Ahaz King of Judah^(A)

16 In the seventeenth year of Pekah son of Remaliah, Ahaz^(B) son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign. ² Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. Unlike David his father, he did not do what was right^(C) in the eyes of the Lord his God. ³ He followed the ways of the kings of Israel^(D) and even sacrificed his son^(E) in the fire, engaging in the detestable^(F) practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. ⁴ He offered sacrifices and burned incense^(G) at the high places, on the hilltops and under every spreading tree.^(H)

⁵ Then Rezin^(I) king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem and besieged Ahaz, but they could not overpower him. ⁶ At that time, Rezin^(J) king of Aram recovered Elath^(K) for Aram by driving out the people of Judah. Edomites then moved into Elath and have lived there to this day.

⁷ Ahaz sent messengers to say to Tiglath-Pileser^(L) king of Assyria, “I am your servant and vassal. Come up and save^(M) me out of the hand of the king of Aram and of the king of Israel, who are attacking me.” ⁸ And Ahaz took the silver and gold found in the temple of the Lord and in the treasuries of the royal palace and sent it as a gift^(N) to the king of Assyria. ⁹ The king of Assyria complied by attacking Damascus^(O) and capturing it. He deported its inhabitants to Kir^(P) and put Rezin to death.

¹⁰ Then King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria. He saw an altar in Damascus and sent to Uriah^(Q) the priest a sketch of the altar, with detailed plans for its construction. ¹¹ So Uriah the priest built an altar in accordance with all the plans that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus and finished it before King Ahaz returned. ¹² When the king came back from Damascus and saw the altar, he approached it and presented offerings^[a](R) on it. ¹³ He offered up his burnt offering^(S) and grain offering,^(T) poured out his drink offering,^(U) and splashed the blood of his fellowship offerings^(V) against the altar. ¹⁴ As for the bronze altar^(W) that stood before the Lord, he brought it from the front of the temple—from between the new altar and the temple of the Lord—and put it on the north side of the new altar.

¹⁵ King Ahaz then gave these orders to Uriah the priest: “On the large new altar, offer the morning^(X) burnt offering and the evening grain offering, the king’s burnt offering and his grain offering, and the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their grain offering and their drink offering. Splash against this altar the blood of all the burnt offerings and sacrifices. But I will use the bronze altar for seeking guidance.”^{(Y) 16} And Uriah the priest did just as King Ahaz had ordered.

¹⁷ King Ahaz cut off the side panels and removed the basins from the movable stands. He removed the Sea from the bronze bulls that supported it and set it on a stone base.^{(Z) 18} He took away the Sabbath canopy^[b] that had been built at the temple and removed the royal entryway outside the temple of the Lord, in deference to the king of Assyria.^(AA)

¹⁹ As for the other events of the reign of Ahaz, and what he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? ²⁰ Ahaz rested^(AB) with his ancestors and was buried with them in the City of David. And Hezekiah his son succeeded him as king.

Hoshea Last King of Israel^(AC)

17 In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea^(AD) son of Elah became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned nine years. ² He did evil^(AE) in the eyes of the Lord, but not like the kings of Israel who preceded him.

³ Shalmaneser^(AF) king of Assyria came up to attack Hoshea, who had been Shalmaneser’s vassal and had paid him tribute.^{(AG) 4} But the king of Assyria discovered that Hoshea was a traitor, for he had sent envoys to So^[c] king of Egypt,^(AH) and he no longer paid tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year. Therefore Shalmaneser seized him and put him in prison.^{(AI) 5} The king of Assyria invaded the entire land, marched against Samaria and laid siege^(AJ) to it for three years. ⁶ In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria^(AK) captured Samaria^(AL) and deported^(AM) the Israelites to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, in Gozan^(AN) on the Habor River and in the towns of the Medes.

