2 Kings

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

He did evil in the sight of the LORD, but not as the kings of Israel who were before him.

Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against him; Hoshea became his servant and paid him tribute.

But the king of Assyria found treachery in Hoshea, for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt and failed to bring tribute 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.

Then the king of Assyria invaded the entire land, went up to Samaria, and besieged it for three years.

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

For this happened 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.

They walked in the customs of the nations whom the LORD had driven out from before the children of Israel, and in the customs which the kings of Israel had introduced.

The children of Israel secretly did things that were not right against the LORD their God; they built high places for themselves in all their cities, from the watchtower to the fortified city.

They set up sacred pillars and wooden images on every high hill and under every green tree.

There they burned incense on all the high places, as the nations whom the LORD had carried away before them had done; and they did wicked things to provoke the LORD to anger.

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

Yet the LORD warned Israel and Judah by all the prophets and every seer, 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."

Nevertheless they would not listen, but hardened their necks like the necks of their fathers who did not believe in the LORD their God.

They rejected His statutes and His covenant that He had made with their fathers, and His testimonies which He had testified against them; they followed vanity and became vain, going after the nations who were all around them, concerning whom the LORD had commanded them that they should not do like them.

So they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, made for themselves molded images of two calves, made a wooden image and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal.

They caused their sons and daughters to pass through the fire, practiced witchcraft and soothsaying, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger.

Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them from His sight; there was none left but the tribe of Judah alone.

Also Judah did not keep the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the customs which Israel had introduced.

the LORD rejected all the descendants of Israel, afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of plunderers, until He had cast them out from His sight.

For He tore Israel from the house of David, and they made Jeroboam son of Nebat king. Then Jeroboam drove Israel from following the LORD and made them commit a great sin.

For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they did not depart from them,

Until the LORD removed Israel from His sight, as He had said by all His servants the prophets. So Israel was carried away from their own land to Assyria, as it is to this day.

Then the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and settled them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel; they took possession of Samaria and lived in its cities.

And so it was, at the beginning of their living there, that they did not fear the LORD; therefore the LORD sent lions among them, which killed some of them.

They spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, "The nations whom you have removed and settled in the cities of Samaria do not know the customs of the God of the land; therefore He has sent lions among them, and behold, they are killing them, because they do not know the customs of the God of the land."

Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, "Send there one of the priests whom you carried away from there; let him go and live there, and let him teach them the customs of the God of the land."

Then one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and lived in Bethel, and taught them how they should fear the LORD.

However, every nation continued to make gods of its own and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in the cities where they lived.

The men of Babylon made Succoth-Benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashima,

The Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites burned their children in fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.

So they feared the LORD, and from among themselves they appointed priests for the high places, who sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places.

They feared the LORD, yet served their own gods according to the customs of the nations from among whom they had been carried away.

To this day they continue practicing the former customs; they do not fear the LORD, nor do they follow their statutes or their ordinances, or the law and commandment which the LORD had commanded the children of Jacob, whom He named Israel,

With whom the LORD had made a covenant and commanded them, saying, "You shall not fear other gods, nor bow down to them nor serve them nor sacrifice to them;

But the LORD, who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and an outstretched arm, Him you shall fear, Him you shall worship, and to Him you shall offer sacrifice.

And the statutes, the ordinances, the law, and the commandment which He wrote for you, you shall be careful to observe forever; you shall not fear other gods.

And the covenant that I have made with you, you shall not forget, nor shall you fear other gods.

But the LORD your God you shall fear; and He will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies."

However, they did not listen, but they practiced their former customs.

So these nations feared the LORD, yet served their carved images; also their children and their children's children have continued doing as their fathers did, even to this day.