2 Chronicles 28

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 Ahaz was twenty years old when he came to the throne and he reigned for sixteen years inJerusalem. He did not do what Yahweh regards as right, as his ancestor David had done.	1 Ahaz was twenty years old when he had begun to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. He did not do what is right in the sight of the Lord, as his father David did.
2 He followed the example of the kings of Israel, even having images cast for the Baals;	2 Instead, he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel. Moreover, he also cast statues for the Baals.
3 he burned incense in the Val ey of Ben-Hinnom, caused his sons to pass through the fire of sacrifice,copying the disgusting practices of the nations whom Yahweh had dispossessed for the Israelites.	3 It is he who burned incense in the Valley of the son of Hinnom. And he purified his sons by fire, in accord with the ritual of the nations that the Lord put to death at the advent of the sons of Israel.
4 He offered sacrifices and incense on the high places, on the hil s and under every green tree.	4 Also, he was sacrificing and burning incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every leafy tree.
5 So Yahweh his God put him at the mercy of the king of Aram, who defeated him and took largenumbers of captives, carrying them off to Damascus. He also put him at the mercy of the king of Israel, whoinflicted heavy casualties on him.	5 And so the Lord, his God, delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria, who struck him and took great plunder from his kingdom. And he carried it away to Damascus. Also, he was delivered into the hands of the king of Israel, and he struck him with great affliction.
6 In a single day, Pekah son of Remaliah kil ed a hundred and twenty thousand in Judah, al of themprominent men, because they had abandoned Yahweh, God of their ancestors.	6 And Pekah, the son of Remaliah, killed, on one day, one hundred twenty thousand, all of them men of war from Judah, because they had forsaken the Lord, the God of their fathers.
7 Zichri, an Ephraimite champion, killed Maaseiah the king's son, Azrikam the control er of thehousehold and Elkanah the king's second-in-command.	7 In the same time, Zichri, a powerful man of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah, the son of the king, and Azrikam, the governor of his house, and also Elkanah, who was second to the king.
8 Of their brothers, the Israelites took two hundred thousand captive including wives, sons, daughters;they also took quantities of booty, carrying everything off to Samaria.	8 And the sons of Israel seized, from their brothers, two hundred thousand women, boys, and girls, and immense plunder. And they took it away to Samaria.
9 Now there was a prophet of Yahweh there by the name of Oded, who went out to meet the troopsreturning to Samaria and said, 'Look, because Yahweh, God of your ancestors, was angry with Judah, he putthem at your mercy, but you have slaughtered them with such fury as reached to heaven,	9 At that time, there was a prophet of the Lord there, named Oded. And going out to meet the army arriving in Samaria, he said to them: “Behold, the Lord, the God of your fathers, having become angry against Judah, has delivered them into your hands. But you have killed them by atrocities, so that your cruelty has reached up to heaven.
10 and now you propose to reduce the children of Judah and Jerusalem to being your male and femaleslaves! Have you not yourselves committed sins against Yahweh your God?	10 Moreover, you wanted to subjugate the sons of Judah and Jerusalem as your men and women servants, which is a work that should never be done. And so you sinned in this matter against the Lord your God.
11 Now listen to me: release the captives you have taken from your brothers, for the fierce anger ofYahweh hangs over you.'	11 But listen to my counsel, and release the captives, whom you have brought from your brothers. For a great fury of the Lord is hanging over you.”
12 Some of the Ephraimite chieftains -- Azariah son of Jehohanan, Berechaiah son of Meshil emoth,Jehizkiah son of Shal um and Amasa son of Hadlai -- then protested to those returning from the war	12 And so, some of the leaders of the sons of Ephraim, Azariah, the son of Johanan, Berechiah, the son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah, the son of Shallum, and Amasa, the son of Hadlai, stood up against those who were arriving from the battle.
13 and said to them, 'You must not bring the captives here, for we have already sinned against Yahwehand you propose to add to our sin and guilt, although our guilt is already great, and fierce anger is hanging overIsrael.'	13 And they said to them: “You shall not lead back captives to here, lest we sin against the Lord. Why are you willing to add to our sins, and to build upon our old offenses? For indeed, the sin is great, and the furious anger of the Lord is hanging over Israel.”
