Ahaz

Ahaz faced attack from Rezin of Aram and Pekah of Israel during the Syro-Ephraimite crisis. Isaiah urged him to trust the Lord and offered a sign, but Ahaz refused and instead appealed to Tiglath-pileser III of Assyria. He sent Temple and palace treasures as tribute. After visiting Damascus, Ahaz ordered a new altar patterned after one he saw there and altered Temple arrangements. Chronicles describes extensive idolatry, including sacrificing his children, and says he closed the Temple doors and established altars elsewhere. Assyrian intervention brought temporary relief from enemies but also increased Judah's dependence.