בִּשְׁנַת שְׁבַע־עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה לְפֶקַח בֶּן־רְמַלְיָהוּ מָלַךְ אָחָז בֶּן־יוֹתָם מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה

During the seventeenth year of Pekah son of Remalyahu, king of Israel, Ahaz son of Yotam, king of Judah, became king.

בֶּן־עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה אָחָז בְּמָלְכוֹ וְשֵׁשׁ־עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה מָלַךְ בִּירוּשָׁלִָם וְלֹא־עָשָׂה הַיָּשָׁר בְּעֵינֵי ה' אֱלֹהָיו כְּדָוִד אָבִיו

Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. He did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord his God, as his father David had done.

וַיֵּלֶךְ בְּדֶרֶךְ מַלְכֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְגַם אֶת־בְּנוֹ הֶעֱבִיר בָּאֵשׁ כְּתֹעֲבוֹת הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר הוֹרִישׁ ה' אֹתָם מִפְּנֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל

He followed the way of the kings of Israel, who did not follow the path of God, and even passed his son through the fire, in accordance with the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had dispossessed from before the children of Israel.

וַיְזַבֵּחַ וַיְקַטֵּר בַּבָּמוֹת וְעַל־הַגְּבָעוֹת וְתַחַת כָּל־עֵץ רַעֲנָן

He slaughtered and burned offerings at the shrines, on the hills, and under every flourishing tree, not only as improper service of God, but also as idolatrous worship of foreign gods.

אָז יַעֲלֶה רְצִין מֶלֶךְ־אֲרָם וּפֶקַח בֶּן־רְמַלְיָהוּ מֶלֶךְ־יִשְׂרָאֵל יְרוּשָׁלִַם לַמִּלְחָמָה וַיָּצֻרוּ עַל־אָחָז וְלֹא יָכְלוּ לְהִלָּחֵם

Then Retzin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remalyahu, king of Israel, went up to, against, Jerusalem for war; they besieged Ahaz but they could not conquer him. They were not able to conquer Jerusalem.

בָּעֵת הַהִיא הֵשִׁיב רְצִין מֶלֶךְ־אֲרָם אֶת־אֵילַת לַאֲרָם וַיְנַשֵּׁל אֶת־הַיְּהוּדִים מֵאֵילוֹת וַאֲדוֹמִים בָּאוּ אֵילַת וַיֵּשְׁבוּ שָׁם עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה

At that time, when the armies of Aram and Israel besieged Jerusalem, Retzin king of Aram restored Eilat, a commercially and politically significant Red Sea port city that served as the gateway to Africa and perhaps also to India, to Aram. Azarya had restored certain cities in this area, including Eilat, to his control after they had been taken by foreign rulers. Though it was located beyond the borders of the territory of Judah, Eilat had been alternately controlled by the Kingdom of Judah and foreign rulers. And he, Retzin, drove the Judeans from Eilot, another way to pronounce the name Eilat. The Edomites, residents of the nearby land of Edom, came to Eilat in their place, and they settled there to this day.

וַיִּשְׁלַח אָחָז מַלְאָכִים אֶל־תִּגְלַת פְּלֶסֶר מֶלֶךְ־אַשּׁוּר לֵאמֹר עַבְדְּךָ וּבִנְךָ אָנִי עֲלֵה וְהוֹשִׁעֵנִי מִכַּף מֶלֶךְ־אֲרָם וּמִכַּף מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל הַקּוֹמִים עָלָי

Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglat Pileser king of Assyria, saying: I am your servant and your son, I am submitting myself to your authority. Please, go up, and save me from the hand of Retzin the king of Aram, and from the hand of Pekah the king of Israel, who are rising up against me in war and are threatening to defeat me.

וַיִּקַּח אָחָז אֶת־הַכֶּסֶף וְאֶת־הַזָּהָב הַנִּמְצָא בֵּית ה' וּבְאֹצְרוֹת בֵּית הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיִּשְׁלַח לְמֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר שֹׁחַד

An appeal of this kind would be unlikely to succeed unless it was accompanied by some sort of compensation. Therefore, Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the House of the Lord, the Temple treasury, which was also the national treasury, and in the treasuries of the king’s palace, and he sent it as a bribe to the king of Assyria.

