1. Ahaz, Jotham’s son, became king of Judah in the seventeenth year of Pekah, Remaliah’s son.
2. Ahaz was 20 years old when he became king, and he ruled for sixteen years in Jerusalem. He didn’t do what was right in the Lord’s eyes, unlike his ancestor David.
3. Instead, he walked in the ways of Israel’s kings. He even burned his own son alive, imitating the detestable practices of the nations that the Lord had driven out before the Israelites.
4. He also sacrificed and burned incense at the shrines on every hill and beneath every shady tree.
5. Then Aram’s King Rezin and Israel’s King Pekah, Remaliah’s son, came up to Jerusalem to fight. They surrounded Ahaz, but they weren’t able to defeat him.
6. At that time Aram’s King Rezin recovered Elath for the Arameans, driving the Judeans out of Elath. The Edomites came to Elath and settled there, and that’s still the case now.
7. Ahaz sent messengers to Assyria’s King Tiglath-pileser, saying, "I’m your servant and your son. Come up and save me from the power of the kings of Aram and Israel. Both of them are attacking me!"
8. And Ahaz took the silver and the gold that was in the Lord’s temple and in the palace treasuries, and sent a gift to Assyria’s king.
9. The Assyrian king heard the request and marched against Damascus. He captured it and sent its citizens into exile to Kir. He also killed Rezin.
10. Then King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet up with Assyria’s King Tiglath-pileser. King Ahaz noticed the altar that was in Damascus, and he sent the altar’s plan and details for its construction to the priest Uriah.