2 Kings 17:23-41

231until the Lord removed Israel from His sight, 2as He spoke through all His servants the prophets. 3So Israel was carried away into exile from their own land to Assyria until this day.

244The king of Assyria brought men from Babylon and from Cuthah and from 56Avva and from 7Hamath 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 8did 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 9exile and let 10him 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 11in the houses of the high places which the people of Samaria had made, every nation in their cities in which they lived. 3012The 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 13the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire to 14Adrammelech and Anammelech the gods of 15Sepharvaim. 3216They also feared the Lord and 1718appointed 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 19follow their statutes or their ordinances or the law, or the commandments which the Lord commanded the sons of Jacob, 20whom He named Israel; 35with whom the Lord made a covenant and commanded them, saying, “21You shall not fear other gods, nor 22bow down yourselves to them nor 23serve them nor sacrifice to them. 36But the Lord, 24who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and with 25an outstretched arm, 26Him 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, 27you shall observe to do forever; and you shall not fear other gods. 38The covenant that I have made with you, 28you 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. 4129So while these nations feared the Lord, they also served their 30idols; their children likewise and their grandchildren, as their fathers did, so they do to this day.