2 Chronicles Chapter 28

Ahaz Rules Judah

¹ Ahaz was 20 and ruled for 16 years in Jerusalem. He didn’t do what was good like David did. ² He followed the kings of Israel, made molten images for worshipping Baal, ³ burned incense in the Valley of (Ben)Hinnom, and burned his sons like the nations Yahveh had driven out. ⁴ He sacrificed and burned incense on the high places on the hills under every green tree.

⁵ Yahveh delivered him to the king of Aram. They defeated Ahaz and took a large number of captives to Damascus. God also delivered him to the king of Israel, who inflicted great casualties on him. ⁶ Pekah Ben-Remaliah killed 120,000 in Judah in one day, all trained soldiers, because they’d left Yahveh God of their ancestors. ⁷ Zichri, a powerful man in Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the king’s son; Azrikam, the palace commander; and Elkanah, the king’s second-in-command. 2 Ch 28:1-7

⁸ Then Israel took away 200,000 women, sons, and daughters; and a great deal of spoil. ⁹ But Yahveh’s prophet Oded met the army coming to Samaria, 

“Because Yahveh God was angry with Judah, he delivered them to you. You’ve killed them in a rage that has reached heaven. ¹⁰ Now you intend to make slaves out of the men and women from Judah and Jerusalem. Don’t you have sins of your own against your God? ¹¹ Take back the ones you’ve captured from your kin. Yahveh’s furious anger has turned against you.”

 ¹² Some leaders of Ephraim—Azariah Ben-Johanan, Berechiah Ben-Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah Ben-Shallum, and Amasa Ben-Hadlai—confronted those returning from battle,

¹³ “Don’t bring the captives in here. You’re about to bring guilt on us against Yahveh and add to our sins. We have a lot of guilt, so his furious anger has turned against us.”

¹⁴ The armed men left the captives and spoil with the officers and the assembly. ¹⁵ Designated men took the captives and put clothes from the spoil on the naked ones. They gave them clothes and sandals, fed them and gave them something to drink, put olive oil on their wounds, led their feeble ones on donkeys, and took the captives to their fellow countrymen at Jericho, the City of Palms. Then they came back to Samaria.             2 Ch 28:8-15

Ahaz Closes the Temple

¹⁶ At that time, King Ahaz sent to the kings of Assyria for help. ¹⁷ The Edomites had attacked Judah again and taken captives. ¹⁸ The Philistines had invaded the towns in the western foothills and the Negev of Judah, and had taken Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco with its villages, and settled there. ¹⁹ That was because Yahveh humbled Judah because of Ahaz; he’d brought about a lack of restraint in Judah and was terribly unfaithful to Yahveh. ²⁰ Tilgath-pilneser, king of Assyria, came and attacked him instead of reinforcing him. ²¹ Ahaz took a portion out of Yahveh’s Temple, the king’s palace, and the officials’ houses, and gave it to the king of Assyria; but he didn’t help him.      2 Ch 28:16-21

²² In his distress, this same King Ahaz became more unfaithful to Yahveh. ²³ He sacrificed to the gods of Damascus that had defeated him, “Since the gods of Aram helped them, I’ll sacrifice to them so they’ll help me.” But they became the downfall of his and Israel’s downfall. ²⁴ When Ahaz gathered the utensils from God’s Temple, he cut them in pieces. He closed the doors of the^Y Temple and built altars in every corner of Jerusalem. ²⁵ In every city in Judah he made high places to burn incense to other gods and made Yahveh angry. ²⁶ The rest of his ways and deeds, first to last, are recorded in The Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. ²⁷ Ahaz died, and they buried him in Jerusalem but not in the tombs of the kings of Israel. His son Hezekiah reigned. 2 Ch 28:22-27