17 Elah's son Hoshea became the king of Israel when Ahaz had been king of Judah for 12 years. Hoshea ruled Israel as king in Samaria for nine years. 2 Hoshea did things that the Lord said were evil. But he was not as wicked as the kings of Israel who lived before him. 3 Shalmaneser, the king of Assyria, came to attack Hoshea in Samaria. Hoshea agreed to accept Shalmaneser's authority. Israel had to pay a lot of money as taxes to Shalmaneser each year.
4 Then King Shalmaneser discovered that Hoshea had decided to turn against him. Hoshea had sent a message to So, the king of Egypt, to ask for his help. He had also refused to send the taxes for that year to the king of Assyria. So King Shalmaneser took hold of Hoshea and he put him in prison. 5 The king of Assyria took his army and he marched through all the land of Israel. He attacked Samaria. His army made their camp around the city for three years.
6 When Hoshea had been king of Israel for nine years, the king of Assyria won the war against Samaria. He took the Israelites away to Assyria as his prisoners. He caused them to live in Halah, in Gozan beside the River Habor and in towns in Media.
7 All this happened because the Israelites did bad things against the Lord , their God. The Lord had brought them safely out of Egypt. He had rescued them from the power of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. But now they worshipped other gods. 8 They did the same bad things that the nations that lived in Canaan did. The Lord had chased those nations out of Canaan so that the Israelites could live there. The Israelites copied the bad things that the kings of Israel were doing. 9 They secretly did things that the Lord their God said were not right. In all their towns, they built altars to worship false gods. They built them everywhere, in small villages and in strong cities. 10 They put up stone pillars and Asherah poles to worship their gods. They put them on top of all the high hills and under all the big trees. 11 At all those places they burned incense to worship their gods, as the nations in Canaan had done. The Lord had chased those nations out of Canaan so that the Israelites could live there. The Israelites did evil things that made the Lord very angry. 12 They refused to obey the Lord 's command and they worshipped useless idols.
13 The Lord had used his prophets and his other servants to warn the people of Israel and Judah. He told them, ‘Stop living in an evil way. Obey my Law, with its commands and its rules. I gave my Law to your ancestors so that they would obey it. I also used my servants, the prophets, to teach it to you.’
14 But the Israelites would not agree to obey God's Law. They were proud and they refused to obey. Like their ancestors, they did not trust in the Lord their God. 15 They did not obey God's rules. They did not accept the covenant that he had made with their ancestors. They did not listen when he warned them. Instead, they worshipped useless idols, which caused them to become useless themselves. The Lord had commanded them not to live in the same way that the nations around them did. But they did that anyway. 16 They turned away from all the commands of the Lord their God. They used metal to make images of two calves as their idols. They also made an Asherah pole to worship. They worshipped all the stars in the sky and they served Baal. 17 They burned their sons and their daughters in fire as offerings to Baal. They used magic to find out what would happen in the future. They chose to do things that the Lord said were evil. That made him very angry.
18 The Lord was so angry with Israel that he sent them far away from himself. Only the tribe of Judah remained. 19 But even the people of Judah did not obey the commands of the Lord their God. They did the same bad things that the Israelites had done. 20 So the Lord turned against all the descendants of Israel. He punished them. He put them under the power of robbers. In that way, he chased them far away from himself.
21 God made Israel become a separate kingdom from David's family, Judah. Then Israel chose Nebat's son Jeroboam to be their king. Jeroboam caused the Israelites to turn away from the Lord . He led them to do terrible sins. 22 The Israelites continued to live in the bad way that Jeroboam showed them. They did not turn away from those sins. 23 In the end, the Lord sent the Israelites away from himself. He had used his servants, the prophets, to warn them that this would happen. As a result, the Assyrian army took the Israelites away from their own land as prisoners to Assyria. They still live there, even today.
