2 Chronicles 28:23

Contemporary English Version

He said to himself, "The Syrian gods must have helped their kings defeat me. Maybe if I offer sacrifices to those gods, they will help me." That was the sin that finally led to the downfall of Ahaz, as well as to the destruction of Judah.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
He sacrificed to the gods of Damascus which had defeated him; he said, “Since the gods of the kings of Aram are helping them, I will sacrifice to them so that they will help me.” But they were the downfall of him and of all Israel.

Hebrew Names Version
For he sacrificed to the gods of Dammesek, which struck him; and he said, Because the gods of the kings of Aram helped them, [therefore] will I sacrifice to them, that they may help me. But they were the ruin of him, and of all Yisra'el.

King James Version
For he sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus, which smote him: and he said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, therefore will I sacrifice to them, that they may help me. But they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel.

English Standard Version
For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus that had defeated him and said, "Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me." But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel.

New Century Version
He offered sacrifices to the gods of the people of Damascus, who had defeated him. He thought, "The gods of the kings of Aram helped them. If I offer sacrifices to them, they will help me also." But this brought ruin to Ahaz and all Israel.

New English Translation
He offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus whom he thought had defeated him. He reasoned, "Since the gods of the kings of Damascus helped them, I will sacrifice to them so they will help me." But they caused him and all Israel to stumble.

Amplified Bible
For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus, which had defeated him, and he said, "Since the gods of the kings of Aram (Syria) helped them, I will sacrifice to them so that they may help me." But they became the ruin and downfall of him and all of Israel.

New American Standard Bible
For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus who had defeated him, and said, "Because the gods of the kings of Aram helped them, I will sacrifice to them so that they may help me." But they became the downfall of him and all Israel.

World English Bible
For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus, which struck him; and he said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, [therefore] will I sacrifice to them, that they may help me. But they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel.

Geneva Bible (1587)
For he sacrificed vnto the gods of Damascus, which plagued him, and he sayd, Because the gods of the Kings of Aram helped them, I wil sacrifice vnto them, and they will helpe me: yet they were his ruine, and of all Israel.

Legacy Standard Bible
Indeed, he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus which had struck him, and said, "Because the gods of the kings of Aram helped them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me." But they became the stumbling of him and all Israel.

Berean Standard Bible
Since Damascus had defeated him, he sacrificed to their gods and said, "Because the gods of the kings of Aram have helped them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me." But these were the downfall of Ahaz and of all Israel.

Complete Jewish Bible
by sacrificing to the gods of Dammesek, who had attacked him, reasoning, "The gods of the kings of Aram helped them, so I will sacrifice to them, and then they'll help me." But they became the ruin of him and of all Isra'el.

Darby Translation
And he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus, which had smitten him; and he said, Since the gods of the kings of Syria help them, I will sacrifice to them, that they may help me. But they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel.

Easy-to-Read Version
He offered sacrifices to the gods the people of Damascus worshiped. The people of Damascus had defeated Ahaz. So he thought to himself, "The gods the people of Aram worship helped them. So if I offer sacrifices to them, maybe they will help me also." Ahaz worshiped these gods. In this way he sinned, and he made the people of Israel sin.

George Lamsa Translation
For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus, saying, You are my gods and my lords: to you will I offer worship and to you will I make sacrifice; thus he was a stumbling block to Judah, he sinned and caused all the people of Judah to sin.

Good News Translation
He offered sacrifices to the gods of the Syrians, who had defeated him. He said, "The Syrian gods helped the kings of Syria, so if I sacrifice to them, they may help me too." This brought disaster on him and on his nation.

Lexham English Bible
He sacrificed to the gods of Damascus that had defeated him and said, "Because the gods of the king of Aram helped them, I will sacrifice to them so that they will help me." But they were a disaster to him and to all Israel.

Literal Translation
And he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus who had struck him, and said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria are helping them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me. But they were to cause him and all Israel to stumble.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and dyd sacrifyce vnto the goddes of them of Damascon, which had smitten him, & sayde: The goddes of the kynges of Syria helpe them, therfore wil I offre vnto them, that they maye helpe me also, where as the same yet were a fall vnto him and to all Israel.

