2 Kings 16:7-15

16:7 Ahaz sent messengers to King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your dependent.¹ March up and rescue me from the power² of the king of Syria and the king of Israel, who have attacked³ me.” 16:8 Then Ahaz took the silver and gold that were⁴ in the Lord’s temple and in the treasuries of the royal palace and sent it as tribute⁵ to the king of Assyria. 16:9 The king of Assyria responded favorably to his request;⁶ he⁷ attacked Damascus and captured it. He deported the people⁸ to Kir and executed Rezin.

16:10 When King Ahaz went to meet with King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria in Damascus, he saw the altar there.⁹ King Ahaz sent to Uriah the priest a drawing of the altar and a blueprint for its design.¹⁰ 16:11 Uriah the priest built an altar in conformity to the plans King Ahaz had sent from Damascus.¹¹ Uriah the priest finished it before King Ahaz arrived back from Damascus.¹² 16:12 When the king arrived back from Damascus and¹³ saw the altar, he approached it¹⁴ and offered a sacrifice on it.¹⁵ 16:13 He offered his burnt sacrifice and his grain offering. He poured out his libation and sprinkled the blood from his peace offerings on the altar. 16:14 He moved the bronze altar that stood in the Lord’s presence from the front of the temple (between the altar and the Lord’s temple) and put it on the north side of the new¹⁶ altar. 16:15 King Ahaz ordered Uriah the priest, “On the large altar¹⁷ offer the morning burnt sacrifice, the evening grain offering, the royal burnt sacrifices and grain offering, the burnt sacrifice for all the people of Israel, their grain offering, and their libations. Sprinkle all the blood of the burnt sacrifice and other sacrifices on it. The bronze altar will be for my personal use.”¹⁸

¹tn Heb “son.” Both terms (“servant” and “son”) reflect Ahaz’s subordinate position as Tiglath-pileser’s subject.

²tn Heb “hand, palm.”

³tn Heb “who have arisen against.”

⁴tn Heb “that was found.”

⁵tn Or “bribe money.”

⁶tn Heb “listened to him.”

⁷tn Heb “the king of Assyria.”

⁸tn Heb “it.”

⁹tn Heb “in Damascus.”

¹⁰tn Heb “the likeness of the altar and its pattern for all its work.”

¹¹tn Heb “according to all that King Ahaz sent from Damascus.”

¹²tn Heb “so Uriah the priest did, until the arrival of King Ahaz from Damascus.”

¹³tn Heb “and the king.”

¹⁴tn Heb “the altar.”

¹⁵tn Or “ascended it.”

¹⁶tn The word “new” is added in the translation for clarification.

¹⁷tn That is, the newly constructed altar.

¹⁸tn Heb “for me to seek.” The precise meaning of בָּקַר (baqar), “seek,” is uncertain in this context. For discussion see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 189.