King Azariah of Judah
15 In Jeroboam's twenty-seventh year as king of Israel, Amaziah's son Azariah began to rule as king of Judah. 2 He was 16 years old when he began to rule, and he ruled for 52 years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jecoliah from Jerusalem.
3 He did what the Lord considered right, as his father Amaziah had done. 4 But the illegal places of worship were still not torn down. The people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense at these worship sites.
Azariah's Skin Disease
5 The Lord inflicted the king with a skin disease that lasted until the day the king died. So the king lived in a separate house. The king's son Jotham was in charge of the palace and governed the country.
6 Isn't everything else about Azariah—everything he did—written in the official records of the kings of Judah? 7 Azariah lay down in death with his ancestors and was buried with them in the City of David. His son Jotham succeeded him as king.
King Zechariah of Israel Rules for Six Months
8 In Azariah's thirty-eighth year as king of Judah, Jeroboam's son Zechariah was king of Israel in Samaria for six months. 9 He did what the Lord considered evil, as his ancestors had done. He didn't turn away from the sins that Jeroboam (Nebat's son) led Israel to commit. 10 Shallum, son of Jabesh, plotted against Zechariah, attacked him at Kabal Am, killed him, and succeeded him as king. 11 Everything else about Zechariah is written in the official records of the kings of Israel. 12 It happened exactly as the Lord had told Jehu: "Four generations of your descendants will sit on the throne of Israel."
King Shallum of Israel Rules for One Month
13 Shallum, son of Jabesh, became king in Azariah's thirty-ninth year as king of Judah. Shallum ruled for an entire month in Samaria. 14 Then Menahem, son of Gadi, came from Tirzah to Samaria, attacked Shallum (son of Jabesh), killed him, and succeeded him as king. 15 Everything else about Shallum—all about his conspiracy—is written in the official records of the kings of Israel. 16 Then Menahem attacked Tiphsah, everyone there, and its territory. Because the city didn't open its gates for him, he attacked it and ripped open all its pregnant women.
King Menahem of Israel
17 In Azariah's thirty-ninth year as king of Judah, Menahem, son of Gadi, began to rule as king of Israel. He ruled for 10 years in Samaria. 18 He did what the Lord considered evil. During his entire life he never turned away from the sins that Jeroboam (Nebat's son) led Israel to commit.
19 King Pul of Assyria came to attack the country. So Menahem gave Pul 75,000 pounds of silver to gain his support and help strengthen his hold on the kingdom. 20 Menahem raised the money from all the wealthy men in Israel. Each gave 20 ounces of silver for the king of Assyria. Then the king of Assyria left the country. 21 Isn't everything else about Menahem—everything he did—written in the official records of the kings of Israel? 22 Menahem lay down in death with his ancestors, and his son Pekahiah succeeded him as king.
King Pekahiah of Israel
23 In Azariah's fiftieth year as king of Judah, Menahem's son Pekahiah began to rule. Pekahiah was king of Israel in Samaria for two years. 24 He did what the Lord considered evil. He didn't turn away from the sins that Jeroboam (Nebat's son) led Israel to commit. 25 His officer Pekah, son of Remaliah, plotted against him. With 50 men from Gilead, Pekah attacked Pekahiah, Argob, and Arieh in the fortress of the royal palace in Samaria. Pekah killed him and succeeded him as king. 26 Everything else about Pekahiah—everything he did—is written in the official records of the kings of Israel.
King Pekah of Israel
27 In Azariah's fifty-second year as king of Judah, Pekah, son of Remaliah, began to rule Israel in Samaria. He ruled for 20 years. 28 He did what the Lord considered evil. He did not turn away from the sins that Jeroboam (Nebat's son) led Israel to commit. 29 In the days of King Pekah of Israel, King Tiglath Pileser of Assyria took Ijon, Abel Beth Maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, Galilee, and the entire territory of Naphtali. He also took the people away to Assyria as captives. 30 Hoshea, son of Elah, plotted against Pekah, son of Remaliah. Hoshea attacked him and killed him. Hoshea began to rule as king in his place in the twentieth year that Azariah, son of Jotham, was king of Judah. 31 Everything else about Pekah—everything he did—is written in the official records of the kings of Israel.
