1 In the seventeenth year of Pekah son of Remaliah, Ahaz 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 in the eyes of the LORD his God.3 He followed the ways of the kings of Israel and even sacrificed his son in the fire, engaging in the detestable practices of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.4 He offered sacrifices and burned incense at the high places, on the hilltops and under every spreading tree.5 Then Rezin 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 king of Aram recovered Elath 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 king of Assyria, "I am your servant and vassal. Come up and save 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 to the king of Assyria.9 The king of Assyria complied by attacking Damascus and capturing it. He deported its inhabitants to Kir 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 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 "on it.13 He offered up his burnt offering and grain offering, poured out his drink offering, and splashed the blood of his fellowship offerings against the altar.14 As for the bronze altar 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 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."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.18 He took away the Sabbath canopy "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.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 with his ancestors and was buried with them in the City of David. And Hezekiah his son succeeded him as king.

1 Anno decimoseptimo Phacee filii Romeliæ, regnavit Achaz filius Joatham regis Juda. 2 Viginti annorum erat Achaz cum regnare cœpisset, et sedecim annis regnavit in Jerusalem. Non fecit quod erat placitum in conspectu Domini Dei sui sicut David pater ejus, 3 sed ambulavit in via regum Israël : insuper et filium suum consecravit, transferens per ignem secundum idola gentium, quæ dissipavit Dominus coram filiis Israël. 4 Immolabat quoque victimas, et adolebat incensum in excelsis, et in collibus, et sub omni ligno frondoso.5 Tunc ascendit Rasin rex Syriæ, et Phacee filius Romeliæ rex Israël, in Jerusalem ad præliandum : cumque obsiderent Achaz, non valuerunt superare eum. 6 In tempore illo restituit Rasin rex Syriæ, Ailam Syriæ, et ejecit Judæos de Aila : et Idumæi venerunt in Ailam, et habitaverunt ibi usque in diem hanc.7 Misit autem Achaz nuntios ad Theglathphalasar regem Assyriorum, dicens : Servus tuus, et filius tuus ego sum : ascende, et salvum me fac de manu regis Syriæ, et de manu regis Israël, qui consurrexerunt adversum me. 8 Et cum collegisset argentum et aurum quod inveniri potuit in domo Domini et in thesauris regis, misit regi Assyriorum munera. 9 Qui et acquievit voluntati ejus : ascendit enim rex Assyriorum in Damascum, et vastavit eam, et transtulit habitatores ejus Cyrenen : Rasin autem interfecit. 10 Perrexitque rex Achaz in occursum Theglathphalasar regis Assyriorum in Damascum : cumque vidisset altare Damasci, misit rex Achaz ad Uriam sacerdotem exemplar ejus, et similitudinem juxta omne opus ejus. 11 Exstruxitque Urias sacerdos altare : juxta omnia quæ præceperat rex Achaz de Damasco, ita fecit sacerdos Urias donec veniret rex Achaz de Damasco. 12 Cumque venisset rex de Damasco, vidit altare, et veneratus est illud : ascenditque et immolavit holocausta et sacrificium suum, 13 et libavit libamina, et fudit sanguinem pacificorum quæ obtulerat super altare. 14 Porro altare æreum quod erat coram Domino, transtulit de facie templi, et de loco altaris, et de loco templi Domini : posuitque illud ex latere altaris ad aquilonem. 15 Præcepit quoque rex Achaz Uriæ sacerdoti, dicens : Super altare majus offer holocaustum matutinum, et sacrificium vespertinum, et holocaustum regis, et sacrificium ejus, et holocaustum universi populi terræ, et sacrificia eorum, et libamina eorum : et omnem sanguinem holocausti, et universum sanguinem victimæ super illud effundes : altare vero æreum erit paratum ad voluntatem meam. 16 Fecit igitur Urias sacerdos juxta omnia quæ præceperat rex Achaz. 17 Tulit autem rex Achaz cælatas bases, et luterem qui erat desuper : et mare deposuit de bobus æreis qui sustentabant illud, et posuit super pavimentum stratum lapide. 18 Musach quoque sabbati quod ædificaverat in templo : et ingressum regis exterius convertit in templum Domini propter regem Assyriorum. 19 Reliqua autem verborum Achaz quæ fecit, nonne hæc scripta sunt in libro sermonum dierum regum Juda ? 20 Dormivitque Achaz cum patribus suis, et sepultus est cum eis in civitate David : et regnavit Ezechias filius ejus pro eo.