1. Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he ruled sixteen years in Jerusalem. Unlike his ancestor David, he did not do what the Lord said was right.
2. Ahaz did the same things the kings of Israel had done. He made metal idols to worship Baal.
3. He burned incense in the Valley of Ben Hinnom and made his children pass through the fire. He did the same hateful sins as the nations had done whom the Lord had forced out of the land ahead of the Israelites.
4. Ahaz offered sacrifices and burned incense at the places where gods were worshiped, and on the hills, and under every green tree.
5. So the Lord his God handed over Ahaz to the king of Aram. The Arameans defeated Ahaz and took many people of Judah as prisoners to Damascus.He also handed over Ahaz to Pekah king of Israel, and Pekah’s army killed many soldiers of Ahaz.
6. The army of Pekah son of Remaliah killed one hundred twenty thousand brave soldiers from Judah in one day. Pekah defeated them because they had left the Lord, the God of their ancestors.
7. Zicri, a warrior from Ephraim, killed King Ahaz’s son Maaseiah. He also killed Azrikam, the officer in charge of the palace, and Elkanah, who was second in command to the king.