2 Chronicles Chapter 28
Showing all 27 verses for 2 Chronicles Chapter 28.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: but he did not that which was right in the sight of the LORD, like David his father: "
"Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. But unlike his ancestor David, he did not do what was right in the LORD's sight."
A good upbringing doesn't guarantee a good life - character is still something each person must choose for themselves, again and again. I love you regardless of your starting point, but I also want you to know: you are responsible for your own choices, not your family's legacy.
"For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made also molten images for Baalim. "
"He followed the example of the kings of Israel and even made metal images for the Baals."
What you choose to imitate matters - copying the wrong models, even ones that look successful or normal around you, can lead you far from what's actually good for you. Choose your influences with real care.
"Moreover he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, after the abominations of the heathen whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel. "
"He also burned incense in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom and burned his own children in the fire, following the detestable practices of the nations the LORD had driven out ahead of the Israelites."
I will never ask a parent to harm their child for any cause, ever - that idea is a total corruption of what love and faith are meant to be. If any belief system or pressure ever asks you to sacrifice the vulnerable for supposed favour or gain, that is the clearest possible sign it has gone terribly wrong.
"He sacrificed also and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree. "
"He also offered sacrifices and burned incense at the high places, on the hills, and under every spreading tree."
Small, repeated compromises, allowed to spread unchecked across every part of your life, add up to something far larger than any single decision - notice the pattern, not just the individual moments.
"Wherefore the LORD his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria; and they smote him, and carried away a great multitude of them captives, and brought them to Damascus. And he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who smote him with a great slaughter. "
"So the LORD his God handed him over to the king of Syria, who defeated him and carried off a large number of captives to Damascus. He was also handed over to the king of Israel, who struck him with a great slaughter."
When you cut yourself off from what actually grounds and protects you, don't be surprised when the storms that come find you exposed. I'm not the one causing the storm - but I am the shelter you walked away from.
"For Pekah the son of Remaliah slew in Judah an hundred and twenty thousand in one day, which were all valiant men; because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers. "
"Pekah, son of Remaliah, killed a hundred and twenty thousand men in Judah in a single day - all of them experienced fighters - because they had abandoned the LORD, the God of their ancestors."
A leader's choices ripple out to affect everyone under their care - which is exactly why I hold those with influence and responsibility to such a high standard. If you have influence over others, however small, use it with real care for what it might cost them.
"And Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, slew Maaseiah the king’s son, and Azrikam the governor of the house, and Elkanah that was next to the king. "
"Zichri, a warrior from Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the king's son, Azrikam the palace administrator, and Elkanah, who was second to the king."
The consequences of a leader's unfaithfulness often land hardest on those closest to them - even their own family. I ask leaders especially to remember: your choices are never contained to just yourself.
"And the children of Israel carried away captive of their brethren two hundred thousand, women, sons, and daughters, and took also away much spoil from them, and brought the spoil to Samaria. "
"The Israelites captured two hundred thousand women, sons, and daughters from among their own relatives in Judah, and took a great deal of plunder, which they brought back to Samaria."
Conflict between people who are, at heart, family or close community, causes some of the deepest wounds there are. I ask you to remember our shared humanity, especially with those you're most tempted to see as opponents.
"But a prophet of the LORD was there, whose name was Oded: and he went out before the host that came to Samaria, and said unto them, Behold, because the LORD God of your fathers was wroth with Judah, he hath delivered them into your hand, and ye have slain them in a rage that reacheth up unto heaven. "
"But a prophet of the LORD named Oded was there. He went out to meet the returning army and said to them, 'Look - because the LORD, the God of your ancestors, was angry with Judah, he handed them over to you, but you have slaughtered them with a rage that reaches up to heaven.'"
Even when someone else is genuinely in the wrong, how you treat them in their defeat still matters immensely to me. Being right about a conflict never gives you a licence for excessive cruelty towards the person who lost.
"And now ye purpose to keep under the children of Judah and Jerusalem for bondmen and bondwomen unto you: but are there not with you, even with you, sins against the LORD your God? "
"Oded continued, 'And now you intend to make the people of Judah and Jerusalem your slaves - but haven't you also sinned against the LORD your God?'"
Before you judge or take advantage of someone else's failure, take an honest look at your own record first. I want you to extend the same grace to others that you yourself desperately need.
"Now hear me therefore, and deliver the captives again, which ye have taken captive of your brethren: for the fierce wrath of the LORD is upon you. "
"'Now listen to me: send back the captives you have taken from your brothers, because the LORD's fierce anger is on you.'"
Real repentance isn't just feeling bad about something - it's actually doing what's needed to make it right. If you've wronged someone, I want to see the follow-through, not just the apology.
"Then certain of the heads of the children of Ephraim, Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, and Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai, stood up against them that came from the war, "
"Then some of the leaders of Ephraim - Azariah son of Johanan, Berechiah son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai - stood up against those returning from the war."
Doing the right thing is often easier and more effective together than alone - I want you to be willing to add your voice and stand alongside others when you see an injustice, rather than assuming it's someone else's job.
"And said unto them, Ye shall not bring in the captives hither: for whereas we have offended against the LORD already, ye intend to add more to our sins and to our trespass: for our trespass is great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel. "
"They said to the soldiers, 'You must not bring the captives in here, because what you're planning would add to our guilt and our sin - our guilt is already great, and fierce wrath already hangs over Israel.'"
When you know you've already made mistakes, the wisest move is to stop digging - not to pile on more wrongdoing trying to compensate or justify what's already happened. I want you to break the cycle, not extend it.
"So the armed men left the captives and the spoil before the princes and all the congregation. "
"So the armed men left the captives and the plunder in front of the officials and the whole assembly."
