2 Chronicles 28

1 Ahaz was 20 years old when he became the king [of Judah]. He ruled from Jerusalem for 16 years. His ancestor King David was a good king, but Ahaz was not like David. He constantly disobeyed Yahweh

Twenty years old, was Ahaz when he began to reign, and, sixteen years, reigned he in Jerusalem, —but he did not that which was right in the eyes of Yahweh, like David his father;

2 and was as sinful as the kings of Israel had been. He made idols of the god Baal.

but walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, —yea, even molten images, made he to the Baalim;

3 He burned incense in Hinnom Valley. He even [killed some of] his own sons [and] offered [them] as sacrifices to be completely burned. That imitated the disgusting customs of the people-groups who previously lived there, people whom Yahweh had expelled as the Israelis advanced through the land.

and, he, burned incense, in the valley of the son of Hinnom, -and burnt his sons, in the fire, according to the abominable ways of the nations, whom Yahweh dispossessed from before the sons of Israel.

4 Ahaz offered sacrifices [to idols] at shrines on hilltops and under every big green tree.

And he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places, and upon the hills, —and under every green tree.

5 Therefore Yahweh his God allowed his army to be defeated by the army of the king of Syria. They captured many soldiers of Judah and took them as prisoners to Damascus. The army of the king of Israel also defeated the army of Judah and killed very many of their soldiers.

Wherefore Yahweh his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria, who smote him, and carried away captive from him a large body of captives, and brought them into Damascus, —yea, even into the hand of the king of Israel, was he delivered, who smote him with a great smiting.

6 In one day the army of Remaliah’s son, King Pekah [of Israel], killed 120,000 soldiers in Judah. That happened because [the people of] Judah had abandoned Yahweh, the God whom their ancestors [worshiped].

And Pekah son of Remaliah slew, in Judah, a hundred and twenty thousand in one day, all, sons of valour, -because they had forsaken Yahweh, God of their fathers.

7 Zicri, a warrior from the tribe of Ephraim, killed king Ahaz’s son Maaseiah, Azrikam the officer in charge of the palace, and Elkanah, the king’s assistant.

And Zichri a hero of Ephraim, slew Maaseiah son of the king, and Azrikam, chief ruler of the house, —and Elkanah, that was next unto the king.

8 The soldiers of Israel captured 200,000 of the people of Judah, including many wives and sons and daughters [of the soldiers of Judah]. They also seized and took back to Samaria many valuable things.

And the sons of Israel, carried away captive, from among their brethren two hundred thousand, wives, sons and daughters, moreover also, of much spoil, did they plunder them, —and brought the spoil to Samaria.

9 But a prophet of Yahweh whose name was Obed was there [in Samaria]. He went out of the city to meet the army when it returned to Samaria. He said to them, “Because Yahweh, the God whom your ancestors [belonged to], was angry with [the people of] Judah, he allowed you to defeat them. But God has seen the cruel way that you slaughtered them.

But, in that place, was a prophet unto Yahweh, Oded his name, so he went out to meet the host that was coming unto Samaria, and said unto them, Lo! in the wrath of Yahweh, God of your fathers, against Judah, hath he delivered them into your hand, —and ye have slain them in a rage, until, to the heavens, it hath reached.

10 And now you want to [sin by] causing men and women from Judah to become your slaves, but you have certainly also sinned against Yahweh our God!

Now, therefore, ye, are thinking to tread down, the children of Judah and Jerusalem, as servants and as handmaids for yourselves. But is it not so—that, ye yourselves, are altogether guilty against Yahweh your God?

11 So listen to me! Send back [to Judah] your fellow-countrymen whom you have captured, because Yahweh is extremely angry with you [for what you did to them].”

Now, therefore, hearken unto me, and restore the captives whom ye have taken captive from among your brethren, —for, the glow of the anger of Yahweh, is over you.

12 Then some of the leaders of [the tribe of] Ephraim—Azariah the son of Jehohanan, Berekiah the son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai—rebuked those who were returning from the battle.

Then rose up certain of the chiefs of the sons of Ephraim—Azariah son of Jehohanan, Berechiah son of Meshillemoth, and Jehizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai, —against them who were coming in from the army;

13 They said to them, “You must not bring those prisoners here! If you do that, Yahweh will consider that we are guilty of sinning. We are already guilty of committing many sins; do you want to cause us to be even more guilty by committing another sin? God is already very angry with [us people of] Israel!”

and said unto them, Ye shall not bring in the captives hither, for, with guilt against Yahweh already upon us, ye, are thinking to add unto our sins, and unto our guilt, —for great is the guilt we have, and fierce is the anger over Israel.

