them that came from the battle;
13 and said to them, Ye shall not bring in hither the prisoners, lest we do more sin against the Lord; why will ye lay to on your sins, and heap more on your old trespasses? Certain-ly this is great sin; the wrath of the strong vengeance of the Lord nigheth on Israel.
14 And the men warriors left the prey, and all things which they had taken, before the princes and all the multitude.
15 And the men stood there, which we remembered before, and they took the prisoners, and they clothed of the spoils all that were naked; and when they had clothed them, and shod them, and refreshed them with meat, and with drink, and anointed them for travail, and gave cure, either medicine, to them; whichever of them were feeble, and might not go, they putted [or put] on horses, and they brought them to Jericho, the city of palms, to their brethren; and they turned again into Samaria.
16 In that time, king Ahaz sent to the king of Assyrians, and asked help of him.
17 And Idumeans came, and killed many men of Judah, and took great prey.
18 Also [the] Philistines were spread abroad by cities of the fields, and at the south of Judah; and they took Beth-shemesh, and Ajalon, and Gederoth, and Shocho, and Timnah, and Gimzo, with their villages; and they dwelled in those [or them].
19 For the Lord made low Judah for Ahaz, the king of Judah*; for he had made him naked of help, and despised the Lord.
20 And the Lord brought against him Tilgathpilneser, king of Assyrians, that tormented him, and wasted him, while no man against-stood.
21 Therefore Ahaz, after that he had spoiled the house of the Lord, and the house of the king, and of the princes, gave gifts to the king of Assyrians, and nevertheless it profited nothing to him.
22 Furthermore also in the time of his anguish he increased despite against God; that king Ahaz, himself,
23 offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus, his smiters, or destroyers, and he said, The gods of the kings of Syria help them, which gods I shall please by sacrifices, and they shall help me; when, on the contrary, they were falling to him, and to all Israel.
24 Therefore after that Ahaz had taken away, and broken all the vessels of the house of God, he closed the gates of God’s temple, and he made altars to himself in all the corners of Jerusalem.
25 And in all the cities of Judah he builded altars to burn incense to other gods, and he stirred the Lord God of his fathers to wrathfulness.
26 Soothly the residue of his words and of all his works, the former and the last, be written in the book of [the] kings of Judah and of Israel.
27 And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of Jerusalem; for they received not him into the sepulchres of the kings of Israel; and Hezekiah, his son, reigned for him.
* CHAPTER 28:19 Here the KJV mistakenly says, ‘king of Israel’.