Being persuaded by the truth is only half the journey - actually letting go of what you've wrongly taken or held onto is what completes it. I want to see your convictions followed through into action.
"And the men which were expressed by name rose up, and took the captives, and with the spoil clothed all that were naked among them, and arrayed them, and shod them, and gave them to eat and to drink, and anointed them, and carried all the feeble of them upon asses, and brought them to Jericho, the city of palm trees, to their brethren: then they returned to Samaria. "
"The men who were designated by name took charge of the captives - they clothed all who were naked among them from the plunder, dressed them, gave them sandals, fed and gave them drink, anointed them with oil, carried the weak on donkeys, and brought them to Jericho, the City of Palms, to their own people. Then they returned to Samaria."
This is exactly what real love in action looks like - not just refraining from harm, but going out of your way to actively restore someone's dignity: clothing, feeding, carrying the weak. When you've wronged someone, aim not just to stop, but to genuinely make things right.
"At that time did king Ahaz send unto the kings of Assyria to help him. "
"At that time King Ahaz sent to the kings of Assyria for help."
When you're in crisis, notice where your instinct takes you for rescue - is it towards what's actually trustworthy, or just towards whatever looks powerful in the moment? I want your first move under pressure to be towards what's truly good for you, not just what seems strong.
"For again the Edomites had come and smitten Judah, and carried away captives. "
"The Edomites had also come and attacked Judah, and carried off captives."
When foundations crumble, trouble tends to come from more than one direction at once. I want you building your life on something solid enough to hold steady even when multiple pressures hit together.
"The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the low country, and of the south of Judah, and had taken Bethshemesh, and Ajalon, and Gederoth, and Shocho with the villages thereof, and Timnah with the villages thereof, Gimzo also and the villages thereof: and they there. "
💡 Highlighted words feature Jacobean 1611 tooltips to clarify shifted 17th-century English terms.
"The Philistines had also raided the towns of the lowlands and the southern part of Judah, capturing Bethshemesh, Ajalon, Gederoth, Sochoh with its villages, Timnah with its villages, and Gimzo with its villages, and they settled there."
The cost of drifting from what's right isn't abstract - it shows up in real, specific losses: places, relationships, opportunities that don't come back easily. I want you to see the real stakes clearly, not just as a vague warning.
"For the LORD brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel; for he made Judah naked, and transgressed sore against the LORD. "
"For the LORD humbled Judah because of Ahaz, king of Judah - because he had thrown off restraint in Judah and had been utterly unfaithful to the LORD."
Leaders' choices shape the atmosphere everyone underneath them has to live in - if you have any kind of influence, know that abandoning what's right doesn't just cost you, it costs everyone relying on you. I ask you to carry that responsibility seriously.
"And Tilgathpilneser king of Assyria came unto him, and distressed him, but strengthened him not. "
"Tilgath-pileser, king of Assyria, came to him, but he caused him distress rather than giving him strength."
The things you turn to instead of what's truly trustworthy often disappoint in exactly the way you feared avoiding - sometimes even making things worse. I want your trust placed somewhere that won't betray you when you need it most.
"For Ahaz took away a portion out of the house of the LORD, and out of the house of the king, and of the princes, and gave it unto the king of Assyria: but he helped him not. "
"For Ahaz took a portion of treasure from the LORD's house, from the royal palace, and from the officials, and gave it to the king of Assyria - but it did not help him."
Spending everything you have chasing a solution that was never going to work is one of the saddest kinds of loss - not just the outcome, but the resources poured into the wrong hope. I want you to test where your trust is really placed before you spend everything on it.
"And in the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the LORD: this is that king Ahaz. "
"In his time of trouble, King Ahaz sinned against the LORD even more - this is that same King Ahaz."
How you respond to pressure and hardship reveals what's really inside you. I want your hard seasons to be the times you turn towards what's good, not away from it - crisis is a mirror, and I hope you like what it shows.
"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. "
"He sacrificed to the gods of Damascus, who had defeated him, saying, 'Since the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, I will sacrifice to them so they will help me.' But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel."
Copying whatever seems to be winning around you, without asking whether it's actually good, is a recipe for ruin, not success. I want you asking not 'what looks powerful?' but 'what is actually true and good?' - those are very different questions.
"And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God, and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and shut up the doors of the house of the LORD, and he made him altars in every corner of Jerusalem. "
"Ahaz gathered up the articles from God's house, cut them into pieces, shut the doors of the LORD's house, and made himself altars in every corner of Jerusalem."
What you shut the door on reveals what you've truly turned away from. I never stop caring about you even when you've closed that door, but I do want you to notice what you're walling off and why.
"And in every several city of Judah he made high places to burn incense unto other gods, and provoked to anger the LORD God of his fathers. "
"In every town of Judah he built high places to burn incense to other gods, provoking the LORD, the God of his ancestors, to anger."
The scale of harm a person in a position of real influence can do, when unchecked, is sobering - which is exactly why I ask those with power to hold it so carefully. If you have influence, use it to build up what's good, not to spread what harms.
"Now the rest of his acts and of all his ways, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. "
"The rest of his deeds and all his ways, from beginning to end, are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel."
Even the parts of a life or a story that are hard to look at are still worth remembering honestly, not erased. I don't ask you to hide from difficult truths about yourself or your history - facing them clearly is how real change becomes possible.
"And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, even in Jerusalem: but they brought him not into the sepulchres of the kings of Israel: and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead. "
"Ahaz died and was buried in the city, in Jerusalem, but he was not brought into the tombs of the kings of Israel. His son Hezekiah became king in his place."
A difficult ending doesn't have to be the end of the whole story - even after Ahaz's total collapse, real restoration was just one generation away. Whatever legacy you're inheriting or leaving behind, know that redemption and fresh starts remain genuinely possible, for you and for whoever comes after you.