Israel Exiled Because of Sin

⁷ All this took place because the Israelites had sinned^(AO) against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of Egypt^(AP) from under the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They worshiped other gods ⁸ and followed the practices of the nations^(AQ) the Lord had driven out before them, as well as the practices that the kings of Israel had introduced. ⁹ The Israelites secretly did things against the Lord their God that were not right. From watchtower to fortified city^(AR) they built themselves high places in all their towns. ¹⁰ They set up sacred stones^(AS) and Asherah poles^(AT) on every high hill and under every spreading tree.^{(AU) 11} At every high place they burned incense, as the nations whom the Lord had driven out before them had done. They did wicked things that aroused the Lord’s anger. ¹² They worshiped idols,^(AV) though the Lord had said, “You shall not do this.”^{[d] 13} The Lord warned^(AW) Israel and Judah through all his prophets and seers:^(AX) “Turn from your evil ways.^(AY) Observe my commands and decrees, in accordance with the entire Law that I commanded your ancestors to obey and that I delivered to you through my servants the prophets.”^(AZ)

¹⁴ But they would not listen and were as stiff-necked^(BA) as their ancestors, who did not trust in the Lord their God. ¹⁵ They rejected his decrees and the covenant^(BB) he had made with their ancestors and the statutes he had warned them to keep. They followed worthless idols^(BC) and themselves became worthless.^(BD) They imitated the nations^(BE) around them although the Lord had ordered them, “Do not do as they do.”

¹⁶ They forsook all the commands of the Lord their God and made for themselves two idols cast in the shape of calves,^(BF) and an Asherah^(BG) pole. They bowed down to all the starry hosts,^(BH) and they worshiped Baal.^{(BI) 17} They sacrificed^(BJ) their sons and daughters in the fire. They practiced divination and sought omens^(BK) and sold^(BL) themselves to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger.

¹⁸ So the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them from his presence.^(BM) Only the tribe of Judah was left, ¹⁹ and even Judah did not keep the commands of the Lord their God. They followed the practices Israel had introduced.^{(BN) 20} Therefore the Lord rejected all the people of Israel; he afflicted them and gave them into the hands of plunderers,^(BO) until he thrust them from his presence.^(BP)

²¹ When he tore^(BQ) Israel away from the house of David, they made Jeroboam son of Nebat their king.^(BR) Jeroboam enticed Israel away from following the Lord and caused them to commit a great sin.^{(BS) 22} The Israelites persisted in all the sins of Jeroboam and did not turn away from them ²³ until the Lord removed them from his presence,^(BT) as he had warned^(BU) through all his servants the prophets. So the people of Israel were taken from their homeland^(BV) into exile in Assyria, and they are still there.

Samaria Resettled

²⁴ The king of Assyria^(BW) brought people from Babylon, Kuthah, Avva, Hamath and Sepharvaim^(BX) and settled them in the towns of Samaria to replace the Israelites. They took over Samaria and lived in its towns. ²⁵ When they first lived there, they did not worship the Lord; so he sent lions^(BY) among them and they killed some of the people. ²⁶ It was reported to the king of Assyria: “The people you deported and resettled in the towns of Samaria do not know what the god of that country requires. He has sent lions among them, which are killing them off, because the people do not know what he requires.”

²⁷ Then the king of Assyria gave this order: “Have one of the priests you took captive from Samaria go back to live there and teach the people what the god of the land requires.” ²⁸ So one of the priests who had been exiled from Samaria came to live in Bethel and taught them how to worship the Lord.

²⁹ Nevertheless, each national group made its own gods in the several towns^(BZ) where they settled, and set them up in the shrines^(CA) the people of Samaria had made at the high places.^{(CB) 30} The people from Babylon made Sukkoth Benoth, those from Kuthah made Nergal, and those from Hamath made Ashima; ³¹ the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire as sacrifices to Adrammelek^(CC) and Anammelek, the gods of Sepharvaim.^{(CD) 32} They worshiped the Lord, but they also appointed all sorts^(CE) of their own people to officiate for them as priests in the shrines at the high places. ³³ They worshiped the Lord, but they also served their own gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they had been brought.

³⁴ To this day they persist in their former practices. They neither worship the Lord nor adhere to the decrees and regulations, the laws and commands that the Lord gave the descendants of Jacob, whom he named Israel.^{(CF) 35} When the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites, he commanded them: “Do not worship^(CG) any other gods or bow down to them, serve them or sacrifice to them.^{(CH) 36} But the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt with mighty power and outstretched arm,^(CI) is the one you must worship. To him you shall bow down and to him offer sacrifices. ³⁷ You must always be careful^(CJ) to keep the decrees^(CK) and regulations, the laws and commands he wrote for you. Do not worship other gods. ³⁸ Do not forget^(CL) the covenant I have made with you, and do not worship other gods. ³⁹ Rather, worship the Lord your God; it is he who will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.”

⁴⁰ They would not listen, however, but persisted in their former practices. ⁴¹ Even while these people were worshiping the Lord,^(CM) they were serving their idols. To this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their ancestors did.