2 Chronicles 28:5-27 ▼

5 And YHWH his God gave him into the hand of the king of Aram, and they defeated him and carried away a great number of them as captives, and they brought them in to Damascus. And also into the hand of the king of Israel he was delivered, and he struck him with a great slaughter.

6 And Pekah son of Remaliah killed in Judah a hundred and twenty thousand in one day—all sons of valor—because they had forsaken YHWH, God of their fathers.

7 And Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the son of the king, and Azrikam the officer over the house, and Elkanah the second to the king.

8 And the sons of Israel removed from their brothers two hundred thousand women, sons, and daughters. And also they took away from them much plunder, and they brought in the spoil to Samaria.

9 And there was a prophet of YHWH (Oded his name), and he went out before the army that came in to Samaria, and he said to them, “Behold, in the fury of YHWH, God of your? fathers, against Judah, He has delivered them into your? hands. And you? have killed them in a rage—it reaches up to the heavens.

10 And now the sons of Judah and Jerusalem you? propose to subdue for menservants and for maidservants unto you?. Is there not also unto you? yourselves guilt before YHWH your? God?

11 And now, hear me and return the captives whom you? have taken captive from your? brothers, for the heat of the anger of YHWH is upon you?.”

12 And some of the heads of the sons of Ephraim—Azariah son of Jehohanan, Berechiah son of Meshillemoth, and Hezekiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai—stood up against those coming in from the host,

13 and they said to them, “You? shall not bring the captives here, for guilt against YHWH is upon us; you? are saying to add to our sins and to our guilt. For great is the guilt unto us, and the burning of anger is upon Israel.”

14 The armed ones left the captives and the spoil before the leaders and all the assembly.

15 And the men who were marked by name rose up and took charge of the captives, and all their naked ones they clothed from the plunder, and they clothed them, and gave them sandals, and gave them food and drink, and anointed them, and they let ride on donkeys all the feeble ones. And they brought them in to Jericho, the City of Palms, near their brothers. And they returned to Samaria.

16 At that time King Ahaz sent to the king of Assyria to help him.

17 And again the Edomites had come and struck Judah and carried away captives.

18 And the Philistines had raided the cities of the Shephelah and of the Negev of Judah, and they captured Beth-shemesh, and Aijalon, and Gederoth, and Sochoh and its villages, and Timnah and its villages, and Gimzo and its villages. And they dwelt there.

19 For YHWH humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he had thrown off restraint in Judah and acted unfaithfully—an unfaithfulness—against YHWH.

20 And Tiglath-pilneser king of Assyria came to him, and distressed him, and he did not strengthen him.

21 For Ahaz had taken a portion from the house of YHWH, and from the house of the king, and from the leaders, and he gave it to the king of Assyria and did not help him.

22 And in the time of distress to him he added to act faithlessly against YHWH (this was King Ahaz).

23 And he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus, those striking him, and he said, “Because the gods of the kings of Aram are helping them, I will sacrifice to them, that they may help me.” And they were the cause of stumbling of him and of all Israel.

24 And Ahaz gathered the articles of the house of God, and he cut in pieces the articles of the house of God, and he shut up the doors of the house of YHWH, and he made for himself altars in every corner of Jerusalem.

25 And in every city and city of Judah, he made high places to burn incense to other gods, and provoked to anger YHWH, God of his fathers.

26 And the rest of his acts and all his ways, from the first to the last, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.

27 And Ahaz rested with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, in Jerusalem; but they did not bring him into the tombs of the kings of Israel. And Hezekiah his son reigned in his place.