WEBVTT NOTE This file was generated by Descript 00:00:00.030 --> 00:00:03.140 Ethan: Welcome To Immerse: The Daily Bible Reading Experience. 00:00:03.257 --> 00:00:04.787 Day 200 and 36 00:00:05.127 --> 00:00:10.047 Ahaz son of Jotham began to rule over Judah in the 17th year of 00:00:10.052 --> 00:00:11.697 King Pica's reign in Israel. 00:00:12.597 --> 00:00:17.817 Ahaz was 20 years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem 16 years. 00:00:18.747 --> 00:00:23.097 He did not do what was pleasing in the sight of the Lord his God as his ancestor. 00:00:23.097 --> 00:00:23.967 David had done. 00:00:24.672 --> 00:00:28.782 Instead, he followed the example of the kings of Israel, even 00:00:28.782 --> 00:00:31.662 sacrificing his own son in the fire. 00:00:32.502 --> 00:00:36.762 In this way, he followed the detestable practices of the pagan nations. 00:00:36.822 --> 00:00:39.612 The Lord had driven from the land ahead of the Israelites. 00:00:40.302 --> 00:00:45.222 He offered sacrifices and burned incense at the pagan shrines and on 00:00:45.222 --> 00:00:47.802 the hills and under every green tree. 00:00:49.602 --> 00:00:55.482 Then King reason of Aram and King pka of Israel came up to attack Jerusalem. 00:00:56.082 --> 00:00:59.022 They besieged Ahaz, but could not conquer him. 00:00:59.862 --> 00:01:04.332 At that time, the King of Edam recovered the town of Eola for Edam. 00:01:04.992 --> 00:01:08.862 He drove out the people of Judah and sent mites to live there. 00:01:09.282 --> 00:01:14.922 As they do to this day, king Ahaz sent messengers to King Tig Laf, 00:01:14.922 --> 00:01:16.872 pizzer of Assyria with this message. 00:01:17.682 --> 00:01:19.812 I am your servant and your vaal. 00:01:20.532 --> 00:01:24.282 Come up and rescue me from the attacking armies of Aram and Israel. 00:01:25.002 --> 00:01:28.932 Then Ahaz took the silver and gold from the temple of the Lord and 00:01:28.932 --> 00:01:32.952 the Palace Treasury and sent it as a payment to the Assyrian King. 00:01:33.852 --> 00:01:39.672 So the King of Assyria attacked the Aian capital of Damascus and led its population 00:01:39.672 --> 00:01:42.912 away as captives, resettling them in care. 00:01:43.632 --> 00:01:45.702 He also killed King Reason. 00:01:46.587 --> 00:01:51.357 King A has then went to Damascus to meet with King Tig Lath, pizzer of Assyria. 00:01:52.107 --> 00:01:55.047 While he was there, he took special note of the altar. 00:01:55.887 --> 00:01:59.907 Then he sent a model of the altar to Uriah, the priest, along 00:01:59.907 --> 00:02:01.767 with its design in full detail. 00:02:02.787 --> 00:02:06.627 Uriah followed the king's instructions and built an altar just 00:02:06.627 --> 00:02:10.527 like it, and it was ready before the king returned from Damascus. 00:02:11.367 --> 00:02:15.237 When the king returned, he inspected the altar and made offerings on it. 00:02:15.792 --> 00:02:18.612 He presented a burnt offering and a grain offering. 00:02:19.092 --> 00:02:22.632 He poured out a liquid offering and he sprinkled the blood of 00:02:22.632 --> 00:02:24.312 peace offerings on the altar. 00:02:25.242 --> 00:02:29.802 Then King A has removed the old bronze altar from its place in front of the 00:02:29.802 --> 00:02:34.062 Lord's temple between the entrance and the new altar, and placed it 00:02:34.067 --> 00:02:35.922 on the north side of the new altar. 00:02:36.552 --> 00:02:40.977 He told Uriah the priest, Use the new altar for the morning. 00:02:40.977 --> 00:02:45.627 Sacrifices of burnt offering, the evening grain offering, the king's 00:02:45.627 --> 00:02:49.347 burnt offering and grain offering, and the burnt offerings of all 00:02:49.347 --> 00:02:52.917 the people, as well as their grain offerings and liquid offerings. 