2Ch 28:18-23 | ESV | STEP | And the Philistines had made raids on the cities in the Shephelah and the Negeb of Judah , and had taken Beth-shemesh , Aijalon , Gederoth , Soco with its villages , Timnah with its villages , and Gimzo with its villages . And they settled there .

2 Chronicles 28:18-23

18 ^aAnd the Philistines had made raids on ^bthe cities in the Shephelah and the Negeb of Judah, and had taken Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco ^cwith its villages, Timnah with its villages, and Gimzo with its villages. And they settled there. 19 For the Lord humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he had made ^dJudah act sinfully ^{▼▼Or wildly} and had been very unfaithful to the Lord. 20 So ^fTiglath-pileser ^{▼▼Hebrew Tilgath-pilneser} king of Assyria came against him and afflicted him instead of strengthening him. 21 ^hFor Ahaz took a portion from the house of the Lord and the house of the king and of the princes, and gave tribute to the king of Assyria, but it did not help him.

Ahaz’s Idolatry

22 In the time of his distress he became yet more faithless to the Lord—this same King Ahaz. 23 For ⁱhe sacrificed to the gods of Damascus that had defeated him and said, ^j“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.