⁵ Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah, the king of Israel, came up to attack Jerusalem. They ·surrounded [besieged] Ahaz but could not ·defeat [conquer; overpower] him. ⁶ At that time Rezin king of Aram ·took back [recovered] the city of Elath for Aram, and he forced out all the people of Judah. Then ·Edomites [Arameans] moved into Elath, and they still live there today.

⁷ Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your ·friend [vassal; ^Lson]. Come and ·save [rescue; ^Tdeliver] me from the hand of the king of Aram and the king of Israel, who are attacking me.” ⁸ Ahaz took the silver and gold that was in the ·Temple [^Lhouse] of the Lord and in the treasuries of the ·palace [^Lking’s house], and he sent these as a gift to the king of Assyria. ⁹ So the king of Assyria listened to Ahaz. He attacked Damascus and captured it and ·sent all [exiled; deported] its people away to Kir. And he killed Rezin.

¹⁰ Then King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria. Ahaz saw an altar at Damascus, and he sent ·plans [a model] and a ·pattern [detailed plan] of this altar to Uriah the priest. ¹¹ So Uriah the priest built an altar, just like the plans King Ahaz had sent him from Damascus. Uriah finished the altar before King Ahaz came back from Damascus. ¹² When the king arrived from Damascus, he saw the altar and went ·near [up to it/onto it] and offered sacrifices on it [^Cthe building of this altar was an act of apostasy]. ¹³ He ·burned [offered; presented] his burnt offerings and grain offerings and poured out his drink offering. He also sprinkled the blood of his ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offerings [Lev. 3:1] on the altar.

¹⁴ Ahaz moved the bronze altar that was previously before the Lord at the front of the ·Temple [^Lhouse]. It was between Ahaz’s altar [^Cthe new one] and the ·Temple [^Lhouse] of the Lord [^Cthe Temple entrance], but he put it on the north side of his altar. ¹⁵ King Ahaz commanded Uriah the priest, “On the ·large [great; ^Cthe new one] altar ·burn [offer; present] the morning burnt offering [Lev. 1:1–17], the evening grain offering, the king’s burnt offering and ·grain [^Lgift; tribute] offering [Lev. 2:1], and the whole burnt offering, the ·grain [^Lgift; tribute] offering, and the drink offering for all the people of the land. Sprinkle on the altar all the blood of the burnt offering and of the sacrifice. But I will use the bronze altar to ·ask questions [inquire] of God.” ¹⁶ So Uriah the priest did everything as King Ahaz commanded him.

¹⁷ Then King Ahaz ·took [cut] off the side panels from the bases and removed the ·washing bowls [basins] from the top of the ·bases [movable stands; portable water carts]. He also took the large bowl, which was called the Sea, off the bronze ·bulls [oxen] that held it up, and he put it on ·a [the] stone ·base [pavement; pediment]. ¹⁸ Ahaz took away the ·platform [dais; or canopy; covered portal] for the royal throne, which had been built at the ·Temple [^Lhouse] of the Lord. He also took away the outside entrance for the king. He did these things because of the king of Assyria [^Cto show deference and submission].