1 In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea the son of
Elah to reign in Samaria over Israel, and reigned nine years. 2 He
did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, yet not as the kings of
Israel who were before him. 3 Against him came up Shalmaneser king of
Assyria; and Hoshea became his servant, and brought him tribute. 4 The
king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea; for he had sent messengers to So
king of Egypt, and offered no 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. 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 to Assyria,
and placed them in Halah, and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the
cities of the Medes. 7 It was so, because the children of Israel had
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 had feared other gods,
8 and walked in the statutes of the nations, whom Yahweh cast out from
before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they made.
9 The children of Israel did secretly things that were not right against
Yahweh their God: and they built them high places in all their cities, from
the tower of the watchmen to the fortified city; 10 and they set them up
pillars and Asherim on every high hill, and under every green tree; 11 and
there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the nations whom
Yahweh carried away before them; and they worked wicked things to provoke
Yahweh to anger; 12 and they served idols, whereof Yahweh had said to
them, You shall not do this thing. 13 Yet Yahweh testified to Israel,
and to Judah, by every prophet, and every seer, saying, Turn you 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 neck, like the neck of their fathers, who didn’t believe in
Yahweh their God. 15 They rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he
made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified to them; and
they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the nations
that were round about them, concerning whom Yahweh had charged those who they
should not do like them. 16 They forsook all the commandments of Yahweh
their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made an Asherah,
and worshiped all the host of the sky, and served Baal. 17 They caused
their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination
and enchantments, and sold themselves to do that which was evil in the sight
of Yahweh, to provoke him to anger. 18 Therefore Yahweh 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 didn’t keep the commandments of Yahweh
their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made. 20 Yahweh
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 from following Yahweh, and made them sin a
great sin. 22 The children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam
which he did; they didn’t depart from them; 23 until Yahweh removed Israel
out of his sight, as he spoke by all his servants the prophets. So Israel was
carried away out of their own land to Assyria to this day. 24 The king of
Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Avva, and from
Hamath and Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of
the children of Israel; and they possessed Samaria, and lived in the cities
of it. 25 So it was, at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they
didn’t fear Yahweh: therefore Yahweh sent lions among them, which killed some
of them. 26 Therefore they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, The
nations which you have carried away, and placed in the cities of Samaria,
don’t know the law of the god of the land: therefore he has sent lions among
them, and, behold, they kill them, because they don’t know the law of the god
of the land. 27 Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Carry there
one of the priests whom you brought from there; and let them go and
dwell there, and let him teach them the law of the god of the land. 28 So
one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and lived in
Bethel, and taught them how they should fear Yahweh. 29 However 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 The men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, and the men of Cuth made
Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima, 31 and the Avvites made Nibhaz
and Tartak; and the Sepharvites burnt their children in the fire to
Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. 32 So they feared
Yahweh, and made to them from among themselves priests of the high places,
who sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places. 33 They feared
Yahweh, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations from among
whom they had been carried away. 34 To this day they do after the former
manner: they don’t fear Yahweh, neither do they after their statutes, or
after their ordinances, or after the law or after the commandment which
Yahweh commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel; 35 with whom
Yahweh 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 Yahweh, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with
great power and with an outstretched arm, him shall you fear, and to him
shall you bow yourselves, and to him shall you sacrifice: 37 and
the statutes and the ordinances, and the law and the commandment, which he
wrote for you, you shall observe to do forevermore; and you shall
not fear other gods: 38 and the covenant that I have made with you
you shall not forget; neither shall you fear other gods: 39 but
Yahweh your God shall you fear; and he will deliver you out of the hand
of all your enemies. 40 However they did not listen, but they did after
their former manner. 41 So these nations feared Yahweh, and served their
engraved images; their children likewise, and their children’s children, as
did their fathers, so do they to this day.
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