2 Kings 16

NEW AMERICAN BIBLE	NEW JERUSALEM
1 In the seventeenth year of Pekah, son of Remaliah, Ahaz, son of Jotham, king of Judah, began to reign.	1 In the seventeenth year of Pekah son of Remaliah, Ahaz son of Jotham became king of Judah.
2 Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. He did not please the LORD, his God, like his forefather David,	2 Ahaz was twenty years old when he came to the throne, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem.He did not do what Yahweh his God regards as right, as his ancestor David had done.
3 but conducted himself like the kings of Israel, and even immolated his son by fire, in accordance with the abominable practice of the nations whom the LORD had cleared out of the way of the Israelites.	3 He followed the example of the kings of Israel, even causing his son to pass through the fire ofsacrifice, also copying the disgusting practices of the nations whom Yahweh had dispossessed for the Israelites.
4 Further, he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, on hills, and under every leafy tree.	4 He offered sacrifices and incense on the high places, on the hil s and under every luxuriant tree.
5 Then Rezin, king of Aram, and Pekah, son of Remaliah, king of Israel, came up to Jerusalem to attack it. Although they besieged Ahaz, they were unable to conquer him.	5 Then it was that Razon king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah, king of Israel, launched theircampaign against Jerusalem. They besieged it but could not reduce it.
6 At the same time the king of Edom recovered Elath for Edom, driving the Judeans out of it. The Edomites then entered Elath, which they have occupied until the present.	6 (At that time, the king of Edom recovered Elath for Edom; he drove the Judaeans out of Elath, and theEdomites occupied it and have been there ever since.)
7 Meanwhile, Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria, with the plea: "I am your servant and your son. Come up and rescue me from the clutches of the king of Aram and the king of Israel, who are attacking me."	7 Ahaz then sent messengers to Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria to say, 'I am your servant and your son.Come and rescue me from the king of Aram and the king of Israel who are making war on me.'
8 Ahaz took the silver and gold that were in the temple of the LORD and in the palace treasuries and sent them as a present to the king of Assyria,	8 And Ahaz took what silver and gold was to be found in the Temple of Yahweh and in the palacetreasury, and sent this as a present to the king of Assyria.
9 who listened to him and moved against Damascus, which he captured. He deported its inhabitants to Kir and put Rezin to death.	9 The king of Assyria granted his request and, marching on Damascus, captured it; he deported itspopulation to Kir and put Razon to death.
10 King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria. When he saw the altar in Damascus, King Ahaz sent to Uriah the priest a model of the altar and a detailed design of its construction.	10 When King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, he saw the altar whichwas in Damascus. King Ahaz then sent a picture and model of the altar, with details of its construction, to Uriahthe priest.
11 Uriah the priest built an altar according to the plans which King Ahaz sent him from Damascus, and had it completed by the time the king returned home.	11 Uriah the priest constructed the altar; al the instructions sent by King Ahaz from Damascus werecarried out by Uriah the priest before King Ahaz returned from Damascus.
12 On his arrival from Damascus, the king inspected this altar, then went up to it and offered sacrifice on it,	12 When the king arrived from Damascus, he inspected the altar, he approached it and ascended it.
13 burning his holocaust and cereal-offering, pouring out his libation, and sprinkling the blood of his peace-offerings on the altar.	13 And on the altar he made his burnt offering and his oblation; he poured out his libation and sprinkledthe blood of his communion sacrifices.
14 The bronze altar that stood before the LORD he brought from the front of the temple--that is, from the space between the new altar and the temple of the LORD--and set it on the north side of his altar.	14 The altar which used to stand before Yahweh he removed from the front of the Temple, where it hadstood between the new altar and the Temple of Yahweh, and placed it at the north side of the new altar.
15 "Upon the large altar," King Ahaz commanded Uriah the priest, "burn the morning holocaust and the evening cereal offering, the royal holocaust and cereal offering, as well as the holocausts, cereal offerings, and libations of the people. You must also sprinkle on it all the blood of holocausts and sacrifices. But the old bronze altar shall be mine for consultation."	15 King Ahaz gave this order to Uriah the priest, 'In future you wil present the morning burnt offering, theevening oblation, the king's burnt offering and oblation, the burnt offering, the oblation and the libations of al thepeople of the country on the large altar; on it you will pour out al the blood of the burnt offerings and sacrifices.As regards the bronze altar, I shal see to that.'
16 Uriah the priest did just as King Ahaz had commanded.	16 Uriah the priest did everything that King Ahaz had ordered.
17 King Ahaz detached the frames from the bases and removed the lavers from them; he also took down the bronze sea from the bronze oxen that supported it, and set it on a stone pavement.	17 King Ahaz broke up the wheeled stands; removed the crosspieces and the basins from them, andtook the bronze Sea off the oxen supporting it, and rested it on the stone pavement.
18 In deference to the king of Assyria he removed from the temple of the LORD the emplacement which had been built in the temple for a throne, and the outer entrance for the king.	18 And from the Temple of Yahweh, in deference to the king of Assyria, he removed the dais for thethrone which had been built inside, and the royal entrance on the outside.
19 The rest of the acts of Ahaz are recorded in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah.	19 The rest of the history of Ahaz, his entire career, is this not recorded in the Book of the Annals of theKings of Judah?
20 Ahaz rested with his ancestors and was buried with them in the City of David. His son Hezekiah succeeded him as king.	20 Then Ahaz fel asleep with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David; his son Hezekiahsucceeded him.