American Standard Version
For he sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus, which smote him; and he said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, therefore will I sacrifice to them, that they may help me. But they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel.

Bible in Basic English
For he made offerings to the gods of Damascus, who were attacking him, and said, Because the gods of the kings of Aram are giving them help, I will make offerings to them so that they may give me help. But they were the cause of his downfall, and of that of all Israel.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
For he offered vnto the gods of them of Damascon, which beat him: and he sayd, Because the gods of the kinges of Syria helpe them, therefore wyll I offer to them, that they may helpe me also: But they were his destruction, and the destruction of all Israel.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
For he sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus, which smote him; and he said: 'Because the gods of the kings of Aram helped them, therefore will I sacrifice to them, that they may help me.' But they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel.

King James Version (1611)
For he sacrificed vnto the gods of Damascus, which smote him: and he said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria helpe them, therefore will I sacrifice to them, that they may helpe me: but they were the ruine of him, and of all Israel.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
I will seek after the gods of Damascus that smite me. And he said, Forasmuch as the gods of the king of Syria themselves strengthen them, therefore will I sacrifice to them, and they will help me. But they became a stumbling-block to him, and to all Israel.

English Revised Version
For he sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus, which smote him: and he said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, [therefore] will I sacrifice to them, that they may help me. But they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
hym silf offride sacrifices to the goddis of Damask, hise smyteris, and seide, The goddis of the kyngis of Sirie helpen hem, whiche goddis Y schal plese bi sacrifices, and thei schulen help me; whanne ayenward thei weren fallyng to hym, and to al Israel.

Update Bible Version
For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus, which smote him; and he said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, [therefore] I will sacrifice to them, that they may help me. But they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel.

Webster's Bible Translation
For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus, which smote him: and he said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, [therefore] will I sacrifice to them, that they may help me. But they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel.

New King James Version
For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus which had defeated him, saying, "Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me." But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel.

New Living Translation
He offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus who had defeated him, for he said, "Since these gods helped the kings of Aram, they will help me, too, if I sacrifice to them." But instead, they led to his ruin and the ruin of all Judah.

New Life Bible
For he gave gifts on the altar to the gods of Damascus who had beaten him in battle. He said, "Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, I will give gifts to them so they may help me." But they were what destroyed him and all Israel.

New Revised Standard
For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus, which had defeated him, and said, "Because the gods of the kings of Aram helped them, I will sacrifice to them so that they may help me." But they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
For he sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus who had smitten him, and said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria are helping them, unto them, will I sacrifice, that they may help me. But, they, served to seduce him and all Israel.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Sacrificed victims to the gods of Damascus that struck him, and he said: The gods of the kings of Syria help them, and I will appease them with victims, and they will help me; whereas on the contrary they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel.

Revised Standard Version
For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus which had defeated him, and said, "Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me." But they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel.

Young's Literal Translation
and he sacrificeth to the gods of Damascus -- those smiting him, and saith, `Because the gods of the kings of Aram are helping them, to them I sacrifice, and they help me,' and they have been to him to cause him to stumble, and to all Israel.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus which had defeated him, and said, "Because the gods of the kings of Aram helped them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me." But they became the downfall of him and all Israel.

Contextual Overview

¹⁶Some time later, the Edomites attacked the eastern part of Judah again and carried away prisoners. And at the same time, the Philistines raided towns in the western foothills and in the Southern Desert. They conquered the towns of Beth-Shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco, Timnah, and Gimzo, including the villages around them. Then some of the Philistines went to live in these places. Ahaz sent a message to King Tiglath Pileser of Assyria and begged for help. ¹⁹ But God was punishing Judah with these disasters, because Ahaz had disobeyed him and refused to stop Judah from sinning. ²⁰ So Tiglath Pileser came to Judah, but instead of helping, he made things worse. ²¹ Ahaz gave him gifts from the Lord 's temple and the king's palace, as well as from the homes of Israel's other leaders. The Assyrian king still refused to help Ahaz. ²² Even after all these terrible things happened to Ahaz, he sinned against the Lord even worse than before. ²³ He said to himself, "The Syrian gods must have helped their kings defeat me. Maybe if I offer sacrifices to those gods, they will help me." That was the sin that finally led to the downfall of Ahaz, as well as to the destruction of Judah. ²⁴ Ahaz collected all the furnishings of the temple and smashed them to pieces. Then he locked the doors to the temple and set up altars to foreign gods on every street corner in Jerusalem. ²⁵ In every city and town in Judah he built local shrines to worship foreign gods. All of this made the Lord God of his ancestors very angry. ²⁶ Everything else Ahaz did while he was king is written in The History of the Kings of Judah and Israel. ²⁷ Ahaz died and was buried in Jerusalem, but not in the royal tombs. His son Hezekiah then became king.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

