2 Kings
17:1 In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea the son of Elah
to reign in Samaria over Israel nine years.
17:2 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, but not as the
kings of Israel that were before him.
17:3 Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria; and Hoshea became his
servant, and gave him presents.
17:4 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.
17:5 Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to
Samaria, and besieged it three years.
17:6 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.
17:7 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,
17:8 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.
17:9 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.
17:10 And they set them up images and groves in every high hill, and under
every green tree:
17:11 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:
17:12 For they served idols, whereof the LORD had said unto them, Ye shall not
do this thing.
17:13 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.
17:14 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.
17:15 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.
17:16 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.
17:17 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.
17:18 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.
17:19 Also Judah kept not the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked
in the statutes of Israel which they made.
17:20 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.
17:21 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.
17:22 For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he
did; they departed not from them;
17:23 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.
17:24 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.
17:25 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.
17:26 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.
17:27 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.
17:28 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.
17:29 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.
17:30 And the men of Babylon made Succothbenoth, and the men of Cuth made
Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima,
17:31 And the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burnt their
children in fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.
17:32 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.
17:33 They feared the LORD, and served their own gods, after the manner of the
nations whom they carried away from thence.
17:34 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;
17:35 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:
17:36 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.
17:37 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.
17:38 And the covenant that I have made with you ye shall not forget; neither
shall ye fear other gods.
17:39 But the LORD your God ye shall fear; and he shall deliver you out of the
hand of all your enemies.
17:40 Howbeit they did not hearken, but they did after their former manner.
17:41 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.
