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[252]
Hereupon king Ahaz, having been so thoroughly beaten by the Israelites,
sent to Tiglath-Pileser, king of the Assyrians, and sued for assistance
from him in his war against the Israelites, and Syrians, and Damascenes,
with a promise to send him much money; he sent him also great presents
at the same time. Now this king, upon the reception of those ambassadors,
came to assist Ahaz, and made war upon the Syrians, and laid their country
waste, and took Damascus by force, and slew Rezin their king, and transplanted
the people of Damascus into the Upper Media, and brought a colony of Assyrians,
and planted them in Damascus. He also afflicted the land of Israel, and
took many captives out of it. While he was doing thus with the Syrians,
king Ahaz took all the gold that was in the king's treasures, and the silver,
and what was in the temple of God, and what precious gifts were there,
and he carried them with him, and came to Damascus, and gave it to the
king of Assyria, according to his agreement. So he confessed that he owed
him thanks for all he had done for him, and returned to Jerusalem. Now
this king was so sottish and thoughtless of what was for his own good,
that he would not leave off worshipping the Syrian gods when he was beaten
by them, but he went on in worshipping them, as though they would procure
him the victory; and when he was beaten again, he began to honor the gods
of the Assyrians; and he seemed more desirous to honor any other gods than
his own paternal and true God, whose anger was the cause of his defeat;
nay, he proceeded to such a degree of despite and contempt [of God's worship],
that he shut up the temple entirely, and forbade them to bring in the appointed
sacrifices, and took away the gifts that had been given to it. And when
he had offered these indignities to God, he died, having lived thirty-six
years, and of them reigned sixteen; and he left his son Hezekiah for his
successor.
1
1 HOW PEKAH DIED BY THE TREACHERY OF HOSHEA WHO WAS A LITTLE AFTER SUBDUED BY SHALMANESER; AND HOW HEZEKIAH REIGNED INSTEAD OF AHAZ; AND WHAT ACTIONS OF PIETY AND JUSTICE HE DID.
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