II Chronicles 28

¹Achaz was of twenti yeer, whanne he bigan to regne, and he regnede sixtene yeer in Jerusalem; he dide not riytfulnesse in the siyt of the Lord, as Dauid, his fadir, dide;

²but he yede in the weies of the kyngis of Israel. Ferthermore and he yetyde ymagis to Baalym.

³He it is that brente encense in the valey of Beennon, and purgide hise sones bi fier bi the custom of hethene men, whiche the Lord killide in the comyng of the sones of Israel.

⁴Also he made sacrifice, and brente encense in hiy places, and in hillis, and vndur ech tree ful of bowis.

⁵And `his Lord God bitook hym in the hond of the kyng of Sirie, which smoot Achaz, and took a greet preie of his empire, and brouyten in to Damask. Also Achaz was bitakun to the hondis of the kyng of Israel, and was smytun with a greet wounde.

⁶And Facee, the sone of Romelie, killide of Juda sixe scoore thousynde in o dai, alle the men werriours; for thei hadden forsake the Lord God of her fadris.

⁷In the same tyme Zechry, a myyti man of Effraym, killide Maasie, the sone of Rogloth, the kyng; and `he killide Ezrica, the duyk of his hows, and Elcana, the secounde fro the kyng.

⁸And the sones of Israel token of her britheren two hundrid thousynde of wymmen and of children and of damysels, and prey with out noumbre; and baren it in to Samarie.

⁹In that tempest a profete of the Lord, Obed bi name, was there, which yede out ayens the oost comynge in to Samarie, and seide to hem, Lo! the Lord God of youre fadris was wrooth ayens Juda, and bitook hem in youre hondis; and ye han slayn hem crueli, so that youre cruelte stretchide forth in to heuene.

¹⁰Ferthermore ye wolen make suget to you the sones of Juda and of Jerusalem in to seruauntis and handmaidis; which thing is not nedeful to be doon; for ye han synned on this thing to `youre Lord God.

¹¹But here ye my councel, and lede ayen the prisounneris, whyche ye han brouyt of youre britheren; for greet veniaunce of the Lord neiyith to you.

¹²Therfor men of the princes of the sones of Effraym, Azarie, the sone of Johannan, Barachie, the sone of Mosollamoth, Jesechie, the sone of Sellum, and Amasie, the sone of Adali, stoden ayens hem that camen fro the batel;

¹³and seiden to hem, Ye schulen not brynge in hidur the prisoneris, lest we doen synne ayens the Lord; whi wolen ye `ley to on youre synnes, and heepe elde trespassis? For it is greet synne; the ire of the strong veniaunce of the Lord neiyeth on Israel.

¹⁴And the men werriouris leften the prey, and alle thingis whiche thei hadden take, bifor the princes and al the multitude.

¹⁵And the men stoden, whiche we remembriden bifore, and thei token the prisounneris, and clothiden of the spuylis alle that weren nakid; and whanne thei hadden clothid hem, and hadden schod, and hadden refreschid with mete and drynke, and hadden anoyntid for trauel, and hadden youe cure, `ether medecyn, to hem; `thei puttiden hem on horsis, whiche euere `myyten not go, and weren feble `of bodi, and brouyten to Jerico, a citee of palmes, to `the britheren of hem; and thei turneden ayen in to Samarie.

¹⁶In that tyme kyng Achaz sente to the kyng of Assiriens, and axide help.

¹⁷And Ydumeis camen, and killiden many men of Juda, and token greet prey.

¹⁸Also Filisteis weren spred abrood bi citees of the feeldis, and at the south of Juda; and thei token Bethsames, and Hailon, and Gaderoth, and Socoth, and Thannan, and Zamro, with her villagis; and dwelliden in tho.

¹⁹For the Lord made low Juda for Achaz, the kyng of Juda; for he hadde maad him nakid of help, and hadde dispisid the Lord.

²⁰And the Lord brouyte ayens him Teglat Phalasar, kyng of Assiriens, that turmentide hym, and waastide hym, while no man ayenstood.

²¹Therfor Achaz, after that he hadde spuylid the hows of the Lord, and the hows of the kyng and of princes, yaf yiftis to the kyng of Assiriens, and netheles it profitide `no thing to hym.

