1 Pekah was king in Israel. In year 17 of Pekah, Ahaz, the son of Jotham, became king in Judah. 2 Ahaz was 20 years old when he began to rule. He ruled 16 years in Jerusalem. But Ahaz did not do right with God, not like David did. 3 Ahaz did bad things like the kings of Israel. He did a very bad thing. He hurt his own son with fire. He did like the bad nations. 4 Ahaz burned gifts on high hills and under green trees. He prayed to fake gods. ️ 5 Rezin, king of Aram, and Pekah, king of Israel, came to fight Ahaz in Jerusalem. They could not win. ⚔️ 6 Rezin took a town named Elath. He pushed Judah people out. Aram people live there now. ️➡️ 7 Ahaz sent men to Tiglath-Pileser, king of Assyria. Ahaz said, “Please help me. I am your helper and like your son. Save me from Aram and Israel.” ✉️ 8 Ahaz took silver and gold from God’s house and from his house. He sent them as a gift to the king of Assyria. ️ 9 The king of Assyria said yes. He went to a city named Damascus. He took the city. He took the people far away. He killed Rezin. ️️➡️ 10 King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet the king of Assyria. Ahaz saw a big stone table for fire there. He sent a plan of it to Urijah, the helper at God’s house. ✉️ 11 Urijah built the big table, just like the plan from the king. He finished before the king came back. ️ 12 Ahaz came back from Damascus. He saw the new big table. He went up to it and burned gifts on it. 13 Ahaz put the fire gift, the grain gift, the drink gift, and a thank you gift on the new big table. 14 Ahaz moved God’s old bronze table from in front of God’s house. He put it on the north side of his new big table. ➡️ 15 Ahaz told Urijah, “Use the new big table for all the gifts, morning and evening, for me and for the people. Put all the blood there. The old bronze table is for me to ask God.” ️ 16 Urijah did all that King Ahaz said. ✅ 17 Ahaz cut the stands. He took the big bowl off the bronze cows. He put the bowl on the stone floor. ✂️ 18 Ahaz changed the covered path for the rest day and the king’s door at God’s house. He did this because he was afraid of the king of Assyria. 19 All the other things Ahaz did are in the book about the kings of Judah. 20 Ahaz died and was put with his fathers in the city of David. His son Hezekiah became king. ⚰️➡️