00:02:53.667 --> 00:02:58.017 Sprinkle the blood from all the burnt offerings and sacrifices on the new altar. 00:02:58.617 --> 00:03:03.807 The bronze altar will be for my personal use only Uriah, the priest 00:03:04.017 --> 00:03:06.267 did just as King Ahaz commanded him. 00:03:07.257 --> 00:03:11.817 Then the king removed the side panels and basins from the portable water carts. 00:03:12.297 --> 00:03:16.587 He also removed the great bronze basin, called the sea from the 00:03:16.587 --> 00:03:20.517 backs of the bronze oxen, and placed it on the stone pavement. 00:03:21.117 --> 00:03:25.707 In deference to the king of Assyria, he also removed the canopy that had been 00:03:25.707 --> 00:03:31.317 constructed inside the palace for use on the Sabbath day, as well as the king's 00:03:31.347 --> 00:03:33.247 outer entrance to the temple of the Lord. 00:03:35.367 --> 00:03:40.347 The rest of the events in ah a's Reign and everything he did are recorded in the 00:03:40.347 --> 00:03:42.357 book of the history of the Kings of Judah. 00:03:43.017 --> 00:03:47.247 When Ahaz died, he was buried with his ancestors in the city of David. 00:03:47.907 --> 00:03:51.207 Then his son Hezekiah, became the next king 00:03:53.427 --> 00:03:58.167 ho Shia son of ELA began to rule over Israel in the 12th year 00:03:58.167 --> 00:03:59.997 of King A a's reign in Judah. 00:04:00.567 --> 00:04:02.847 He reigned in Samaria nine years. 00:04:03.627 --> 00:04:08.007 He did what was evil in the Lord's sight, but not to the same extent as the 00:04:08.007 --> 00:04:10.077 kings of Israel who ruled before him. 00:04:11.787 --> 00:04:17.667 King Chal Menzer of Assyria attacked King Hoia, so Hoshi was forced 00:04:17.667 --> 00:04:19.707 to pay heavy tribute to Assyria. 00:04:20.577 --> 00:04:25.047 But Hoia stopped paying the annual tribute and conspired against the King 00:04:25.047 --> 00:04:30.987 of Assyria by asking King so of Egypt to help him shake free of ass Syria's power. 00:04:31.887 --> 00:04:35.367 When the King of Assyria discovered this treachery, he seized 00:04:35.367 --> 00:04:37.377 Hoshi and put him in prison. 00:04:38.637 --> 00:04:43.587 Then the King of Assyria invaded the entire land, and for three years 00:04:43.617 --> 00:04:45.627 he besieged the city of Samaria. 00:04:46.497 --> 00:04:52.107 Finally, in the ninth year of King Hashi's reign, Samaria fell and the 00:04:52.107 --> 00:04:54.717 people of Israel were exiled to Assyria. 00:04:55.527 --> 00:04:58.917 They were settled in colonies in Hala, along the banks 00:04:58.917 --> 00:05:00.957 of the Habor River in Goza. 00:05:01.392 --> 00:05:07.272 In the city of the means, this disaster came upon the people of Israel 00:05:07.512 --> 00:05:09.312 because they worshiped other gods. 00:05:09.912 --> 00:05:13.632 They sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them safely out 00:05:13.637 --> 00:05:17.892 of Egypt and had rescued them from the power of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. 00:05:18.732 --> 00:05:21.642 They had followed the practices of the pagan nations. 00:05:21.762 --> 00:05:25.752 The Lord had driven from the land ahead of them, as well as the practices 00:05:25.752 --> 00:05:27.522 the kings of Israel had introduced. 00:05:28.407 --> 00:05:32.097 The people of Israel had also secretly done many things that were 00:05:32.102 --> 00:05:33.987 not pleasing to the Lord their God. 00:05:34.827 --> 00:05:39.327 They built pagan shrines for themselves in all their towns from the smallest 00:05:39.332 --> 00:05:41.847 outpost to the largest walled city. 00:05:42.717 --> 00:05:47.577 They set up sacred pillars and a Shira poles at the top of every hill and 00:05:47.577 --> 00:05:52.347 under every green tree, they offered sacrifices on all the hilltops, 00:05:52.767 --> 00:05:56.157 just like the nations the Lord had driven from the land ahead of them. 00:05:56.997 --> 00:06:02.337 So the people of Israel had done many evil things, arousing the Lord's anger. 