2 Kings 17:19-32

191Judah did not keep the commandments of the Lord their God either, but they 23followed the 4customs 5which Israel had 6introduced. 20So the Lord rejected all the 7descendants of Israel and afflicted them and 8handed them over to plunderers, until He had cast them 9out of His sight.

21When 10He had torn Israel from the house of David, 11they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king. Then 12Jeroboam drove Israel away from following the Lord and misled them into a great sin. 22And the sons of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he committed; they did not desist from them 2313until the Lord removed Israel from His sight, 14just as He had spoken through all His servants the prophets. 15So Israel went into exile from their own land to Assyria until this day.

2416Then the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, 1718Avva, 19Hamath, and Sepharvaim, and settled them in the cities of Samaria in place of the sons of Israel. So they took possession of Samaria and lived in its cities. 25And at the beginning of their living there, they 20did not fear the Lord; therefore the Lord sent lions among them that were killing some of them. 26So they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, “The nations whom you have taken into exile and settled 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 are killing them because they do not know the custom of the God of the land.”

27Then the king of Assyria issued commands, saying, “Take one of the priests there whom you led into 21exile, and have 22him go and live there; and have him teach them the custom of the God of the land.” 28So one of the priests whom they had led into exile from Samaria came and lived in Bethel, and taught them how they were to fear the Lord.

29But every nation was still making gods of its own, and they put them 23in the houses of the high places which the people of Samaria had made, every nation in their cities in which they lived. 3024The 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 25the Sepharvites were burning their children in the fire to 26Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of 27Sepharvaim. 3228They also feared the Lord and 2930appointed from their entire population priests of the high places, who acted for them in the houses of the high places.