1
In the seventeenth year of Peqach son of Remalyahu, Achaz son of Yotam, king of Yehudah, began to reign.
2
Twenty years old was Achaz when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Yerushalayim. And he did not do what was upright in the eyes of Yahuah his Elohim, as Daviyd his father.
3
But he walked in the way of the kings of Yisra’el, and even caused his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom Yahuah had dispossessed from before the sons of Yisra’el.
4
And he sacrificed and burned incense upon the high places, and upon the hills, and beneath every flourishing tree.
5
Then Retzin king of Aram and Peqach son of Remalyahu, king of Yisra’el, went up to Yerushalayim for war. And they besieged Achaz but were not able to overcome him.
6
At that time Retzin king of Aram returned Elat to Aram and drove the Yehudim from Elat. And the Aramim came to Elat and dwelt there, to this day.
7
And Achaz sent messengers to Tiglat-Pileser king of Ashshur, saying: “I am your servant and your son. Come up and save me from the hand of the king of Aram and from the hand of the king of Yisra’el, who have risen against me.”
8
And Achaz took the silver and the gold that were found in the House of Yahuah and in the treasuries of the house of the king, and sent a gift to the king of Ashshur.
9
And the king of Ashshur listened to him. And the king of Ashshur went up against Dammeseq and captured it, and carried its people captive to Qir, and put Retzin to death.
10
And King Achaz went to Dammeseq to meet Tiglat-Pileser king of Ashshur. And he saw the altar that was in Dammeseq. And King Achaz sent to Uriyah the kohen the pattern of the altar and its form, according to all its workmanship.
11
And Uriyah the kohen built the altar according to all that King Achaz had sent from Dammeseq. Thus Uriyah the kohen made it before King Achaz came from Dammeseq.
12
And the king came from Dammeseq, and the king saw the altar. And the king drew near to the altar and caused offerings to go up upon it.
13
And he caused his ascending offering and his grain offering to go up, and poured his drink offering, and sprinkled the blood of his peace offerings upon the altar.
14
And the bronze altar that was before Yahuah he brought near from before the face of the House, from between the altar and the House of Yahuah, and placed it upon the north side of the altar.
15
And King Achaz commanded Uriyah the kohen, saying: “Upon the great altar cause the morning ascending offering to go up, and the evening grain offering, and the ascending offering of the king, and his grain offering, and the ascending offering of all the people of the land, and their grain offering, and their drink offerings. And all the blood of the ascending offering and all the blood of the sacrifice you shall sprinkle upon it. But the bronze altar shall be for me to seek by.”
16
And Uriyah the kohen did according to all that King Achaz commanded.
17
And King Achaz cut off the panels of the stands and removed from them the basins. And he took down the sea from upon the bronze oxen that were beneath it and placed it upon a pavement of stone.
18
And the covered way for the Shabbat that they had built in the House, and the outer entrance of the king, he turned around from the House of Yahuah, because of the king of Ashshur.
19
And the rest of the matters of Achaz that he did, are they not written in the Sefer of the Matters of the Days of the Kings of Yehudah?
20
And Achaz lay down with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the City of Daviyd. And Chizqiyahu his son reigned in his place.