Ahaz: If the previous narrative about Jotham had created some hope for the reader of Chronicles that the kingship of Judah would survive, the present narrative about Ahaz (ca. 743/742–727/726 B.C.) would destroy that hope again! It marks one of the most negative portrayals of a king in Chronicles. Whereas many of the previous royal narratives (e.g., Asa, Jehoshaphat, Joash, Amaziah, and Uzziah) reflected some ambiguity about the virtues and vices of the kings, the present narrative provides a wholly negative account. The Chronicler even adapted some of the information in the source text (2 Kgs. 16) to create an even more negative portrait of King Ahaz. To some commentators, Ahaz is the Chronicler’s substitute for the Deuteronomist’s portrayal of Manasseh as the epitome of evil who was to b…