5Therefore, the LORD, his God, delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria; and they defeated him, and led away a great many of them as captives, and brought them to Damascus. And he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who struck Judah with a great slaughter. 6For Pekah, the son of Remaliah, killed a hundred twenty thousand brave men in Judah in one day, because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers. 7And Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim killed Maaseiah, Ahaz's son, and Azrikam, the governor of the house, and Elkanah, who was second in command to the king. 8And Israel carried away of their brethren, two hundred thousand, women, sons, and daughters, as captives, and took much spoil from them, and brought it to Samaria.

9But a prophet of the LORD, whose name was Oded was there; and he went out before those that came to Samaria, and said to them, “Behold, because the LORD God of your fathers was angry with Judah, He has delivered them into your hand, and you have slain them in a rage that reaches up unto heaven. 10And now you intend to enslave the children of Judah and Jerusalem. But are you, yourselves, noy guilt of sins against the LORD your God? 11Now hear me, therefore, and return the captives you have taken of your brethren; for the fierce wrath of the LORD is upon you”.

12Then certain leaders of the children of Ephraim, Azariah, the son of Johanan, Berechiah, the son of Meshillemoth, and Jehizkiah, the son of Shallum, and Amasa, the son of Hadlai, stood up against them who came from the war, 13And said to them, “You shall not bring the captives in here; for we guilty before the LORD already, and you intend to add more to our sins and to our guilt. For our guilt is great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel. 14So the armed men left the captives and the spoil before the officers and all the assembly. 15And the men who were identified by name came forward, and took the captives, and from the spoil they clothed all the prisoners that were naked, and gave them sandals, and gave them food and drink, and anointed them with oil, and transported all the feeble of them upon donkeys, and took them to Jericho, the city of palm trees, to their brethren; then they returned to Samaria.

16At that time king Ahaz sent to the kings of Assyria for help. 17For the Edomites had come again and attacked Judah, and carried off captives. 18The Philistines had also invaded the cities of the low country, south of Judah, and had taken Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco with its villages, Timnah with its villages, Gimzo, also, and its villages; and they occupied them. 19For the LORD humbled Judah because of Ahaz, king of Israel; for he had allowed illicit behavior in Judah, and sinned greatly against the LORD. 20So Tilgathpilneser, king of Assyria, came to him, and harassed him, but did not help him, 21Even though Ahaz had taken a portion out of the temple of the LORD, and out of his house, and from the princes, and given it to the king of Assyria; yet he did not help him.

22And in his time of distress, Ahaz sinned even more against the LORD. 23For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus, which had defeated him; and he said, “Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, therefore I will sacrifice to them, that they may help me”. But they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel. 24And Ahaz gathered the furnishings of the temple of God, and cut them in pieces, shut up the doors of the temple of the LORD, and he made him altars in every corner of Jerusalem. 25And in every city of Judah he made high places to burn incense to other gods, and provoked to anger the LORD God of his fathers.

26Now the rest of his acts and of all his ways, first to last, are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. 27And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of Jerusalem; but not in the sepulchers of the kings of Israel. And Hezekiah, his son, reigned in his stead.