In the seventeenth year of Pekah, the son of Remaliah, Ahaz, the son of Jotham, became king of Judah.

But he went in the ways of the kings of Israel, and even made his son go through the fire, copying the disgusting ways of the nations whom the Lord had sent out of the land before the children of Israel.

Then Rezin, king of Aram, and Pekah, son of Remaliah, king of Israel, came up to Jerusalem to make war and they made an attack on Ahaz, shutting him in, but were not able to overcome him.

So Ahaz sent representatives to Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria, saying, I am your servant and your son come to my help against the kings of Aram and Israel who have taken up arms against me.

And the king of Assyria, in answer to his request, went up against Damascus and took it, and took its people away as prisoners to Kir, and put Rezin to death.

And from the copy King Ahaz sent from Damascus, Urijah made an altar and had it ready by the time King Ahaz came back from Damascus.

He made his burned offering and his meal offering and his drink offering there, draining out the blood of his peace-offerings on the altar.

And King Ahaz gave orders to Urijah the priest, saying, Make the morning burned offering and the evening meal offering and the king's burned offering and meal offering, with the burned offerings of all the people and their meal offerings and drink offerings, on the great altar, and put on it all the blood of the burned offerings and of the beasts which are offered but the brass altar will be for my use to get directions from the Lord.

And King Ahaz took off the sides of the wheeled bases, and took down the great water-vessel from off the brass oxen which were under it and put it on a floor of stone.

Now the rest of the things which Ahaz did, are they not recorded in the book of the history of the kings of Judah?

In the twelfth year of Ahaz, king of Judah, Hoshea, the son of Elah, became king over Israel in Samaria, ruling for nine years.

Against him came up Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, and Hoshea became his servant and sent him offerings.

Then the king of Assyria went through all the land and came up to Samaria, shutting it in with his forces for three years.

And the wrath of the Lord came on Israel because they had done evil against the Lord their God, who took them out of the land of Egypt from under the yoke of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and had become worshippers of other gods,

And the children of Israel did secretly against the Lord their God things which were not right, building high places for themselves in all their towns, from the tower of the watchmen to the walled town.

Burning their offerings in all the high places, as those nations did whom the Lord sent away from before them they did evil things, moving the Lord to wrath

And he gave witness to Israel and Judah, by every prophet and seer, saying, Come back from your evil ways, and do my orders and keep my rules, and be guided by the law which I gave to your fathers and sent to you by my servants the prophets.

And they went against his rules, and the agreement which he made with their fathers, and his laws which he gave them they gave themselves up to things without sense or value, and became foolish like the nations round them, of whom the Lord had said, Do not as they do.

And they made their sons and their daughters go through the fire, and they made use of secret arts and unnatural powers, and gave themselves up to doing evil in the eyes of the Lord, till he was moved to wrath.

(But even Judah did not keep the orders of the Lord their God, but were guided by the rules which Israel had made.

For Israel was broken off from the family of David, and they made Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, king, who, driving them away from the laws of the Lord, made them do a great sin.

Till the Lord put Israel away from before his face, as he had said by all his servants the prophets. So Israel was taken away from their land to Assyria, to this day.

Now when first they were living there they did not give worship to the Lord. So the Lord sent lions among them, causing the death of some of them.

Then the king of Assyria gave orders, saying, Send there one of the priests whom you took away, and let him be living there and teaching the people the way of the god of the land.

And every nation made gods for themselves, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in the towns where they were living.

The Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites gave their children to be burned in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.

They gave worship to the Lord, but they gave honour to their gods like the nations did from whom they had been taken as prisoners.

And the Lord made an agreement with them and gave them orders, saying, You are to have no other gods you are not to give worship to them or be their servants or make them offerings:

And the rules and the orders and the law which he put in writing for you, you are to keep and do for ever you are to have no other gods.

And you are to give worship to the Lord your God for it is he who will give you salvation from the hands of all who are against you.

So these nations, worshipping the Lord, still were servants to the images they had made their children and their children's children did the same as their fathers did, so do they, to this day.

After he had come to the end of all his words in the hearing of the people, he went into Capernaum.

And when news of Jesus came to his ears, he sent to him rulers of the Jews, requesting that he would come and make his servant well.

It is right for you to do this for him, because he is a friend to our nation, and himself has put up a Synagogue for us.

And I had the feeling that I was not even good enough to come to you: but say the word only, and my servant will be well.

And when these things were said to Jesus, he was surprised, and, turning to the mass of people coming after him, said, I have not seen such great faith, no, not in Israel.

And it came about, after a little time, that he went to a town named Nain and his disciples went with him, and a great number of people.

And when the Lord saw her, he had pity on her and said to her, Be not sad.

And the dead man got up, and words came from his lips. And he gave him to his mother.

And this story about him went through all Judaea and the places round about.

Then John sent two of his disciples to the Lord, saying, Are you he who is to come, or are we waiting for another?

At that time, he made a number of people free from their diseases and their pains, and from evil spirits and to others who were blind he gave back the use of their eyes.

And a blessing will be on him who has no doubts about me.

But what did you go out to see? a man in soft clothing? See now, those who have beautiful clothing and delicate food are in kings' houses.

This is he of whom it has been said, See, I send my servant before your face, who will make ready your way before you.

(And all the people, and the tax-farmers, to whom John had given baptism, when they had knowledge of these things, gave glory to God.

What comparison am I to make of the men of this generation? what are they like?

For John the Baptist came, taking no food or drink, and you say, He has an evil spirit.

But wisdom is judged to be right by all her children.