My God and My Country

My Daily Meditation

Today’s Reading

The Second Book of Kings

Chapter 16:1-20

1 The seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, Ahaz the son of Jotham King of Judah began to reign.

2 Twenty years old was Ahaz, when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem, and did not uprightly in the sight of the Lord his God, like David his father:

3 But walked in the way of the kings of Israel, yea, and made his son to go through the fire, after the abominations of the heathen, whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel.

4 Also he offered and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.

5 Then Rezin King of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel came up to Jerusalem, to fight: and they besieged Ahaz, but could not overcome him.

6 At the same time Rezin king of Aram restored Elath to Aram, and drove the Jews from Elath: so the Aramites came to Elath, and dwelt there unto this day.

7 Then Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, saying, I am thy servant and thy son: come up, and deliver me out of the hand of the king of Aram, and out of the hand of the king of Israel which rise up against me.

8 And Ahaz took the silver and the gold that was found in the house of the Lord, and in the treasures of the king’s house, and sent a present unto the king of Assyria.

9 And the king of Assyria consented unto him: and the king of Assyria went up against Damascus. and when he had taken it, he carried the people away to Kir, and slew Rezin.

10 And king Ahaz went unto Damascus to meet Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria: and when king Ahaz saw the altar that was at Damascus, he sent to Urijah the Priest the pattern of the altar, and the fashion of it, and all the workmanship thereof.

11 And Urijah the Priest made an altar in all points like to that which King Ahaz had sent from Damascus, so did Urijah the Priest against king Ahaz came from Damascus.

12 So when the king was come from Damascus, the king saw the altar: and the king drew near to the altar, and offered thereon.

13 And he burnt his burnt offering, and his meat offering, and poured his drink offering, and sprinkled the blood of his peace offerings besides the altar.

14 And set it by the brazen altar which was before the Lord, and brought it in further before the house between the altar and the house of the Lord, and set it on the North side of the altar.

15 And king Ahaz commanded Urijah the Priest, and said, Upon the great altar set on fire in the morning the burnt offering, and in the even the meat offering, and the king’s burnt offering and his meat offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their meat offering, and their drink offerings: and pour thereby all the blood of the burnt offering, and all the blood of the sacrifice, and the [brazen altar shall be for me to inquire of God.

16 And Urijah the Priest did according to all that King Ahaz had commanded.

17 And King Ahaz brake the borders of the bases, and took the caldrons from off them, and took down the sea from the brazen oxen that were under it, and put it upon a pavement of stones.

18 And the veil for the Sabbath (that they had made in the house) and the king’s entry without turned he to the house of the Lord, because of the king of Assyria.

19 Concerning the rest of the acts of Ahaz, which he did, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

20 And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead.