2 Chronicles 28

Achaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and he did not do what was right before the Lord, as David his father did.

And he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, for he also made carved images for their idols.

And he sacrificed in Gaibenenom, and passed his children through the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord utterly destroyed from before the sons of Israel.

And he burned incense on the high places and on the housetops and under every leafy tree.

And the Lord his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria; and he struck him and took captive from them a great number of captives and brought them to Damascus. And he also delivered him into the hands of the king of Israel, and he struck him with a great blow.

And Phakee son of Romelias, king of Israel, killed in Iouda in one day a hundred and twenty thousand men mighty in strength, because they had forsaken the Lord, the God of their fathers.

And Ezekri, the mighty man of Ephraim, killed Maasaias the king's son, and Esdrikam the ruler of his house, and Elkana the king's deputy.

And the sons of Israel took captive from their brothers three hundred thousand women, sons and daughters; and they plundered much spoil from them and brought the spoil to Samaria.

And a prophet of the Lord was there, whose name was Oded; and he went out to meet the force that was coming to Samaria, and said to them, 'Behold, the wrath of the Lord, the God of your fathers, is upon Iouda, and he delivered them into your hands; and you have killed among them in a rage that has reached to the heavens.

'And now you say that you will subdue the sons of Iouda and Jerusalem as male and female slaves. Behold, am I not with you to bear witness to the Lord your God?

'And now hear me, and send back the captives whom you have taken captive from your brothers, for the fierce wrath of the Lord is upon you.'

And leaders from the sons of Ephraim rose up — Oudias son of Ioanas, and Barachias son of Mosolamoth, and Ezekias son of Sellem, and Amasias son of Chodli — against those who were coming from the war,

and said to them, 'You shall not bring the captives here to us, for what you propose is to sin against the Lord upon us, adding to our sins and to our ignorance; for our sin is great, and the fierce wrath of the Lord is upon Israel.'

And the warriors left the captives and the spoil before the leaders and all the assembly.

And men who had been designated by name rose up and took charge of the captives, and clothed all the naked from the spoil and put garments on them and shod them, and gave them food and ointment; and they took charge of all who were weak with beasts of burden, and brought them to Jericho, the city of palm trees, to their brothers; and they returned to Samaria.

At that time Achaz sent to the king of Assour to help him.

And this was because the Idumeans attacked and struck in Iouda and carried away captives;

and the Philistines attacked the cities of the plain and of the south of Iouda, and took Baithsamys and Ailon and Gaderoth and Socho and its villages, and Thamna and its villages, and Gamzo and its villages; and they settled there.

For the Lord humbled Iouda because of Achaz king of Iouda, for he utterly fell away from the Lord.

And Thaglathphellasar king of Assour came against him and struck him.

And Achaz took what was in the house of the Lord and what was in the house of the king and of the rulers, and gave it to the king of Assour; but it was of no help to him.

But rather, when he was afflicted, he went on still further to depart from the Lord. And the king said,

'I will seek out the gods of Damascus that smite me.' And he said, 'Since the gods of the king of Syria — they strengthen them — therefore I will sacrifice to them, and they will help me.' But they became a stumbling block to him and to all Israel.

And Achaz removed the vessels of the house of the Lord and cut them in pieces, and shut the doors of the house of the Lord, and made himself altars in every corner in Jerusalem.

And in every single city in Iouda he made high places to burn incense to foreign gods; and they provoked to anger the Lord, the God of their fathers.

And the rest of his acts and his deeds, the first and the last — behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Iouda and Israel.

And Achaz slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David, for they did not bring him into the tombs of the kings of Israel; and Ezekias his son reigned in his place.