24 The king of Assyria brought foreign people to live in the towns of Samaria. They came from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath and Sepharvaim. They lived in places in Samaria where the Israelites had lived. They took Samaria for themselves and they lived in its towns. [ a ] 25 When those people first lived in Samaria, they did not worship the Lord . So the Lord sent lions among them. The lions were killing some of the people. 26 People told the king of Assyria, ‘You sent some nations of people to go and live in the towns of Samaria. But they do not know how to obey the rules of that country's god. So he has sent lions to attack them. The lions are killing them because they do not know the rules of that country's god.’
27 The king of Assyria replied, ‘You took some Israelite priests away from Samaria as prisoners. Send one of them back to live there. Then he can teach the people what the god of that country wants them to do.’
28 So they sent back one of the priests that they had caught and taken away to Assyria. He went to live in Bethel. He taught the people how to worship the Lord properly.
29 But the people of each nation that had gone to live in Samaria made their own idols to worship. [ b ] They put them at the altars that the Israelites had built on the hills. They did this in each town where they lived. 30 The people from Babylon made idols of the god called Succoth-Benoth. The people from Cuthah made idols of the god called Nergal. The people from Hamath made idols of the god called Ashima. 31 The people from Avva made idols of their gods called Nibhaz and Tartak. The people from Sepharvaim burned their children in fire as offerings to their gods, Adrammelech and Anammelech.
32 The foreign people in Samaria also worshipped the Lord . They chose some of their own people to serve as priests at the altars on the hills. 33 In this way, they worshipped the Lord , but they also served their own gods. They did that in the way that they had always done in their own countries. That was what they did before the Assyrians sent them to live in Samaria. 34 Even today, they still do things in the same way that they have always done them. They do not truly worship the Lord . They do not obey his rules, his laws or his teaching. They do not obey the commands that the Lord gave to the descendants of Jacob. Jacob was the man that the Lord gave a new name to. He gave him the name ‘Israel’. 35 The Lord made a covenant with the descendants of Israel. He said to them, ‘Do not worship any other gods. Do not bend down low to give them honour. Do not serve them. Do not offer any sacrifices to them. 36 Instead, you must worship only the Lord . He is the one who used his great power to bring you safely out of Egypt. Bend down low to give him honour. Offer sacrifices to him. 37 You must be careful to obey his rules, his teaching, his laws and his commands that he wrote for you. You must not worship other gods. 38 Never forget the covenant that I made with you. Do not worship any other gods. 39 Instead, you must only worship the Lord your God. It is he who will save you from the power of all your enemies.’
40 But the foreign people who now lived in Samaria would not accept the Lord 's teaching. They continued to live in the way that they always had done. 41 Even while they were worshipping the Lord , they continued to serve their own idols. Their children and their grandchildren continue to live as their fathers did, even today.
17 Hoshea son of Elah began to rule in Samaria over Israel. This was during the 12th year that Ahaz was king of Judah. Hoshea ruled nine years. 2 He did what the Lord said was wrong, but he was not as bad as the kings of Israel who had ruled before him.
3 King Shalmaneser of Assyria came to fight against Hoshea and defeated him. So Hoshea paid tribute to Shalmaneser.
4 Later, Hoshea sent messengers to the king of Egypt to ask for help. That king’s name was So. That year Hoshea did not pay tribute to the king of Assyria as he did every other year. The king of Assyria learned that Hoshea had made plans against him. So he arrested Hoshea and put him in jail.
5 The king of Assyria attacked many places in Israel. Then he came to Samaria and fought against it for three years. 6 The king of Assyria took Samaria during the ninth year that Hoshea was king of Israel. He captured many Israelites and took them as prisoners to Assyria. He made them live in Halah by the Habor River at Gozan and in other cities of the Medes.
7 These things happened because the Israelites had sinned against the Lord their God. And it was the Lord who brought the Israelites out of the land of Egypt! He saved them from the power of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. But the Israelites began worshiping other gods. 8 They began doing the same things that other people did. And the Lord had forced those people to leave their land when the Israelites came. The Israelites also chose to be ruled by kings. 9 The Israelites secretly did things against the Lord their God, and those things were wrong!