King Jotham of Judah
32 In the second year that King Pekah, son of Remaliah, ruled Israel, Jotham, son of Azariah, began to rule as king of Judah. 33 He was 25 years old when he began to rule. He ruled for 16 years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jerusha, daughter of Zadok. 34 He did what the Lord considered right, as his father Azariah had done. 35 But the illegal places of worship were not torn down. The people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense at these worship sites. Jotham built the Upper Gate of the Lord's temple. 36 Isn't everything else about Jotham—everything he did—written in the official records of the kings of Judah?
37 In those days the Lord began to use King Rezin of Aram and Pekah, son of Remaliah, to attack Judah. 38 Jotham lay down in death with his ancestors and was buried with them in the city of his ancestor David. His son Ahaz succeeded him as king.
King Ahaz of Judah
16 Pekah, son of Remaliah, was in his seventeenth year as king of Israel when King Ahaz, son of Jotham, began to rule as king of Judah. 2 Ahaz was 20 years old when he began to rule. He ruled for 26 years in Jerusalem. He didn't do what the Lord his God considered right, as his ancestor David had done. 3 He followed the example of the kings of Israel and even sacrificed his son by burning him alive. Sacrificing children was one of the disgusting things done by the nations that the Lord had forced out of the Israelites' way. 4 He offered sacrifices and burned incense as an offering at the illegal worship sites, which were on hills and under every large tree.
5 Then King Rezin of Aram and King Pekah, son of Remaliah of Israel, came to wage war against Jerusalem. They blockaded Ahaz but couldn't get him to fight. 6 At that time King Rezin of Aram drove the Judeans out of Elath and gave it back to Edom. The Edomites came to Elath and still live there today.
7 Ahaz sent messengers to King Tiglath Pileser of Assyria to say, "I'm your servant, your son. Come and save me from the kings of Aram and Israel who are attacking me." 8 Ahaz took the silver and gold he found in the Lord's temple and in the treasury in the royal palace and sent them to the king of Assyria as a present.
9 The king of Assyria listened to him and attacked Damascus. He captured it, took the people to Kir as captives, and killed Rezin.
10 Then King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet King Tiglath Pileser of Assyria. He saw an altar there in Damascus. So King Ahaz sent the priest Urijah a model of the altar and a set of detailed plans. 11 Urijah built an altar exactly like the model King Ahaz sent from Damascus. He finished it before Ahaz returned home from Damascus.
12 When the king came from Damascus, he saw the altar. The king approached the altar and went up to it. 13 He sacrificed his burnt offering and grain offering, poured out his wine offering, and sprinkled the blood of his fellowship offering on the altar. 14 But he moved the bronze altar dedicated to the Lord. It had been in front of the temple between his altar and the Lord's temple. Ahaz put it on the north side of his altar. 15 King Ahaz gave this command to the priest Urijah: "On this great altar you must burn the morning burnt offerings and the evening grain offering, the king's burnt offerings and grain offerings, and the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and wine offerings of all the people of the land. Sprinkle all the blood of the burnt offerings and other sacrifices on it. I will use the bronze altar for prayer." 16 The priest Urijah did what King Ahaz had commanded.
17 King Ahaz cut off the side panels of the bronze stands used in the temple and removed the basin from each of them. He took the bronze pool down from the bronze bulls that were under it and set it on a stone base. 18 Ahaz removed the covered walkway used on the day of rest—a holy day. This walkway had been built in the temple. He also removed the outer entrance for the king from the Lord's temple. He did this to please the king of Assyria. 19 Isn't everything else about Ahaz—the things he did—written in the official records of the kings of Judah? 20 Ahaz lay down in death with his ancestors and was buried with them in the City of David. His son Hezekiah succeeded him as king.
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