II Kings 17

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

2. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, but not like the kings of Israel who were before him.

3. Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against him. And Hoshea became his servant and gave him taxes.

4. And the king of Assyria found treachery in Hoshea, for he had sent messengers to So, king of Egypt, and had brought no taxes to the king of Assyria as before, year by year. And the king of Assyria shut him up and bound him in prison.

5. And the king of Assyria went up into all the land. And he 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 he placed them in Halah, and in Habor by the river Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

7. Now it came to pass because the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, Who 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 nations whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which the nations had made.

9. Now the children of Israel secretly did things that were not right against the LORD their God. And they built high places in all their cities for themselves from the Watch Tower to the fortified city.

10. And they set up images and groves for themselves in every high hill, and under every green tree.

11. And they burned incense in all the high places, like the nations whom the LORD had removed from before them, and they practiced evil things to provoke the LORD to anger,

12. For they served the idols of which the LORD had said to them, “You shall not do this thing.”

13. And the LORD testified against Israel and against Judah, by all the prophets, by all the seers, saying, “Turn 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. Nevertheless they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like the neck of their fathers who did not believe in the LORD their God.

15. And they rejected His statutes and His covenant which He made with their fathers, and His warnings that He testified against them. And they went after vanity, and became vain, and went after the nations around them, concerning whom the LORD had charged them not to do like them.

16. And they left all the commandments of the LORD their God and made molten images, two calves for themselves. And they made a grove, and worshiped all the host of heaven, and served Baal.

17. And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire. And they used divination and sorceries, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger.

18. So the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them out of His sight; not one was left, only the tribe of Judah by itself.

19. Also Judah did not keep the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the statutes which Israel 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 tore Israel from the house of David and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king. And Jeroboam drove Israel away 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 did not depart from them

23. Until the LORD removed Israel out of His sight as He had said by all His servants the prophets. So Israel was carried away out of their own land to Assyria, as it is to 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 lived in its cities.

25. Now it came to pass at the beginning of their dwelling there that they did not fear the LORD. And the LORD sent lions among them which killed them.

26. And they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, “The nations which you have removed and placed in the cities of Samaria do not know the manner of the God of the land. And He has sent lions among them, and, behold, they kill them because they do not know the way of the God of the land.”

27. Now the king of Assyria commanded, saying,”Cause one of the priests whom you removed from there to go there. And they shall go and live there, and he shall teach them the way of the God of the land.”

28. And one of the priests whom they had removed from Samaria came and lived in Bethel. And he taught them how they should fear the LORD.

29. And 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 in which they lived.

30. And the men of Babylon made Succoth Benoth, 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 burned their children with fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech the gods of Sepharvaim.

32. So they feared the LORD, and made to themselves of the lowest of them priests of the high places who sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places.

33. They feared the LORD, yet served their own gods, according to the custom of the nations whom they removed from there.

34. To this day they do according to their former ways. They do not fear the LORD, neither do they do according to their statutes, or according to their ordinances, or according to the law and commandment which the LORD commanded the children of Jacob whom He named Israel.

35. And the LORD had made a covenant and charged them, saying, “You 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 an outstretched arm, you shall fear Him, and you shall worship Him, and you shall do sacrifice to Him.

37. And the statutes, and the ordinances, and the law, and the commandment, which He wrote for you, you shall observe to do forever. But you shall not fear other gods.

38. And the covenant that I have made with you, you shall not forget, and you shall not fear other gods.

39. Now you shall fear the LORD your God and He shall deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies.”

40. But they did not hearken, and they followed after their former way.

41. Now it came to pass these nations feared the LORD, yet they served their graven images, both their sons and their sons’ sons, as their fathers did; they do so to this day.