The Israelites built high places in all their cities—from the smallest town to the largest city. 10 They put up memorial stones and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree. 11 They burned incense there in all those places for worship. [ a ] They did these things like the nations that the Lord forced out of the land before them. The Israelites did evil things that made the Lord angry. 12 They served idols, and the Lord had said to them, “You must not do this.”
13 The Lord used every prophet and every seer to warn Israel and Judah. He said, “Turn away from the evil things you do. Obey my commands and laws. Follow all the law that I gave to your ancestors. I used my servants the prophets to give this law to you.”
14 But the people would not listen. They were very stubborn like their ancestors. Their ancestors did not believe the Lord their God. 15 They refused to follow his laws and the agreement he made with their ancestors. They would not listen to his warnings. They worshiped idols that were worth nothing and they themselves became worth nothing. The Lord had warned them not to do the evil things that the people in the nations around them did. But they lived the same way those people lived.
16 The people stopped following the commands of the Lord their God. They made two gold statues of calves. They made Asherah poles. They worshiped all the stars of heaven and served Baal. 17 They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire. They used magic and witchcraft to try to learn the future. They sold themselves to do what the Lord said was evil. They did this to make him angry. 18 So the Lord became very angry with Israel and removed them from his sight. There were no Israelites left, except the tribe of Judah.
19 But even the people of Judah did not obey the commands of the Lord their God. They lived just as the Israelites had.
20 The Lord rejected all the Israelites. He brought them many troubles. He let people destroy them. Finally, he threw them away and removed them from his sight. 21 He tore them from the family of David, and they made Jeroboam son of Nebat their king. Jeroboam pulled the Israelites away from following the Lord . He caused them to commit a great sin. 22 So the Israelites sinned in all the ways Jeroboam did. And they did not stop committing these sins 23 until the Lord took Israel away from his sight. And he said this would happen. He sent his prophets to tell the people this would happen. So the Israelites were taken out of their country into Assyria. And they have been there to this day.
24 The king of Assyria took the Israelites out of Samaria and brought in other people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim. They took over Samaria and lived in the cities around it. 25 When these people began to live in Samaria, they did not honor the Lord , so the Lord sent lions to attack them. The lions killed some of them. 26 Some people said to the king of Assyria, “The people who you took away and put in the cities of Samaria don’t know the law of the god of that country. So that god sent lions to attack them. The lions killed them because they don’t know the law of the god of that country.”
27 So the king of Assyria gave this command: “You took some priests from Samaria. Send one of them who I captured back to Samaria. Let that priest go and live there. Then he can teach the people the law of the god of that country.”
28 So one of the priests who the Assyrians had carried away from Samaria came to live in Bethel. He taught the people how they should honor the Lord .
29 But all those people made gods of their own. They put them in the temples at the high places that the people of Samaria had made. They did this wherever they lived. 30 The people of Babylon made the false god Succoth Benoth. The people of Cuthah made the false god Nergal. The people of Hamath made the false god Ashima. 31 The people of Avva made the false gods Nibhaz and Tartak. The people from Sepharvaim also burned their children in the fire to honor their false gods, Adrammelech and Anammelech.
32 But they also worshiped the Lord . They chose priests for the high places from among the people. These priests made sacrifices for the people in the temples at those places of worship. 33 They respected the Lord but also served their own gods, just as they did in their own countries.
34 Even today, they live the same way they did in the past. They don’t honor the Lord . They don’t obey the rules and commands of the Israelites. They don’t obey the law or the commands that the Lord gave to the children of Jacob. 35 The Lord made an agreement with the Israelites. He commanded them, “You must not honor other gods. You must not worship them or serve them or offer sacrifices to them. 36 But you must follow the Lord , who brought you out of Egypt. He used his great power to save you. You must worship him and make sacrifices to him. 37 You must obey the rules, laws, teachings, and commands that he wrote for you. You must obey these things all the time. You must not respect other gods. 38 You must not forget the agreement that I made with you. You must not respect other gods. 39 No, you must respect only the Lord your God. Then he will save you from all your enemies.”