14 So in the presence of the officials and whole assembly, the soldiers gave up the captives and thebooty.	14 And the warriors released the spoils and all that they had seized, in the sight of the leaders and the entire multitude.
15 Men nominated for the purpose then took charge of the captives. From the booty they clothed althose of them who were naked; they gave them clothing and sandals, provided them with food and drink,mounted on donkeys al those who were infirm and took them back to Jericho, the city of palm trees, to theirbrothers. Then they returned to Samaria.	15 And the men, whom we mentioned above, rose up and took the captives. All those who were naked, they clothed from the spoils. And when they had clothed them, and had given them shoes, and had refreshed them with food and drink, and had anointed them because of the hardship, and had cared for them, whoever was not able to walk and whoever was feeble in body, they set them upon beasts of burden, and they led them to Jericho, the city of palm trees, to their brothers, and they themselves returned to Samaria.
16 This was when King Ahaz sent asking the king of Assyria to come to his assistance.	16 In that time, king Ahaz sent to the king of the Assyrians, requesting assistance.
17 The Edomites again invaded, defeated Judah, and carried off captives,	17 And the Edomites arrived and struck down many of Judah, and they seized great plunder.
18 while the Philistines raided the towns in the lowlands and in the Negeb of Judah, capturing Beth-Shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco and its dependencies, Timnah and its dependencies and Gimzo and itsdependencies, and settled there.	18 Also, the Philistines spread out among the cities of the plains, and to the south of Judah. And they seized Beth-shemesh, and Aijalon, and Gederoth, and also Soco, and Timnah, and Gimzo, with their villages, and they lived in them.
19 For Yahweh brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel, since he behaved without restraint inJudah and had been unfaithful to Yahweh.	19 For the Lord had humbled Judah because of Ahaz, the king of Judah, since he had stripped it of help, and had shown contempt for the Lord.
20 Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria attacked and besieged him; but he could not overpower him.	20 And he led against him Tilgath-pilneser, the king of the Assyrians, who also afflicted him and laid waste to him, without resistance.
21 Although Ahaz robbed the Temple of Yahweh and the palaces of the king and princes and gave theproceeds to the king of Assyria, he received no help from him.	21 And so Ahaz, despoiling the house of the Lord, and the house of the kings and the leaders, gave gifts to the king of the Assyrians, and yet it profited him nothing.
22 During the time when he was under siege he disobeyed Yahweh even more grossly, this King Ahaz.	22 Moreover, in the time of his anguish, he also added to his contempt against the Lord. King Ahaz himself, by himself,
23 For he offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus who had defeated him. 'Since the gods of thekings of Aram', he thought, 'have supported them, I shal sacrifice to them, and perhaps they will help me.' Butthey proved to be his and al Israel's downfal .	23 immolated victims to the gods of Damascus, those who had struck him. And he said: “The gods of the kings of Syria assist them, and so I will please them with victims, and they will help me.” But to the contrary, they had been the ruin of him and of all Israel.
24 Ahaz then collected the equipment of the Temple of God, broke up the equipment of the Temple ofGod, sealed the doors of the Temple of Yahweh and put his own altars in every corner of Jerusalem;	24 And so, Ahaz, having despoiled and broken apart all the vessels of the house of God, closed up the doors of the temple of God, and made for himself altars in all the corners of Jerusalem.
25 he set up high places in every town of Judah to burn incense to other gods, thus provoking the angerof Yahweh, God of his ancestors.	25 Also, he constructed altars in all the cities of Judah, in order to burn frankincense, and so he provoked the Lord, the God of his fathers, to wrath.
26 The rest of his history, his whole policy, from first to last, is recorded in the Book of the Kings ofJudah and Israel.	26 But the rest of his words, and all his works, the first and the last, have been written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.
27 Then Ahaz fel asleep with his ancestors and was buried in the City, in Jerusalem, though he was nottaken to the tombs of the kings of Israel. His son Hezekiah succeeded him.	27 And Ahaz slept with his fathers. And they buried him in the city of Jerusalem. And they did not allow him to be in the sepulchers of the kings of Israel. And his son, Hezekiah, reigned in his place.