For he sacrificed: This passage, says Mr. Hallet, greatly surprised me; for the sacred historian is here represented as saying, "The gods of Damascus had smitten Ahaz." But it is impossible to suppose that an inspired author should say this; for the Scripture every where represents the heathen idols as nothing and vanity, and as incapable of doing either good or hurt. All difficulty is avoided if we follow the old Hebrew copies, from which the Greek translation was made: "And king Ahaz said, I will seek to the gods of Damascus which have smitten me." 2 Chronicles 25:14, 2 Kings 16:12, 2 Kings 16:13

Damascus: Heb. Darmesek

Because the gods: Habakkuk 1:11

sacrifice to them: Jeremiah 10:5, Jeremiah 44:15-18

But they were: Isaiah 1:28, Jeremiah 44:20-28, Hosea 13:9

Reciprocal: Judges 10:6 - Baalim 2 Kings 16:10 - saw an altar 2 Chronicles 21:2 - Israel 2 Chronicles 29:6 - For our fathers Job 35:10 - none Proverbs 13:6 - wickedness Proverbs 27:22 - General Isaiah 2:8 - is full Isaiah 17:1 - Damascus Isaiah 57:10 - There is Ezekiel 16:28 - General Micah 1:5 - they

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For he sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus, which smote him,.... As he foolishly imagined, that they might do him no more hurt; as it is said of the Indians, that they worship the devil, that he may not hurt them; but that a king of Judah should do this is monstrous stupidity; rather therefore the meaning may be, that he worshipped the gods of those that smote him, those of the men or soldiers of Damascus m see 2 Chronicles 28:5 for the Spirit of God would never ascribe the smiting of him to idols, though he himself might;

and he said, because the gods of the kings of Syria help them; which looks as if this was before Damascus was taken by the king of Assyria, and when Rezin king of Syria prevailed over Ahaz:

therefore will I sacrifice to them, that they may help me; against the Edomites and Philistines; wherefore rather to this, his idolatry, respect is had in 2 Chronicles 28:22,

but they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel; the worship of them was the cause of all the calamities that came upon that part of Israel of which he was king.

m So Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

His adoption of the Syrian gods, Hadad, Rimmon, and others, as objects of worship, no doubt preceded the destruction of Damascus by the Assyrians 2 Kings 16:9.

Israel - i. e. “Judah;” so in 2 Chronicles 28:27. Compare 2 Chronicles 28:19.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Chronicles 28:23. He sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus, which smote him — "This passage," says Mr. Hallet, "greatly surprised me; for the sacred historian himself is here represented as saying, The gods of Damascus had smitten Ahaz. But it is impossible to suppose that an inspired author could say this; for the Scripture everywhere represents the heathen idols as nothing and vanity, and as incapable of doing either good or hurt. All difficulty is avoided if we follow the old Hebrew copies, from which the Greek translation was made, Και ειπεν ὁ βασιλεις Αχαζ, εκζητησω τους Θεους Δαμασκου τους τυπτοντας με, And King Ahaz SAID, I WILL SEEK TO THE GODS OF DAMASCUS WHICH HAVE SMITTEN ME; and then it follows, both in Hebrew and Greek, He said moreover, Because the gods of the king of Syria help them; therefore will I sacrifice to them, that they may help me. Both the Syriac and Arabic give it a similar turn; and say that Ahaz sacrificed to the gods of Damascus, and said, Ye are my gods and my lords; you will I worship, and to you will I sacrifice."