18 The Philistines had raided the towns in the lowlands and the arid southern plain of Judah, capturing Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, and Gederoth, along with Soco and its surrounding villages, Timnah and its surrounding villages, and Gimzo and its surrounding villages, and occupying all of these cities.
19 The Lord was humiliating Judah on account of Israel’s King Ahaz, because he had exercised no restraint in Judah and had been utterly unfaithful to the Lord.
20 Assyria’s King Tiglath-pileser came to Ahaz, but he brought trouble, not support.
21 Even though Ahaz took items from the Lord’s temple, the royal palace, and the officials to buy off the king of Assyria, it was of no help.
22 It was during this troubled time that King Ahaz became even more unfaithful to the Lord
23 by sacrificing to the gods of Damascus, who had defeated him."Since the gods of Aram’s kings are helping them," he said, "I’ll sacrifice to them too, so that they will help me."But they became the ruin of both him and all Israel.
24 Ahaz gathered the objects from God’s temple, cut them up, shut the doors of the Lord’s temple, and made himself altars on every corner in Jerusalem.