2 Kings 17

Hoshea Reigns over Israel

1In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, 1Hoshea the son of Elah became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned nine years. 2He did evil in the sight of the Lord, only not as the kings of Israel who were before him. 32Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up 3against him, and Hoshea became his servant and paid him tribute. 4But the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea, who had sent messengers to So king of Egypt and had offered no tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year; so the king of Assyria shut him up and bound him in prison.

5Then the king of Assyria invaded the whole land and went up to 4Samaria and besieged it three years.

Israel Captive

6In the ninth year of Hoshea, 5the king of Assyria captured Samaria and 6carried Israel away into exile to Assyria, and 7settled them in Halah and Habor, on the river of 8Gozan, and 9in the cities of the Medes.

Why Israel Fell

7Now 10this came about because the sons of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, 11who had brought them up from the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, 12and they had 13feared other gods 8and 14walked in the 15customs of the nations whom the Lord had driven out before the sons of Israel, and in the customs 16of the kings of Israel which they had 17introduced. 9The sons of Israel 18did things secretly which were not right against the Lord their God. Moreover, they built for themselves high places in all their towns, from 19watchtower to fortified city. 1020They set for themselves sacred pillars and 2122Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree, 11and there they burned incense on all the high places as the nations did which the Lord had carried away to exile before them; and they did evil things provoking the Lord. 12They served idols, 23concerning which the Lord had said to them, “You shall not do this thing.” 13Yet the 24Lord warned Israel and Judah 25through all His prophets and 26every seer, saying, “27Turn from your evil ways and keep My commandments, My statutes according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you through My servants the prophets.” 14However, they did not listen, but 28stiffened their neck 29like their fathers, who did not believe in the Lord their God. 1530They rejected His statutes and 31His covenant which He made with their fathers and His warnings with which He warned them. And 32they followed vanity and 33became vain, and went after the nations which surrounded them, concerning which the 34Lord had commanded them not to do like them. 16They forsook all the commandments of the Lord their God and made for themselves molten images, even 35two calves, and 36made an 37Asherah and 38worshiped all the host of heaven and 39served Baal. 17Then 40they made their sons and their daughters pass through the fire, and 41practiced divination and enchantments, and 42sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking Him. 18So the Lord was very angry with Israel and 43removed them from His 44sight; 45none was left except the tribe of Judah.

19Also 46Judah did not keep the commandments of the Lord their God, but 47walked in the 48customs 49which Israel had 50introduced. 20The Lord rejected all the 51descendants of Israel and afflicted them and 52gave them into the hand of plunderers, until He had cast them 53out of His sight.

21When 54He had torn Israel from the house of David, 55they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king. Then 56Jeroboam drove Israel away from following the Lord and made them 57commit a great sin. 22The sons of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they did not depart from them 2358until the Lord removed Israel from His sight, 59as He spoke through all His servants the prophets. 60So Israel was carried away into exile from their own land to Assyria until this day.

Cities of Israel Filled with Strangers

2461The king of Assyria brought men from Babylon and from Cuthah and from 6263Avva and from 64Hamath and Sepharvaim, and settled them in the cities of Samaria in place of the sons of Israel. So they possessed Samaria and lived in its cities. 25At the beginning of their living there, they 65did not fear the Lord; therefore the Lord sent lions among them which killed some of them. 26So they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, “The nations whom you have carried away into exile in the cities of Samaria do not know the custom of the god of the land; so he has sent lions among them, and behold, they kill them because they do not know the custom of the god of the land.”

27Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, “Take there one of the priests whom you carried away into 66exile and let 67him go and live there; and let him teach them the custom of the god of the land.” 28So one of the priests whom they had carried away into exile from Samaria came and lived at Bethel, and taught them how they should fear the Lord.

29But every nation still made gods of its own and put them 68in the houses of the high places which the people of Samaria had made, every nation in their cities in which they lived. 3069The men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashima, 31and the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and 70the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire to 71Adrammelech and Anammelech the gods of 72Sepharvaim. 3273They also feared the Lord and 7475appointed from among themselves priests of the high places, who acted for them in the houses of the high places. 33They feared the Lord and served their own gods according to the custom of the nations from among whom they had been carried away into exile.

34To this day they do according to the earlier customs: they do not fear the Lord, nor do they 76follow their statutes or their ordinances or the law, or the commandments which the Lord commanded the sons of Jacob, 77whom He named Israel; 35with whom the Lord made a covenant and commanded them, saying, “78You shall not fear other gods, nor 79bow down yourselves to them nor 80serve them nor sacrifice to them. 36But the Lord, 81who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and with 82an outstretched arm, 83Him you shall fear, and to Him you shall bow yourselves down, and to Him you shall sacrifice. 37The statutes and the ordinances and the law and the commandment which He wrote for you, 84you shall observe to do forever; and you shall not fear other gods. 38The covenant that I have made with you, 85you shall not forget, nor shall you fear other gods. 39But the Lord your God you shall fear; and He will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.” 40However, they did not listen, but they did according to their earlier custom. 4186So while these nations feared the Lord, they also served their 87idols; their children likewise and their grandchildren, as their fathers did, so they do to this day.