king of Judah, the son of Jotham, remarkable for his vices and impieties. He made one of his sons pass through the fire, to do honour to the idol Moloch; and he offered sacrifices and incense upon the high places, upon hills, and in groves. Rezin, king of Syria, and Pekah, king of Israel, invaded Judah in the beginning of the reign of Ahaz; and having defeated his army and pillaged the country, they laid siege to Jerusalem. When they found that they could not make themselves masters of that city, they divided their army, plundered the country, and made the inhabitants prisoners of war. Rezin and his part of the confederate army marched with all their spoil to Damascus; but Pekah, with his division of the army, having attacked Ahaz, killed 120,000 men of his army in one battle, and carried away men, women, and children, without distinction, to the number of 200,000. But as they were carrying those captives to Samaria, the prophet Oded, with the principal inhabitants of the city, came out to meet them, and by their remonstrances prevailed with them to set their prisoners at liberty. At the same time the Philistines and Edomites invaded other parts of his kingdom, killed multitudes of the people, and carried off much booty. In this distressed condition, Ahaz sent ambassadors to Tiglath-pileser, king of the Assyrians; and to engage him to his interest, he stripped the temple and city of all the gold he could find, and sent it as a present. Tiglath-pileser marched to the assistance of Ahaz, attacked Rezin, and killed him, took his capital Damascus, destroyed it, and removed the inhabitants to Cyrene. The misfortunes of this prince had no influence in amending his character; for in the times of his greatest affliction, he sacrificed to the Syrian deities, whom he looked upon as the authors of his calamities, and endeavoured thus to propitiate. He broke in pieces the vessels of the house of God, shut up the gates of the temple, and erected altars in all parts of Jerusalem. He set up altars likewise in all the cities of Judah, with a design to offer incense on them. His body, after his death, was refused a place in the sepulchres of the kings of Judah. Hezekiah his son succeeded him in the year of the world 3278, B.C. 726.