22 While King Ahaz was experiencing those troubles, he disobeyed Yahweh even more 23 and sacrificed to the gods of Damesek (Damascus) (because Aram (Syria) had defeated him). He reasoned, “Since the gods of the Aramean kings helped them, I’ll sacrifice to them, and then they’ll help me.” However, that led to Ahaz’s fall, and to the fall of all of Yehudah (Judah).[fn] 24 Then Ahaz gathered all the furnishings that were used in the temple, and broke them into pieces and locked the temple doors. Then he set up pagan altars at every Yerushalem (Jerusalem) intersection, 25 and in every Yehudah city he set up hilltop shrines to make sacrifices to other gods, thus angering Yahweh, his ancestors’ god.

26 The record of all the other things Ahaz did while he was king was written on the scroll ‘The kings of Yehudah and Yisrael’ (Israel). 27 Then Ahaz died[ref] and was buried in David’s city, but not in the tombs of the other kings of Yisrael. Then his son Hizkiyah (Hezekiah) replaced him as king.