00:06:03.147 --> 00:06:07.677 Yes, they worshiped idols despite the Lord's specific and repeated 00:06:07.682 --> 00:06:10.257 warnings again and again. 00:06:10.557 --> 00:06:15.537 The Lord had sent his prophets and seers to warn both Israel and Judah. 00:06:16.467 --> 00:06:18.297 Turn from all your evil ways. 00:06:18.537 --> 00:06:20.667 Obey my commands and decrees. 00:06:21.087 --> 00:06:25.617 The entire law that I commanded your ancestors to obey and that I gave 00:06:25.617 --> 00:06:29.997 you through my servants the prophets, but the Israelites would not listen. 00:06:30.717 --> 00:06:34.047 They were as stubborn as their ancestors who had refused to 00:06:34.047 --> 00:06:35.637 believe in the Lord their God. 00:06:36.477 --> 00:06:40.557 They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their ancestors, 00:06:41.007 --> 00:06:43.227 and they despised all his warnings. 00:06:44.037 --> 00:06:48.807 They worshiped worthless idols, so they became worthless themselves. 00:06:49.677 --> 00:06:53.307 They followed the example of the nations around them, disobeying the 00:06:53.307 --> 00:06:55.527 Lord's command not to imitate them. 00:06:56.127 --> 00:07:01.107 They rejected all the commands of the Lord their God, and made two calves from metal. 00:07:01.737 --> 00:07:06.537 They set up an Ashra poll and worshiped Baal in all the forces of heaven. 00:07:07.287 --> 00:07:11.157 They even sacrificed their own sons and daughters in the fire. 00:07:11.952 --> 00:07:16.992 They consulted fortune tellers and practiced sorcery and sold themselves to 00:07:16.992 --> 00:07:22.722 evil, arousing the Lord's anger because the Lord was very angry with Israel. 00:07:22.962 --> 00:07:25.092 He swept them away from his presence. 00:07:25.812 --> 00:07:30.762 Only the tribe of Judah remained in the land, but even the people of Judah 00:07:30.822 --> 00:07:35.322 refused to obey the commands of the Lord their God, for they followed the evil 00:07:35.322 --> 00:07:37.722 practices that Israel had introduced. 00:07:38.502 --> 00:07:41.322 The Lord rejected all the descendants of Israel. 00:07:41.742 --> 00:07:46.032 He punished them by handing them over to their attackers until he had 00:07:46.032 --> 00:07:47.922 banished Israel from his presence. 00:07:49.062 --> 00:07:53.832 For when the Lord tore Israel away from the Kingdom of David, they chose 00:07:53.832 --> 00:07:56.472 Jar BOM's, son of Nebat as their king. 00:07:57.252 --> 00:08:01.692 But Jar Boem drew Israel away from following the Lord and 00:08:01.692 --> 00:08:03.402 made them commit a great sin. 00:08:04.002 --> 00:08:08.352 And the people of Israel persisted in all the evil ways of Jar Beam. 00:08:09.492 --> 00:08:13.632 They did not turn from these sins until the Lord finally swept 00:08:13.632 --> 00:08:17.892 them away from his presence, just as all his prophets had warned. 00:08:18.882 --> 00:08:23.712 So Israel was exiled from their land to Assyria where they remained. 00:08:23.712 --> 00:08:24.492 To this day. 00:08:26.412 --> 00:08:32.352 The King of Assyria transported groups of people from Babylon, Kuta, Ava. 00:08:32.892 --> 00:08:37.242 Hamoth and Sveum and resettled them in the towns of Samaria, 00:08:37.782 --> 00:08:39.462 replacing the people of Israel. 00:08:40.032 --> 00:08:43.092 They took possession of Samaria and lived in its towns. 00:08:43.932 --> 00:08:47.622 But since these foreign settlers did not worship the Lord when they first 00:08:47.622 --> 00:08:52.152 arrived, the Lord sent lions among them, which killed some of them. 00:08:53.172 --> 00:08:57.432 So a message was sent to the king of Assia, the people you have sent 00:08:57.432 --> 00:08:59.082 to live in the towns of Samaria. 