⁵ Then Rezin^(A) king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem and besieged Ahaz, but they could not overpower him. ⁶ At that time, Rezin^(B) king of Aram recovered Elath^(C) for Aram by driving out the people of Judah. Edomites then moved into Elath and have lived there to this day.

⁷ Ahaz sent messengers to say to Tiglath-Pileser^(D) king of Assyria, “I am your servant and vassal. Come up and save^(E) me out of the hand of the king of Aram and of the king of Israel, who are attacking me.”

⁵ Therefore the Lord his God delivered him into the hands of the king of Aram.^(A) The Arameans defeated him and took many of his people as prisoners and brought them to Damascus.

He was also given into the hands of the king of Israel, who inflicted heavy casualties on him. ⁶ In one day Pekah^(B) son of Remaliah killed a hundred and twenty thousand soldiers in Judah^(C)—because Judah had forsaken the Lord, the God of their ancestors.

¹⁸ while the Philistines^(A) had raided towns in the foothills and in the Negev of Judah. They captured and occupied Beth Shemesh, Aijalon^(B) and Gederoth,^(C) as well as Soko,^(D) Timnah^(E) and Gimzo, with their surrounding villages. ¹⁹ The Lord had humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of Israel,^[a] for he had promoted wickedness in Judah and had been most unfaithful^(F) to the Lord. ²⁰ Tiglath-Pileser^[b](G) king of Assyria^(H) came to him, but he gave him trouble^(I) instead of help.^{(J) 21} Ahaz^(K) took some of the things from the temple of the Lord and from the royal palace and from the officials and presented them to the king of Assyria, but that did not help him.^(L)

²² In his time of trouble King Ahaz became even more unfaithful^(M) to the Lord. ²³ He offered sacrifices to the gods^(N) of Damascus, who had defeated him; for he thought, “Since the gods of the kings of Aram have helped them, I will sacrifice to them so they will help me.”^(O) But they were his downfall and the downfall of all Israel.^(P)

¹⁴ “I will make you a ruin and a reproach among the nations around you, in the sight of all who pass by.^{(A) 15} You will be a reproach^(B) and a taunt, a warning^(C) and an object of horror to the nations around you when I inflict punishment on you in anger and in wrath and with stinging rebuke.^(D) I the Lord have spoken.^(E)

⁴ you have become guilty because of the blood you have shed^(A) and have become defiled by the idols you have made. You have brought your days to a close, and the end of your years has come.^(B) Therefore I will make you an object of scorn^(C) to the nations and a laughingstock to all the countries.^(D)