וַיִּשְׁמַע אֵלָיו מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר וַיַּעַל מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר אֶל־דַּמֶּשֶׂק וַיִּתְפְּשֶׂהָ וַיַּגְלֶהָ קִירָה וְאֶת־רְצִין הֵמִית

The king of Assyria heeded him. This was in his direct interest as well, as the Assyrians were planning to conquer the entire region. Later, they would even attempt to conquer Egypt, but they aimed to actualize their aspirations gradually. And so the king of Assyria went up against Damascus, seized it in battle, exiled it, the residents of Damascus, to Kir, which was far to the north of Damascus, and also put Retzin to death.

וַיֵּלֶךְ הַמֶּלֶךְ אָחָז לִקְרַאת תִּגְלַת פִּלְאֶסֶר מֶלֶךְ־אַשּׁוּר דּוּמֶּשֶׂק וַיַּרְא אֶת־הַמִּזְבֵּחַ אֲשֶׁר בְּדַמָּשֶׂק וַיִּשְׁלַח הַמֶּלֶךְ אָחָז אֶל־אוּרִיָּה הַכֹּהֵן אֶת־דְּמוּת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ וְאֶת־תַּבְנִיתוֹ לְכָל־מַעֲשֵׂהוּ

As a consequence of Retzin’s downfall, Pekah son of Remalyahu returned to his land. Then King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglat Pileser king of Assyria, where the Assyrian king was temporarily staying after having conquered Damascus, and he, Ahaz, saw the altar that was in Damascus and was very impressed by it. Therefore, King Ahaz sent to Uriya the priest, who was in the Temple in Jerusalem, a model of the altar and its configuration, in accordance with all its craftsmanship. Ahaz reasoned that he ought to copy the altar and the sacrificial rites of the powerful king of Assyria, who controlled the entire region. He therefore sent the designs of the altar to Uriya the priest for him to fashion a similar one back in Jerusalem.

וַיִּבֶן אוּרִיָּה הַכֹּהֵן אֶת־הַמִּזְבֵּחַ כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר־שָׁלַח הַמֶּלֶךְ אָחָז מִדַּמֶּשֶׂק כֵּן עָשָׂה אוּרִיָּה הַכֹּהֵן עַד־בּוֹא הַמֶּלֶךְ־אָחָז מִדַּמָּשֶׂק

Uriya the priest built an altar; in accordance with everything that King Ahaz sent from Damascus, so Uriya the priest did until the arrival of King Ahaz from Damascus. The letter arrived quickly, and by the time Ahaz returned, an altar similar to the one he had seen in Damascus had already been constructed in Jerusalem.

וַיָּבֹא הַמֶּלֶךְ מִדַּמֶּשֶׂק וַיַּרְא הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶת־הַמִּזְבֵּחַ וַיִּקְרַב הַמֶּלֶךְ עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּחַ וַיַּעַל עָלָיו

The king arrived from Damascus, and the king saw the altar and was pleased with it. The king approached the altar, and he offered sacrifices upon it.

וַיַּקְטֵר אֶת־עֹלָתוֹ וְאֶת־מִנְחָתוֹ וַיַּסֵּךְ אֶת־נִסְכּוֹ וַיִּזְרֹק אֶת־דַּם־הַשְּׁלָמִים אֲשֶׁר־לוֹ עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּחַ

He burned his burnt offering and his meal offering and poured his libation, and he sprinkled the blood of his peace offerings on the altar constructed in the Aramean-Assyrian style imported from the north.

וְאֵת הַמִּזְבַּח הַנְּחֹשֶׁת אֲשֶׁר לִפְנֵי ה'וַיַּקְרֵב מֵאֵת פְּנֵי הַבַּיִת מִבֵּין הַמִּזְבֵּחַ וּמִבֵּין בֵּית ה' וַיִּתֵּן אֹתוֹ עַל־יֶרֶךְ הַמִּזְבֵּחַ צָפוֹנָה

Uriya had built the new altar by the older, bronze altar, which was before the Lord, which Solomon had constructed for the Temple. He brought the new altar and placed it near the front of the House, between the altar and the House of the Lord; he put it on the side of the altar to the north. The new altar was positioned at the forefront of the Temple courtyard, between the old altar and the Sanctuary. Elsewhere, it is related that Ahaz also closed the doors of the Sanctuary, cut its vessels into pieces, and offered sacrifices to foreign gods.

וַיְצַוֶּה הַמֶּלֶךְ אָחָז אֶת־אוּרִיָּה הַכֹּהֵן לֵאמֹר עַל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ הַגָּדוֹל הַקְטֵר אֶת־עֹלַת־הַבֹּקֶר וְאֶת־מִנְחַת הָעֶרֶב וְאֶת־עֹלַת הַמֶּלֶךְ וְאֶת־מִנְחָתוֹ וְאֵת עֹלַת כָּל־עַם הָאָרֶץ וּמִנְחָתָם וְנִסְכֵּיהֶם וְכָל־דַּם עֹלָה וְכָל־דַּם־זֶבַח עָלָיו תִּזְרֹק ומִזְבַּח הַנְּחֹשֶׁת יִהְיֶה־לִּי לְבַקֵּר

King Ahaz commanded Uriya the priest, saying: Upon the great new altar burn the morning burnt offering, the evening meal offering, the king’s burnt offering and his meal offering, the burnt offering of all the people of the land, their meal offerings, and their libations, and sprinkle all the blood of burnt offerings and all the blood of feast offerings upon it. This new altar shall be the main one; the bronze altar will be for me to visit occasionally. Leave it in its place, for whenever it is needed.

וַיַּעַשׂ אוּרִיָּה הַכֹּהֵן כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּה הַמֶּלֶךְ אָחָז

Uriya the priest did in accordance with everything that King Ahaz commanded.

וַיְקַצֵּץ הַמֶּלֶךְ אָחָז אֶת־הַמִּסְגְּרוֹת הַמְּכֹנוֹת וַיָּסַר מֵעֲלֵיהֶם אֶת־הַכִּיֹּר וְאֶת־הַיָּם הוֹרִד מֵעַל הַבָּקָר הַנְּחֹשֶׁת אֲשֶׁר תַּחְתֶּיהָ וַיִּתֵּן אֹתוֹ עַל מַרְצֶפֶת אֲבָנִים

King Ahaz wreaked additional damage to the Temple and its accessories: He cut off the panels of the trolleys of the lavers, and he removed the laver from upon each of them; he took down the sea, the large basin that Solomon had fashioned, from upon the bronze oxen that were beneath it, and he put it, the sea, instead on a stone pavement. Perhaps he intended to use the bronze oxen in the future as bribes.

ואֶת־מוּסַךְ הַשַּׁבָּת אֲשֶׁר־בָּנוּ בַבַּיִת וְאֶת־מְבוֹא הַמֶּלֶךְ הַחִיצוֹנָה הֵסֵב בֵּית ה' מִפְּנֵי מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר

He also removed the Sabbath awning, which was for the priests to use as a resting place on the Sabbath day, that they had built in the House, and he closed the external entrance of the king, the main entrance to the royal palace, and he redirected that passage to the House of the Lord, due to the king of Assyria. In order to enhance his personal security, Ahaz changed the design of the Temple complex.

וְיֶתֶר דִּבְרֵי אָחָז אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה הֲלֹא־הֵם כְּתוּבִים עַל־סֵפֶר דִּבְרֵי הַיָּמִים לְמַלְכֵי יְהוּדָה

The rest of the matters of Ahaz that he did, beyond that which is detailed here, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

וַיִּשְׁכַּב אָחָז עִם־אֲבֹתָיו וַיִּקָּבֵר עִם־אֲבֹתָיו בְּעִיר דָּוִד וַיִּמְלֹךְ חִזְקִיָּהוּ בְנוֹ תַּחְתָּיו

Ahaz lay with his fathers, and he was buried with his fathers in the City of David. Hizkiyahu his son reigned in his place.