00:08:59.502 --> 00:09:02.502 Do not know the religious customs of the God of the land. 00:09:03.252 --> 00:09:06.852 He has sent lions among them to destroy them because they have 00:09:06.852 --> 00:09:08.202 not worshiped him correctly. 00:09:09.102 --> 00:09:13.722 The king of Assyria then commanded, send one of the exiled priests back 00:09:13.722 --> 00:09:17.892 to Samaria, let him live there and teach the new residents the religious 00:09:17.892 --> 00:09:19.452 customs of the God of the land. 00:09:20.472 --> 00:09:25.932 So one of the priests who had been exiled from Samaria returned to Bethel and taught 00:09:25.932 --> 00:09:28.512 the new residents how to worship the Lord. 00:09:29.457 --> 00:09:33.927 But these various groups of foreigners also continued to worship their own gods 00:09:34.587 --> 00:09:36.477 in town after town where they lived. 00:09:36.837 --> 00:09:40.047 They placed their idols at the pagan shrines that the people of 00:09:40.047 --> 00:09:45.147 Samaria had built Those from Babylon worshiped idols of their God. 00:09:45.237 --> 00:09:46.137 Zeth Bina. 00:09:47.187 --> 00:09:53.307 Those from Tah worshiped their God al, and those from Hamoth worshiped Asima. 00:09:54.207 --> 00:09:57.627 The avs worshiped their gods nib has and tar. 00:09:58.587 --> 00:10:03.687 And the people from Sveum even burned their own children as sacrifices 00:10:03.687 --> 00:10:06.207 to their gods drek and enamel. 00:10:07.467 --> 00:10:11.277 These new residents worshiped the Lord, but they also appointed from 00:10:11.277 --> 00:10:16.287 among themselves all sorts of people as priests to offer sacrifices 00:10:16.287 --> 00:10:17.487 at their places of worship. 00:10:17.907 --> 00:10:21.867 And though they worshiped the Lord, they continued to follow their own 00:10:21.867 --> 00:10:25.917 gods according to the religious customs of the nations from which they came. 00:10:26.502 --> 00:10:28.392 And this is still going on today. 00:10:29.142 --> 00:10:31.752 They continue to follow their former practices. 00:10:32.052 --> 00:10:37.122 Instead of truly worshiping the Lord and obeying the decrees, regulations, 00:10:37.182 --> 00:10:41.832 instructions, and commands, he gave the descendants of Jacob whose 00:10:41.832 --> 00:10:43.542 name he changed to his Israel. 00:10:44.262 --> 00:10:48.672 For the Lord had made a covenant with the descendants of Jacob and commanded them. 00:10:49.122 --> 00:10:54.222 Do not worship any other gods or bow before them or serve them. 00:10:54.597 --> 00:10:56.457 Or offer sacrifices to them. 00:10:57.207 --> 00:11:01.737 But worship only the Lord who brought you out of Egypt with great strength 00:11:01.737 --> 00:11:08.067 and a powerful arm bow down to him alone and offer sacrifices only to him. 00:11:08.907 --> 00:11:14.007 Be careful at all times to obey the decrees, regulations, instructions, 00:11:14.007 --> 00:11:16.077 and commands that he wrote for you. 00:11:16.617 --> 00:11:18.687 You must not worship other gods. 00:11:19.407 --> 00:11:24.057 Do not forget the covenant I made with you and do not worship other gods. 00:11:24.672 --> 00:11:27.222 You must worship only the Lord your God. 00:11:27.522 --> 00:11:31.002 He is the one who will rescue you from all your enemies. 00:11:32.052 --> 00:11:36.732 But the people would not listen and continue to follow their former practices. 00:11:37.422 --> 00:11:40.782 So while these new residents worshiped the Lord, they also 00:11:40.782 --> 00:11:45.552 worshiped their idols, and to this day, their descendants do the same. 00:11:47.442 --> 00:11:50.292 This concludes today's immerse reading experience. 00:11:50.442 --> 00:11:51.672 Thank you for joining us.