II Kings 16 Ahaz, King of Judah

 II Kings 16

Ahaz, King of Judah

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 became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem. He did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord his God, as his father David had done.

3 For he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and even his son passed through the fire, following the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had driven out before the children of Israel.

4 He also sacrificed and burned incense on the high places and on the hills and under every tree.

5 Then Rezin king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah king of Israel came up against Jerusalem to battle. They besieged Ahaz but could not defeat him.

6 At that time Rezin king of Syria restored Elath to Syria, and expelled the Jews from Elath; and the Syrians came to Elath and have lived there to this day. 

7 Then Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, "I am your servant and your son; come up and rescue me from the hand of the king of Syria and from the hand of the king of Israel, who have risen up against me."

 8 Then Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the LORD and in the treasuries 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 captured it, and brought the people to Kir, and killed Rezin.