2 Chronicles 28 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.

Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he ruled in Jerusalem for sixteen years. Unlike his ancestor David, he did not do what was right in Yahweh's eyes.

Instead, he followed the ways of the kings of Israel and even made cast metal images for the Baals.

He burned incense in the Valley of Ben-Hinnom and even burned his own children in the fire, copying the disgusting practices of the nations that Yahweh had driven out before the Israelites.

He offered sacrifices and burned incense at the high places, on the hilltops, and under every green tree.

So Yahweh his God handed him over to the king of Aram. The Arameans struck him down and carried off a large number of his people as prisoners to Damascus. He was also handed over to the king of Israel, who dealt him a devastating defeat.

Pekah son of Remaliah killed 120,000 soldiers in Judah in a single day — all of them capable warriors — because they had abandoned Yahweh, the God of their ancestors.

Zichri, a warrior from Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the king's son, Azrikam the palace administrator, and Elkanah who was second to the king.

The Israelites took 200,000 of their own relatives captive — women, sons, and daughters. They also seized a huge amount of plunder and brought it all to Samaria.

But a prophet of Yahweh named Oded was there. He went out to meet the army returning to Samaria and said to them, "Look — Yahweh, the God of your ancestors, was angry with Judah, so he handed them over to you. But you've slaughtered them with a rage that has reached all the way to heaven.

And now you're planning to force the people of Judah and Jerusalem into slavery as your servants? Don't you have your own failures against Yahweh your God to worry about?

Now listen to me! Send back the prisoners you captured from your own relatives. Yahweh's fierce anger is burning against you."

Then some of the leaders from the tribe of Ephraim — Azariah son of Jehohanan, Berechiah son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai — stood up against those returning from battle.

They told them, "Don't bring those prisoners here! You'll bring Yahweh's guilt down on us, adding to our failures and offenses. We're already carrying enough guilt, and his fierce anger is already burning against Israel."

So the soldiers released the prisoners and handed over the plunder in the presence of the officers and the entire assembly.

The men who were designated by name stood up, took the prisoners, and used the plunder to clothe all of them who were naked. They provided them with clothing and sandals, gave them food and drink, and treated their wounds with oil. Then they put all the weak ones on donkeys and brought them back to their relatives at Jericho, the City of Palms. After that, they returned to Samaria.

Around that same time, King Ahaz sent to the kings of Assyria for help.

The Edomites had invaded again and carried off prisoners from Judah.

The Philistines had also raided the towns in the foothills and the Negev of Judah. They captured Beth-Shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco with its surrounding villages, Timnah with its surrounding villages, and Gimzo with its surrounding villages — and they settled in them.

Yahweh had brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel — because he had thrown off all restraint in Judah and been completely unfaithful to Yahweh.

Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria came to him, but instead of helping him, he pressured him.

Ahaz stripped the temple of Yahweh, the royal palace, and the officials' houses, and gave everything to the king of Assyria — but it didn't help him at all.

Even in his time of greatest trouble, this same King Ahaz became even more unfaithful to Yahweh.

He offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus who had defeated him, thinking, "The gods of the kings of Aram helped them, so I'll sacrifice to them and they'll help me too." But they only brought ruin to him and to all Israel.

Ahaz gathered up the equipment from God's temple, cut it all to pieces, and shut the doors of Yahweh's temple. Then he set up altars on every street corner in Jerusalem.

In every single town throughout Judah, he set up high places to burn incense to other gods, provoking Yahweh, the God of his ancestors.

The rest of what Ahaz did and all his policies, from beginning to end, are recorded in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.

Ahaz rested with his ancestors and was buried in the city of Jerusalem — but they did not place him in the tombs of the kings of Israel. His son Hezekiah became king after him.