2 Chronicles 28:1-6

Ahaz’s Reign

28:1 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. ¹  He did not do what pleased the Lord, in contrast to his ancestor David. ²  28:2 He followed in the footsteps of ³  the kings of Israel; he also made images of the Baals. 28:3 He offered sacrifices in the Valley of Ben-Hinnom and passed his sons through the fire, ⁴  a horrible sin practiced by the nations ⁵  whom the Lord drove out before the Israelites. 28:4 He offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.

28:5 The Lord his God handed him over to the king of Syria. The Syrians ⁶  defeated him and deported many captives to Damascus. ⁷  He was also handed over to the king of Israel, who thoroughly defeated him. ⁸  28:6 In one day King Pekah son of Remaliah of Israel killed 120,000 warriors in Judah, because they had abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors. ⁹ 

[28:1]  ¹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[28:1]  ² tn Heb “and he did not do what was proper in the eyes of the Lord, like David his father.”

[28:2]  ³ tn Heb “he walked in the ways of.”

[28:3]  ⁴ sn This may refer to child sacrifice, though some interpret it as a less drastic cultic practice (NEB “burnt his sons in the fire”; NASB “burned his sons in the fire”; NIV “sacrificed his sons in the fire”; NRSV “made his sons pass through fire”). For discussion see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 266-67.

[28:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “like the abominable practices of the nations.”

[28:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Syrians) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[28:5]  ⁷ tn Heb “and took captive from him a great captivity and brought [them] to Damascus.”

[28:5]  ⁸ tn Heb “who struck him down with a great striking.”

[28:6]  ⁹ tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 9, 25).