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Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. He did not do what pleased the Lord his God, in contrast to his ancestor David.[a] He followed in the footsteps of[b] the kings of Israel. He passed his son through the fire,[c] a horrible sin practiced by the nations[d] whom the Lord drove out from before the Israelites. He offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 16:2 tn Heb “and he did not do what was proper in the eyes of the Lord his God, like David his father.”
  2. 2 Kings 16:3 tn Heb “he walked in the way of.”
  3. 2 Kings 16:3 sn This may refer to child sacrifice, though some interpret it as a less drastic cultic practice. For discussion see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 266-67.
  4. 2 Kings 16:3 tn Heb “like the abominable practices of the nations.”