40 But the Israelites did not listen. They kept on doing the same things they did before. 41 So now those other nations respected the Lord , but they also served their own idols. Their children and grandchildren did the same thing their ancestors did. They still do these things to this day.
17 In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea the son of Elah to reign in Samaria over Israel nine years.
2 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord , but not as the kings of Israel that were before him.
3 Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria; and Hoshea became his servant, and gave him presents.
4 And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea: for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and brought no present to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year: therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison.
5 Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years.
6 In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
7 For so it was, that the children of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods,
8 And walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the Lord cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made.
9 And the children of Israel did secretly those things that were not right against the Lord their God, and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city.
10 And they set them up images and groves in every high hill, and under every green tree:
11 And there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the heathen whom the Lord carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the Lord to anger:
12 For they served idols, whereof the Lord had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing.
13 Yet the Lord testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets.
14 Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the Lord their God.
15 And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the Lord had charged them, that they should not do like them.
16 And they left all the commandments of the Lord their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal.
17 And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord , to provoke him to anger.
18 Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only.
19 Also Judah kept not the commandments of the Lord their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made.
20 And the Lord rejected all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of spoilers, until he had cast them out of his sight.
21 For he rent Israel from the house of David; and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king: and Jeroboam drave Israel from following the Lord , and made them sin a great sin.
22 For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they departed not from them;
23 Until the Lord removed Israel out of his sight, as he had said by all his servants the prophets. So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day.
24 And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel: and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof.
25 And so it was at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not the Lord : therefore the Lord sent lions among them, which slew some of them.
26 Wherefore they spake to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations which thou hast removed, and placed in the cities of Samaria, know not the manner of the God of the land: therefore he hath sent lions among them, and, behold, they slay them, because they know not the manner of the God of the land.
27 Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Carry thither one of the priests whom ye brought from thence; and let them go and dwell there, and let him teach them the manner of the God of the land.
28 Then one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Bethel, and taught them how they should fear the Lord .
29 Howbeit every nation made gods of their own, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities wherein they dwelt.
30 And the men of Babylon made Succothbenoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima,
31 And the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burnt their children in fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.
32 So they feared the Lord , and made unto themselves of the lowest of them priests of the high places, which sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places.
33 They feared the Lord , and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations whom they carried away from thence.
34 Unto this day they do after the former manners: they fear not the Lord , neither do they after their statutes, or after their ordinances, or after the law and commandment which the Lord commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel;
35 With whom the Lord had made a covenant, and charged them, saying, Ye shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them:
36 But the Lord , who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and a stretched out arm, him shall ye fear, and him shall ye worship, and to him shall ye do sacrifice.
37 And the statutes, and the ordinances, and the law, and the commandment, which he wrote for you, ye shall observe to do for evermore; and ye shall not fear other gods.
38 And the covenant that I have made with you ye shall not forget; neither shall ye fear other gods.
39 But the Lord your God ye shall fear; and he shall deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies.
40 Howbeit they did not hearken, but they did after their former manner.
41 So these nations feared the Lord , and served their graven images, both their children, and their children's children: as did their fathers, so do they unto this day.
17 In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, ( A ) Hoshea the son of Elah became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned for nine years. 2 He did evil in the sight of the Lord , only not as the kings of Israel who preceded him. 3 ( B ) Shalmaneser the king of Assyria marched ( C ) against him, and Hoshea became his servant and paid him tribute. 4 But the king of Assyria uncovered a conspiracy by Hoshea, who had sent messengers to So, king of Egypt, and had then brought no tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year; so the king of Assyria arrested him and confined him in prison.
5 Then the king of Assyria invaded the entire land, and went up to ( D ) Samaria and besieged it for three years.
6 In the ninth year of Hoshea, ( E ) the king of Assyria captured Samaria and ( F ) led the people of Israel into exile to Assyria, and ( G ) settled them in Halah and Habor, on the river of ( H ) Gozan, and ( I ) in the cities of the Medes.
7 Now ( J ) this came about because the sons of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, ( K ) who had brought them up from the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt; ( L ) and they had [ a ] feared other gods. 8 They also [ b ] ( M ) followed the [ c ] customs of the nations whom the Lord had driven out from the sons of Israel, and in the customs ( N ) of the kings of Israel which they had [ d ] introduced. 9 And the sons of Israel [ e ] did things secretly against the Lord their God which were not right. Moreover, they built for themselves high places in all their towns, from ( O ) watchtower to fortified city. 10 And ( P ) they set up for themselves memorial stones and [ f ] ( Q ) Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree, 11 and there they burned incense on all the high places as the nations did that the Lord had taken into exile before them; and they did evil things, provoking the Lord . 12 They served idols, ( R ) concerning which the Lord had said to them, “You shall not do this thing.” 13 Yet the ( S ) Lord warned Israel and Judah [ g ] ( T ) through all His prophets and ( U ) every seer, saying, “ ( V ) Turn back from your evil ways and keep My commandments and My statutes in accordance with all the Law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you [ h ] through My servants the prophets.” 14 However, they did not listen, but ( W ) stiffened their neck [ i ] like their fathers, who did not believe in the Lord their God. 15 ( X ) They rejected His statutes and ( Y ) His covenant which He made with their fathers, and His warnings which He [ j ] gave them. And ( Z ) they followed [ k ] idols and ( AA ) became empty, and followed the nations that surrounded them, about which the ( AB ) Lord had commanded them not to do as they did . 16 And they abandoned all the commandments of the Lord their God and made for themselves cast metal images: ( AC ) two calves. And they ( AD ) made an [ l ] Asherah, and ( AE ) worshiped all the heavenly [ m ] lights, and ( AF ) served Baal. 17 Then ( AG ) they made their sons and their daughters pass through the fire, and they ( AH ) practiced divination and interpreting omens, and ( AI ) gave themselves over to do evil in the sight of the Lord , provoking Him. 18 So the Lord was very angry with Israel, and He ( AJ ) removed them from His [ n ] sight; ( AK ) no one was left except the tribe of Judah.
19 ( AL ) Judah did not keep the commandments of the Lord their God either, but they [ o ] ( AM ) followed the [ p ] customs [ q ] which Israel had [ r ] introduced. 20 So the Lord rejected all the [ s ] descendants of Israel and afflicted them and ( AN ) handed them over to plunderers, until He had cast them [ t ] out of His sight.
21 When ( AO ) He had torn Israel from the house of David, ( AP ) they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king. Then ( AQ ) Jeroboam drove Israel away from following the Lord and misled them into a great sin. 22 And the sons of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he committed; they did not desist from them 23 ( AR ) until the Lord removed Israel from His sight, ( AS ) just as He had spoken through all His servants the prophets. ( AT ) So Israel went into exile from their own land to Assyria until this day.
24 ( AU ) Then the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, [ u ] ( AV ) Avva, ( AW ) Hamath, and Sepharvaim, and settled them in the cities of Samaria in place of the sons of Israel. So they took possession of Samaria and lived in its cities. 25 And at the beginning of their living there, they ( AX ) did not fear the Lord ; therefore the Lord sent lions among them that were killing some of them. 26 So they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, “The nations whom you have taken into exile and settled in the cities of Samaria do not know the custom of the God of the land; so He has sent lions among them, and behold, they are killing them because they do not know the custom of the God of the land.”
