16In the seventeenth year of Pekah son of Remaliah, Ahaz son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign.H7651H6240H8141H8141H6492H1121H7425H271H1121H3147H4428H3063H44272Ahaz 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.H6242H8141H1121H271H4427H4427H8337H6240H8141H3389H6213H3477H5869H3068H430H1732H13He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and even sacrificed his son in the fire, following the detestable ways of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.H3212H1870H4428H3478H1121H5674H784H8441H1471H3068H3423H6440H1121H34784He offered sacrifices and burned incense at the high places, on the hilltops and under every spreading tree.H2076H6999H1116H1389H7488H60865Then 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.H7526H4428H758H6492H1121H7425H4428H3478H5927H3389H4421H6696H271H3201H38986At that time, Rezin king of Aram recovered Elath for Aram by driving out the men of Judah. Edomites then moved into Elath and have lived there to this day.H6256H7526H4428H758H7725H359H758H130H5394H3064H359H726H935H359H3427H31177Ahaz 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."H271H7971H4397H8407H4428H804H559H5650H1121H5927H3467H3709H4428H758H3709H4428H3478H69658And 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.H271H3947H3701H2091H4672H1004H3068H214H4428H1004H7971H7810H4428H8049The king of Assyria complied by attacking Damascus and capturing it. He deported its inhabitants to Kir and put Rezin to death.H4428H804H8085H4428H804H5927H1834H8610H1540H7024H4191H752610Then 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.H4428H271H3212H1834H7125H8407H4428H804H7200H4196H1834H4428H271H7971H223H3548H1823H4196H8403H463911So 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.H223H3548H1129H4196H4428H271H7971H1834H223H3548H6213H4428H271H935H183412When the king came back from Damascus and saw the altar, he approached it and presented offerings on it.H4428H935H1834H4428H7200H4196H4428H7126H4196H592713He offered up his burnt offering and grain offering, poured out his drink offering, and sprinkled the blood of his fellowship offerings on the altar.H6999H5930H4503H5258H5262H2236H1818H8002H419614The bronze altar that stood before the LORD he brought 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.H7126H5178H4196H6440H3068H6440H1004H4196H1004H3068H5414H6828H3409H419615King 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. Sprinkle on the altar all the blood of the burnt offerings and sacrifices. But I will use the bronze altar for seeking guidance."H4428H271H6680H223H3548H559H1419H4196H6999H1242H5930H6153H4503H4428H5930H4503H5930H5971H776H4503H5262H2236H1818H5930H1818H2077H5178H4196H123916And Uriah the priest did just as King Ahaz had ordered.H6213H223H3548H4428H271H668017King Ahaz took away 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.H4428H271H7112H4526H4350H5493H3595H3381H3220H5178H1241H5414H4837H6818He 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.H4329H4329H7676H1129H1004H4428H3996H2435H5437H1004H3068H6440H4428H80419As 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?H3499H1697H271H6213H3789H5612H1697H3117H4428H306320Ahaz rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the City of David. And Hezekiah his son succeeded him as king.H271H7901H1H6912H1H5892H1732H2396H1121H4427