2 Kings 16:6-8

16:6 (At that time King Rezin of Syria ¹  recovered Elat for Syria; he drove the Judahites from there. ²  Syrians ³  arrived in Elat and live there to this very day.) 16:7 Ahaz sent messengers to King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your dependent. ⁴  March up and rescue me from the power ⁵  of the king of Syria and the king of Israel, who have attacked ⁶  me.” 16:8 Then Ahaz took the silver and gold that were ⁷  in the Lord’s temple and in the treasuries of the royal palace and sent it as tribute ⁸  to the king of Assyria.

¹ tc Some prefer to read “the king of Edom” and “for Edom” here. The names Syria (Heb “Aram,” אֲרָם, ’aram) and Edom (אֱדֹם, ’edom) are easily confused in the Hebrew consonantal script.

² tn Heb “from Elat.”

³ tc The consonantal text (Kethib), supported by many medieval Hebrew mss, the Syriac version, and some mss of the Targum and Vulgate, read “Syrians” (Heb “Arameans”). The marginal reading (Qere), supported by the LXX, Targums, and Vulgate, reads “Edomites.”

⁴ tn Heb “son.” Both terms (“servant” and “son”) reflect Ahaz’s subordinate position as Tiglath-pileser’s subject.

⁵ tn Heb “hand, palm.”

⁶ tn Heb “who have arisen against.”

⁷ tn Heb “that was found.”

⁸ tn Or “bribe money.”