2 Kings 16:3

¹ In the seventeenth year of Pekah son of Remaliah, Ahaz son of Jotham became king of Judah.

² Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. And unlike David his father, he did not do what was right in the eyes of the LORD his God.

Instead, he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and even sacrificed his son in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.

⁴ And he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.

⁵ Then Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel came up to wage war against Jerusalem. They besieged Ahaz but could not overcome him.

Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: Instead, he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and even sacrificed his son in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.
KJV: But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, yea, and made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel.
WEB: But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and even made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel.
ASV: But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, yea, and made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the nations, whom Jehovah cast out from before the children of Israel.
DARBY: but walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and even caused his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the nations that Jehovah had dispossessed from before the children of Israel.
BLB: And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and he even made his son pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom YHWH had cast out from before the sons of Israel.

ÅB: men vandret på Israels kongers vei, ja, han lot endog sin sønn gå gjennom ilden etter de avskyelige skikker hos de folk som Herren hadde drevet bort for Israels barn,
OTB: Men han vandret på Israels kongers vei, og han lot til og med sin sønn gå gjennom ilden, i henhold til de avskyelige skikkene til de folkeslagene som Herren hadde drevet ut for Israels barn.
B1930: men vandret på Israels kongers vei, ja, han lot endog sin sønn gå gjennem ilden efter de vederstyggelige skikker hos de folk som Herren hadde drevet bort for Israels barn,

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Deuteronomy 12:31
You must not worship the LORD your God in this way, because they practice for their gods every abomination which the LORD hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods.
Read in context
Leviticus 18:21
You must not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.
Read in context
2 Kings 21:2
And he did evil in the sight of the LORD by following the abominations of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.
Read in context
2 Kings 17:17
They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire and practiced divination and soothsaying. They devoted themselves to doing evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger.
Read in context
Psalms 106:37–38
They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons.
Read in context
2 Kings 21:11
“Since Manasseh king of Judah has committed all these abominations, acting more wickedly than the Amorites who preceded him, and with his idols has caused Judah to sin,
Read in context
2 Kings 23:10
He also desecrated Topheth in the Valley of Ben-hinnom so that no one could sacrifice his son or daughter in the fire to Molech.
Read in context
Ezekiel 20:26
And I pronounced them unclean through their gifts—the sacrifice of every firstborn in the fire—so that I might devastate them, in order that they would know that I am the LORD.
Read in context