²²Ferthermore also in the tyme of his angwisch he encreesside dispit ayens God; thilke kyng Achaz bi

²³hym silf offride sacrifices to the goddis of Damask, hise smyteris, and seide, The goddis of the kyngis of Sirie helpen hem, whiche goddis Y schal plese bi sacrifices, and thei schulen help me; whanne ayenward thei weren fallyng to hym, and to al Israel.

²⁴Therfor aftir that Achaz hadde take awei, and broke alle the vessels of the hows of God, he closide the yatis of Goddis temple, and made auteris to hym silf in alle the corneris of Jerusalem.

²⁵And in alle citees of Juda he bildide auteris to brenne encence, and he stiride the Lord God of hise fadris to wrathfulnesse.

²⁶Sotheli the residue of hise wordis and of alle hise werkis, the formere and the laste, ben writun in the book of kyngis of Juda and of Israel.

²⁷And Achaz slepte with hise fadris, and thei birieden hym in the citee of Jerusalem; for thei resseyueden not hym in the sepulcris of the kyngis of Israel; and Ezechie, his sone, regnede for hym.

II Chronicles 28

¹Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: but he did not that which was right in the sight of the Lord, like David his father:

²For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made also molten images for Baalim.

³Moreover he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, after the abominations of the heathen whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel.

⁴He sacrificed also and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.

⁵Wherefore the Lord his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria; and they smote him, and carried away a great multitude of them captives, and brought them to Damascus. And he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who smote him with a great slaughter.

⁶For Pekah the son of Remaliah slew in Judah an hundred and twenty thousand in one day, which were all valiant men; because they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers.

⁷And Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, slew Maaseiah the king’s son, and Azrikam the governor of the house, and Elkanah that was next to the king.

⁸And the children of Israel carried away captive of their brethren two hundred thousand, women, sons, and daughters, and took also away much spoil from them, and brought the spoil to Samaria.

⁹But a prophet of the Lord was there, whose name was Oded: and he went out before the host that came to Samaria, and said unto them, Behold, because the Lord God of your fathers was wroth with Judah, he hath delivered them into your hand, and ye have slain them in a rage that reacheth up unto heaven.

¹⁰And now ye purpose to keep under the children of Judah and Jerusalem for bondmen and bondwomen unto you: but are there not with you, even with you, sins against the Lord your God?

¹¹Now hear me therefore, and deliver the captives again, which ye have taken captive of your brethren: for the fierce wrath of the Lord is upon you.

¹²Then certain of the heads of the children of Ephraim, Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, and Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai, stood up against them that came from the war,

¹³And said unto them, Ye shall not bring in the captives hither: for whereas we have offended against the Lord already, ye intend to add more to our sins and to our trespass: for our trespass is great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel.

¹⁴So the armed men left the captives and the spoil before the princes and all the congregation.

¹⁵And the men which were expressed by name rose up, and took the captives, and with the spoil clothed all that were naked among them, and arrayed them, and shod them, and gave them to eat and to drink, and anointed them, and carried all the feeble of them upon asses, and brought them to Jericho, the city of palm trees, to their brethren: then they returned to Samaria.

¹⁶At that time did king Ahaz send unto the kings of Assyria to help him.

¹⁷For again the Edomites had come and smitten Judah, and carried away captives.

¹⁸The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the low country, and of the south of Judah, and had taken Beth–shemesh, and Ajalon, and Gederoth, and Shocho with the villages thereof, and Timnah with the villages thereof, Gimzo also and the villages thereof: and they dwelt there.

¹⁹For the Lord brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel; for he made Judah naked, and transgressed sore against the Lord.

²⁰And Tilgath–pilneser king of Assyria came unto him, and distressed him, but strengthened him not.

²¹For Ahaz took away a portion out of the house of the Lord, and out of the house of the king, and of the princes, and gave it unto the king of Assyria: but he helped him not.

²²And in the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the Lord: this is that king Ahaz.

²³For he sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus, which smote him: and he said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, therefore will I sacrifice to them, that they may help me. But they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel.

²⁴And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God, and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and shut up the doors of the house of the Lord, and he made him altars in every corner of Jerusalem.

²⁵And in every several city of Judah he made high places to burn incense unto other gods, and provoked to anger the Lord God of his fathers.

²⁶Now the rest of his acts and of all his ways, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.

²⁷And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, even in Jerusalem: but they brought him not into the sepulchres of the kings of Israel: and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead.