2 Kings 17

1In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea son of Elah reigned in Samaria over Israel nine years.

2He did evil in Yahweh's eyes, but not like the kings of Israel who were before him.

3Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, advanced against him, and Hoshea became his servant and paid him tribute.

4The king of Assyria discovered Hoshea's conspiracy, for he had sent messengers to So, king of Egypt, and offered no tribute to the king of Assyria as year after year; therefore the king of Assyria detained him and bound him in the prison house.

5The king of Assyria advanced across the whole land, marched on Samaria, and besieged it three years.

6In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria, exiled Israel to Assyria, and settled them in Halah, in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

7It happened because the Israelites sinned against Yahweh their God, who brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and they feared other gods.

8They followed the customs of the nations whom Yahweh had driven out before the children of Israel, and those of Israel's kings, which they made.

9The sons of Israel secretly did things that were not right against Yahweh their God, and they built high places for themselves in all their cities, from the watchmen's tower to the fortified city.

10They erected pillars and Asherim for themselves on every high hill and under every flourishing tree.

11They burned incense there at all the high places, like the nations that Yahweh drove out before them, and they performed wicked deeds to anger Yahweh.

12They served the idols that Yahweh had said to them, "You shall not do this thing."

13Yahweh warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and every seer, saying, "Return from your evil ways and observe my commandments and statutes, as with all the instruction I commanded your fathers and that I sent to you through my servants the prophets."

14But they did not heed and stiffened their necks like the neck of their fathers, who refused to trust Yahweh their God.

15They spurned his decrees and his covenant that he ratified with their forefathers, along with his testimonies that he earnestly warned them; they pursued vanities, became futile, and chased the nations surrounding them, whom Yahweh had charged them not to imitate.

16They abandoned all the commandments of Yahweh their God and made molten images for themselves—two calves—and an Asherah, bowed down to the entire host of heaven, and served Baal.

17They passed their sons and daughters through the fire, practiced soothsaying and divination, and sold themselves to do evil in the eyes of Yahweh to provoke him to anger.

18Yahweh grew very angry with Israel and removed them from before his face; none remained except the tribe of Judah alone.

19Even Judah did not observe the commandments of Yahweh their God, but followed the statutes of Israel that they had made.

20Yahweh rejected all Israel's offspring, humbled them, and handed them over to plunderers until he drove them from his presence.

21For he cut Israel off from David's house, and they made Jeroboam son of Nebat king; Jeroboam drove Israel far from following Yahweh and caused them to commit a great sin.

22Israel's sons walked in all the sins of Jeroboam that he committed; they did not turn aside from them.

23until Yahweh removed Israel from his presence, as he had spoken through all his servants the prophets, and exiled Israel from his land to Assyria to this day.

24The king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim, and settled them in Samaria's cities in place of the sons of Israel; they seized Samaria and lived in its cities.

25When they first settled there, they did not fear Yahweh, so Yahweh sent lions among them that killed some of them.

26They told the king of Assyria, "The nations you exiled and settled in Samaria's cities do not know the custom of the god of the land, so he sent lions among them, and look, they are killing them because they do not know the custom of the god of the land."

27The king of Assyria commanded, "Take one of the priests you deported from there back there, and let them go and settle there, and let him instruct them in the custom of the god of the land."

28One of the priests whom they had exiled from Samaria came and settled in Bethel, and taught them how to fear Yahweh.

29Every nation made its own gods and placed them in the houses of the high places that the Samaritans had built, every nation in their cities where they resided.

30The men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima.

31The Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burned their sons in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, gods of Sepharvaim.

32They feared Yahweh and made priests of the high places for themselves from the lowest among them, who served for them in the houses of the high places.

33They feared Yahweh and served their gods according to the manner of the nations from whom they had been carried away.

34To this day they follow the former ordinances; they do not fear Yahweh, nor do they follow their statutes or ordinances, the law, or the commandment that Yahweh commanded the sons of Jacob, whom he named Israel.

35Yahweh made a covenant with them and commanded them, saying, "Do not fear other gods, do not bow down to them, do not serve them, and do not sacrifice to them."

36But fear Yahweh, who brought you from the land of Egypt with mighty power and an outstretched arm, bow down to him, and sacrifice to him.

37You shall keep the statutes, the ordinances, the law, and the commandment that he wrote for you, to do them all your days; you shall not fear other gods.

38Do not forget the covenant I made with you, nor fear other gods.

39But fear Yahweh your God, and he will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.

40They did not heed, but continued doing according to their former custom.

41These nations feared Yahweh and served their carved images as well; their children and their children's children did likewise, just as their fathers had done, to this day.