27 Then the king of Assyria issued commands, saying, “Take one of the priests there whom you led into [ v ] exile, and have [ w ] him go and live there; and have him teach them the custom of the God of the land.” 28 So one of the priests whom they had led into exile from Samaria came and lived in Bethel, and taught them how they were to fear the Lord .
29 But every nation was still making gods of its own, and they put them ( AY ) in the houses of the high places which the people of Samaria had made, every nation in their cities in which they lived. 30 ( AZ ) The men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashima, 31 and the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and ( BA ) the Sepharvites were burning their children in the fire to ( BB ) Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of ( BC ) Sepharvaim. 32 ( BD ) They also feared the Lord and [ x ] ( BE ) appointed from their entire population priests of the high places, who acted for them in the houses of the high places. 33 They feared the Lord , yet they were serving their own gods in accordance with the custom of the nations from among whom they had been taken into exile.
34 To this day they act in accordance with the earlier customs: they do not fear the Lord , nor do they [ y ] follow their statutes, their ordinances, the Law, or the commandments which the Lord commanded the sons of Jacob, ( BF ) whom He named Israel. 35 The Lord made a covenant with them and commanded them, saying, “ ( BG ) You shall not fear other gods, nor ( BH ) bow down to them, nor ( BI ) serve them, nor sacrifice to them. 36 But the Lord , ( BJ ) who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and with ( BK ) an outstretched arm, ( BL ) Him you shall fear, and to Him you shall bow down, and to Him you shall sacrifice. 37 And the statutes, the ordinances, the Law, and the commandment which He wrote for you, ( BM ) you shall take care to do always; and you shall not fear other gods. 38 The covenant that I have made with you, ( BN ) you shall not forget, nor shall you fear other gods. 39 But you shall fear the Lord your God; and He will save you from the hand of all your enemies.” 40 However, they did not listen, but they kept acting in accordance with their earlier custom. 41 ( BO ) So while these nations feared the Lord , they also served their [ z ] idols; their children likewise and their grandchildren, just as their fathers did, they do to this day.
17 In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea ( B ) son of Elah became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned nine years. 2 He did evil ( C ) in the eyes of the Lord , but not like the kings of Israel who preceded him.
3 Shalmaneser ( D ) king of Assyria came up to attack Hoshea, who had been Shalmaneser’s vassal and had paid him tribute. ( E ) 4 But the king of Assyria discovered that Hoshea was a traitor, for he had sent envoys to So [ a ] king of Egypt, ( F ) and he no longer paid tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year. Therefore Shalmaneser seized him and put him in prison. ( G ) 5 The king of Assyria invaded the entire land, marched against Samaria and laid siege ( H ) to it for three years. 6 In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria ( I ) captured Samaria ( J ) and deported ( K ) the Israelites to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, in Gozan ( L ) on the Habor River and in the towns of the Medes.
7 All this took place because the Israelites had sinned ( M ) against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of Egypt ( N ) from under the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They worshiped other gods 8 and followed the practices of the nations ( O ) the Lord had driven out before them, as well as the practices that the kings of Israel had introduced. 9 The Israelites secretly did things against the Lord their God that were not right. From watchtower to fortified city ( P ) they built themselves high places in all their towns. 10 They set up sacred stones ( Q ) and Asherah poles ( R ) on every high hill and under every spreading tree. ( S ) 11 At every high place they burned incense, as the nations whom the Lord had driven out before them had done. They did wicked things that aroused the Lord ’s anger. 12 They worshiped idols, ( T ) though the Lord had said, “You shall not do this.” [ b ] 13 The Lord warned ( U ) Israel and Judah through all his prophets and seers: ( V ) “Turn from your evil ways. ( W ) Observe my commands and decrees, in accordance with the entire Law that I commanded your ancestors to obey and that I delivered to you through my servants the prophets.” ( X )
14 But they would not listen and were as stiff-necked ( Y ) as their ancestors, who did not trust in the Lord their God. 15 They rejected his decrees and the covenant ( Z ) he had made with their ancestors and the statutes he had warned them to keep. They followed worthless idols ( AA ) and themselves became worthless. ( AB ) They imitated the nations ( AC ) around them although the Lord had ordered them, “Do not do as they do.”
16 They forsook all the commands of the Lord their God and made for themselves two idols cast in the shape of calves, ( AD ) and an Asherah ( AE ) pole. They bowed down to all the starry hosts, ( AF ) and they worshiped Baal. ( AG ) 17 They sacrificed ( AH ) their sons and daughters in the fire. They practiced divination and sought omens ( AI ) and sold ( AJ ) themselves to do evil in the eyes of the Lord , arousing his anger.
18 So the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them from his presence. ( AK ) Only the tribe of Judah was left, 19 and even Judah did not keep the commands of the Lord their God. They followed the practices Israel had introduced. ( AL ) 20 Therefore the Lord rejected all the people of Israel; he afflicted them and gave them into the hands of plunderers, ( AM ) until he thrust them from his presence. ( AN )
21 When he tore ( AO ) Israel away from the house of David, they made Jeroboam son of Nebat their king. ( AP ) Jeroboam enticed Israel away from following the Lord and caused them to commit a great sin. ( AQ ) 22 The Israelites persisted in all the sins of Jeroboam and did not turn away from them 23 until the Lord removed them from his presence, ( AR ) as he had warned ( AS ) through all his servants the prophets. So the people of Israel were taken from their homeland ( AT ) into exile in Assyria, and they are still there.
24 The king of Assyria ( AU ) brought people from Babylon, Kuthah, Avva, Hamath and Sepharvaim ( AV ) and settled them in the towns of Samaria to replace the Israelites. They took over Samaria and lived in its towns. 25 When they first lived there, they did not worship the Lord ; so he sent lions ( AW ) among them and they killed some of the people. 26 It was reported to the king of Assyria: “The people you deported and resettled in the towns of Samaria do not know what the god of that country requires. He has sent lions among them, which are killing them off, because the people do not know what he requires.”
27 Then the king of Assyria gave this order: “Have one of the priests you took captive from Samaria go back to live there and teach the people what the god of the land requires.” 28 So one of the priests who had been exiled from Samaria came to live in Bethel and taught them how to worship the Lord .
29 Nevertheless, each national group made its own gods in the several towns ( AX ) where they settled, and set them up in the shrines ( AY ) the people of Samaria had made at the high places. ( AZ ) 30 The people from Babylon made Sukkoth Benoth, those from Kuthah made Nergal, and those from Hamath made Ashima; 31 the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire as sacrifices to Adrammelek ( BA ) and Anammelek, the gods of Sepharvaim. ( BB ) 32 They worshiped the Lord , but they also appointed all sorts ( BC ) of their own people to officiate for them as priests in the shrines at the high places. 33 They worshiped the Lord , but they also served their own gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they had been brought.
34 To this day they persist in their former practices. They neither worship the Lord nor adhere to the decrees and regulations, the laws and commands that the Lord gave the descendants of Jacob, whom he named Israel. ( BD ) 35 When the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites, he commanded them: “Do not worship ( BE ) any other gods or bow down to them, serve them or sacrifice to them. ( BF ) 36 But the Lord , who brought you up out of Egypt with mighty power and outstretched arm, ( BG ) is the one you must worship. To him you shall bow down and to him offer sacrifices. 37 You must always be careful ( BH ) to keep the decrees ( BI ) and regulations, the laws and commands he wrote for you. Do not worship other gods. 38 Do not forget ( BJ ) the covenant I have made with you, and do not worship other gods. 39 Rather, worship the Lord your God; it is he who will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.”
40 They would not listen, however, but persisted in their former practices. 41 Even while these people were worshiping the Lord , ( BK ) they were serving their idols. To this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their ancestors did.
