2 Kings 15:32-16:9

New American Standard Bible

Jotham over Judah

³² In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah king of Israel, Jotham the son of ^[a]Uzziah king of Judah became king. ^33 (A)He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok. ^34 (B)He did what was right in the sight of the Lord; he acted in accordance with everything that his father Uzziah had done. ³⁵ Only ^(C)the high places were not eliminated; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. ^(D)He built the upper gate of the house of the Lord. ³⁶ Now as for the rest of the acts of Jotham which he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? ³⁷ In those days ^(E)the Lord began to send Rezin the king of Aram and Pekah the son of Remaliah against Judah. ³⁸ And Jotham ^[b]lay down with his fathers, and he was buried with his fathers in the city of his father David; and his son Ahaz became king in his place.

Ahaz Reigns over Judah

16 In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, ^(F)Ahaz the son of Jotham, king of Judah, became king. ^2 (G)Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem; and he did not do what was right in the sight of the Lord his God, as his father David had done. ³ But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, ^(H)and he even made his son pass through the fire, ^(I)in accordance with the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had ^[c]driven out before the sons of Israel. ⁴ And he ^(J)sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.

⁵ Then ^(K)Rezin the king of Aram and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem for war; and they besieged Ahaz, ^(L)but ^[d]were not capable of fighting him. ⁶ At that time Rezin king of Aram restored ^(M)Elath to Aram, and drove the Judeans away from ^[e]Elath; and the ^[f]Arameans came to Elath and have lived there to this day.

Ahaz Seeks Help of Assyria

^7 (N)So Ahaz sent messengers to ^(O)Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son; come up and save me from the ^[g]hand of the king of Aram, and from the ^[h]hand of the king of Israel, who are rising up against me.” ⁸ And ^(P)Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the Lord and in the treasuries of the king’s house, and sent a gift to the king of Assyria. ^9 (Q)So the king of Assyria listened to him; and the king of Assyria went up against Damascus and ^(R)captured it, and led the people of it into exile to ^(S)Kir, and put Rezin to death.