2 Kings 17:7-18

7This happened because the Israelites sinned against the Lord their God, who brought them up from the land of Egypt and freed them from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They worshiped other gods;

8they observed the practices of the nations whom the Lord had driven out from before Israel, and followed the example of the kings of Israel.

9The Israelites said things about the Lord their God that were not right. They built high places in all their cities, from the watchtower to the fortress.

10They set up sacred pillars and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree.

11They burned incense on all the high places just like the nations whom the Lord had driven away from before them. Their evil practices made the Lord angry.

12They worshiped the disgusting idols in blatant disregard of the Lord’s command.

13The Lord solemnly warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and all the seers, “Turn back from your evil ways; obey my commandments and rules that are recorded in the law. I ordered your ancestors to keep this law and sent my servants the prophets to remind you of its demands.”

14But they did not pay attention and were as stubborn as their ancestors, who had not trusted the Lord their God.

15They rejected his rules, the covenant he had made with their ancestors, and the laws he had commanded them to obey. They paid allegiance to worthless idols, and so became worthless to the Lord. They copied the practices of the surrounding nations in blatant disregard of the Lord’s command.

16They abandoned all the commandments of the Lord their God; they made two metal calves and an Asherah pole, bowed down to all the stars in the sky, and worshiped Baal.

17They passed their sons and daughters through the fire, and practiced divination and omen reading. They committed themselves to doing evil in the sight of the Lord and made him angry.

18So the Lord was furious with Israel and rejected them; only the tribe of Judah was left.