14 So, while their leaders and others were watching, the soldiers released the prisoners, and also gave back to them the valuable things that they had captured.

So the armed men left the captives, and tile plunder, before the rulers, and all the convocation.

15 The leaders who were selected took some of the clothes that the soldiers had taken from the prisoners and gave those clothes back to the people who were naked. They also gave to the prisoners sandals and other clothes and things to eat and drink, and they gave them olive oil to rub on their wounds. They gave donkeys to those who were very weak, in order that they could ride on them. Then they led them all to Jericho, the city that had many palm trees. Then those leaders [of Israel] returned to Samaria.

Then rose up the men who have been expressed by name—and took the captives, and, all who were naked among them, clothed they out of the spoil, and arrayed them and sandalled them, and gave them to eat and to drink, and anointed them, and conducted them with asses for every one that was exhausted, and brought them to Jericho the city of palm-trees, near unto their brethren, —and then returned to Samaria.

16 About that time, King Ahaz sent [a message] to the king of Assyria requesting help.

At that time, sent King Ahaz unto the kings of Assyria to help him.

17 [He did that because the army from] the Edom people-group had come again and attacked Judah and taken away many of the people of Judah as prisoners.

For again had, the Edomites, come and smitten Judah, and carried away captives;

18 At the same time, men from Philistia had raided/attacked towns in the foothills and in the southern desert of Judah. They had captured Beth-Shemesh, Aijalon, and Gederoth [cities], as well as Soco, Timnah and Gimzo [towns] and the nearby villages.

and, the Philistines, had spread themselves out against the cities of the lowland and of the south, pertaining to Judah, and had captured Beth-shemesh and Aijalon and Gederoth, and Soco with its villages, and Timnah with its villages, and Gimzo, with its villages, —and dwelt there.

19 Yahweh [allowed those things to happen in order to] humble king Ahaz, because he had encouraged the people of Judah to do wicked things and had disobeyed Yahweh very much.

For Yahweh had brought Judah low, because of Ahaz king of Israel, —for he had given the rein in Judah, and, been grievously unfaithful, with Yahweh.

20 Tiglath-Pileser, the king of Assyria, sent [his army saying that they would] help Ahaz, but instead of helping him, they caused him to experience trouble.

And Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria, came against him, —and distressed him, but strengthened him not.

21 Ahaz’s [soldiers] took some of the [valuable] things from the temple and from the king’s palace and from other leaders of Judah and sent them to the king of Assyria [to pay him to help them], but the king of Assyria refused to help Ahaz.

For Ahaz took away a portion out of the house of Yahweh, and out of the house of the king, and the rulers, —and gave unto the king of Assyria, but he helped him not.

22 While King Ahaz was experiencing those troubles, he disobeyed Yahweh even more.

And, in the time of his distress, he yet further acted unfaithfully with Yahweh, —he, King Ahaz!

23 He offered sacrifices to the gods that were worshiped in Damascus, whose [army] had defeated his [army]. He thought, “The gods that are worshiped by the kings of Syria have helped them, so I will offer sacrifices to those gods in order that they will help me.” But worshiping those gods caused Ahaz and all of Israel to be ruined.

For he sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus who had smitten him, and said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria are helping them, unto them, will I sacrifice, that they may help me. But, they, served to seduce him and all Israel.

24 Ahaz gathered all the furnishings [that were used] in the temple and broke them into pieces. He locked the doors of the temple and set up altars [for worshiping idols] at every street corner in Jerusalem.

And Ahaz gathered together the utensils of the house of God, and brake away the fittings of the house of God, and shut up the doors of the house of Yahweh, —and made for himself altars at every corner in Jerusalem;

25 In every town in Judah, his workers built shrines to burn sacrifices to other gods, and that caused Yahweh, the God whom their ancestors [worshiped], to be very angry.

and, in every several city of Judah, made he high places, for burning incense unto other gods, —and provoked Yahweh, God of his fathers.

26 A record of the other things that Ahaz did while he was the king, from when he started to rule until he died, is written in the scroll called ‘The History of the Kings of Judah and Israel’.

But, the rest of his story, and all his ways, first and last, there they are, written the book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.

27 Ahaz died and was buried in Jerusalem, but he was not buried in the tombs where the other kings [had been buried]. Then his son Hezekiah became the king.

And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, in Jerusalem, but they brought him not into the sepulchres of the kings of Israel, —and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead.