1Ahaz, son of Jotham, king of Judah, began to reign in the seventeenth year of Pekah, son of Remaliah. 2Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem, but he did not do what was right in the eyes of the LORD his God, like David his father. 3Instead, he walked in the way of the kings of Israel; and even made his son pass through the fire, engaging in the abominable practices of the heathens that the LORD had driven out from before the Israelites. 4And Ahaz sacrificed and burned incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.

5Then Rezin, king of Syria, and Pekah, son of Remaliah, king of Israel, came to attack Jerusalem; and besieged Ahaz, but could not conquer him. 6At that time, King Rezin did recover Elath for Syria, driving out the Jewish inhabitants; and the Syrians came and settled there, as it is this day. 7So Ahaz sent this message to Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria: “I am your servant and your son; come up, and rescue me from the kings of Syria, and of Israel, who rise up against me.” 8And Ahaz took the silver and gold that was in the Temple of the LORD, and in the treasuries of the king's palace, and sent it for a present to the king of Assyria. 9And the king of Assyria responded by attacking and capturing Damascus, and took those he captured to Kir, and killed Rezin.

10And Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria, and he saw an altar at Damascus; and he sent a sketch of the altar to Uriah, the priest, with detail plans for its construction. 11And Uriah (Urijah), the priest, built an altar based upon the construction plans that King Ahaz had sent him from Damascus; and finished building it before Ahaz returned from Damascus. 12And when Ahaz returned from Damascus, he saw and inspected the altar, and then made offerings on it. 13He offered his burnt and his meal offerings, and poured his drink offering, and sprinkled the blood of his peace offerings upon that altar. 14And he also removed the bronze altar, from its place in front of the Temple of the LORD, and put it on the north side of the new altar. 15And King Ahaz gave Uriah, the priest this order: “Upon the large new altar, burn the morning burnt offering, the evening meal offering, the king's burnt sacrifice, and his meal offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their meal offering, and their drink offerings; and sprinkle upon it the blood of the burnt offering, and of the sacrifice. But I will use the old bronze altar for seeking guidance.” 16And Uriah did all that King Ahaz ordered. 17And King Ahaz removed the side panels of the bases, and the laver (basin); and the Sea from the bronze bulls that supported it, and set it upon a pavement of stones. 18And he removed the canopy for the Sabbath that they had built in the Temple, and the king's outer entrance to the Temple of the LORD, in deference to the king of Assyria.

19The rest of the acts of Ahaz are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah. 20And Ahaz died, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David; and Hezekiah, his son, reigned in his stead.