1Ahaz son of Jotham became king of Judah. It was in the seventeenth year of the reign of Pekah son of Remaliah as king of Israel. 2Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king. He ruled sixteen years in Jerusalem. He did not do what was right in the eyes of Jehovah his God, as David his father did. 3He walked in ways of the kings of Israel. He even offered his son to walk through the fire. He copied the disgusting ways of the nations. Jehovah sent the people of the nations out of the land before the children of Israel. 4He made offerings and burned them on the high places and on the hills and under every green tree. 5Rezin king of Aram, and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel came to Jerusalem to make war. They attacked Ahaz but could not conquer him. 6Then the king of Edom got Elath back for Edom, and sent the Jews out of Elath. The Edomites returned to Elath where they are living to this day. 7Ahaz sent representatives to Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, saying: »I am your servant and your son. Come help me against the kings of Aram and Israel who have taken up arms against me.« 8Ahaz took the silver and gold in the Temple of Jehovah and in the king's storehouse, and sent them as an offering to the king of Assyria. 9The king of Assyria, in answer to his request, went up against Damascus and captured it. He took its people away as prisoners to Kir, and put Rezin to death. 10Then King Ahaz went to Damascus for a meeting with Tiglathpileser king of Assyria. There he saw the altar at Damascus. King Ahaz sent a drawing of the altar, giving the design of it and all the details of its structure to Urijah the priest. 11Urijah made an altar from the drawing King Ahaz sent from Damascus. He had it ready by the time King Ahaz came back from Damascus. 12When the king came from Damascus, he saw the altar. He went up on it and made an offering. 13He made his burned offering and his meal offering and his drink offering there, draining out the blood of his peace offerings on the altar. 14He removed the copper alter that was before Jehovah from the front of the Temple between his altar and the Temple of Jehovah. He put it on the north side of his altar. 15King Ahaz gave orders to Urijah the priest: »Make the morning burned offering and the evening meal offering and the king's burned offering and meal offering, with the burned offerings of all the people and their meal offerings and drink offerings, on the great altar. Put on it all the blood of the burned offerings and of the animals that are offered. But the bronze altar will be for my use to get directions from Jehovah.« 16Urijah the priest did everything as the king said. 17King Ahaz took off the sides of the wheeled bases, and took down the great water-vessel from off the copper bulls which were under it and put it on a floor of stone. 18He removed the covered way they built in the Temple court and the king’s outer entrance. This was because of the king of Assyria. 19The rest of the things Ahaz did are recorded in the Book of the History of the Kings of Judah. 20Ahaz slept with his fathers. He was buried in the town of David. Hezekiah his son became king in his place.