They made their sons and daughters pass through the fire; they used divination and omens; and they sold themselves to do what was evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger — child sacrifice (הֶעֱבִיר אֶת־בְנֵיהֶם וְאֶת־בְנוֹתֵיהֶם בָּאֵשׁ, *he'evir et-bnehem ve-et-bnotam ba-esh*) was practiced at the national level, not merely by individual kings like Ahaz. Divination and omens (נִחֲשׁוּ וַיִּנְחֲשׁוּ, *nichashu va-yinchashu*) indicate reliance on forbidden magical practices rather than divine revelation. The phrase "they sold themselves to do what was evil" (וַיִּמְכְּרוּ אֶת־עַצְמָם לַעֲשׂוֹת הָרַע, *way-yimkru et-atzmehem la-asot ha-ra*) invokes the language of slave-selling: Israel sold its freedom to pursue evil. This comprehensive apostasy at every level—child sacrifice, divination, and deliberate evil—constitutes the complete spiritual dissolution of the nation.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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