17 3 Hoshea King of Israel is taken, 4 And he and all his realm brought to the Assyrians, 18 for their idolatry. 25 Lions destroy the Assyrians that dwelt in Samaria. 29 Every one worshippeth the god of his nation, 35 Contrary to the commandment of God.

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 And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, ^[a]but not as the kings of Israel, that were before him.

³ And Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against him, and Hoshea became his servant, and gave him presents.

⁴ And the king of Assyria found treason in Hoshea: for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and brought no present unto the king of Assyria, ^[b]as he had done yearly: therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and put him in prison.

⁵ Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went against Samaria, and besieged it three years.

⁶ ¶ ^(A)In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away unto Assyria, and put them in Halah, and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the ^[c]Medes.

⁷ For when the children of Israel ^[d]sinned against the Lord their God, which had brought them out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and feared other gods,

⁸ And walked according to the fashions of the Heathen, whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel, and after the manners of the kings of Israel, which they used,

⁹ And the children of Israel had done secretly things that were not upright before the Lord their God, and throughout all their cities had built high places, both from the tower ^[e]of the watch, to the defensed city,

¹⁰ And had made them images and groves upon every high hill, and under every green tree,

¹¹ And there burnt incense in all the high places, as did the heathen, whom the Lord had taken away before them, and wrought wicked things to anger the Lord,

¹² And served idols: whereof the Lord had said unto them, ^(B)Ye shall do no such thing,

¹³ Notwithstanding the Lord testified to Israel, and to Judah ^[f]by all the Prophets, and by all the Seers, saying, ^(C)Turn 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 Nevertheless they would not obey, ^(D)but hardened their necks, like to the necks of their ^[g]fathers, that did not believe in the Lord their God.

¹⁵ And they refused his statutes and his covenant, that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies (wherewith he witnessed unto them) and they followed vanity, and became vain, and followed the heathen that were round about them: concerning whom the Lord had charged them, that they should not do like them.

¹⁶ Finally they left all the commandments of the Lord their God, and made them molten images, ^(E)even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the ^[h]host of heaven, and served Baal.

¹⁷ And they made their sons and their daughters ^[i]pass through the fire, and used witchcraft and enchantments, yea, ^[j]sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, to anger him.

¹⁸ Therefore the Lord was exceedingly wroth with Israel, and put them out of his sight, and none was left but the tribe of Judah ^[k]only.

¹⁹ Yet Judah kept not the commandments of the Lord their God, but walked according to the fashion of Israel, which they used.

²⁰ Therefore the Lord cast off all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hands of spoilers, until he had cast them out of his ^[l]sight.

^21 [m]For he cut off Israel from the house of David, and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat King: and Jeroboam drew Israel away from following the Lord, and made them sin a great sin.

²² For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam, which he did, and departed not therefrom,

²³ Until the Lord put Israel away out of his sight, as he had said ^[n]by all his servants the ^(F)Prophets, and carried Israel away out of their land to Assyria unto this day.

²⁴ And the king of Assyria brought folk from Babylon, and from ^[o]Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel: so they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof.

²⁵ ¶ And at the beginning of their dwelling there, they ^[p]feared not the Lord: therefore the Lord sent lions among them, which slew them.

²⁶ Wherefore they spake to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations which thou hast removed and placed in the cities of Samaria, know not the manner of the God of the land: therefore he hath sent Lions among them, and behold, they slay them, because they know not the manner of the God of the land.

²⁷ Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Carry thither one of the Priests whom ye brought thence, and let him go and dwell there, and teach them the manner of the God ^[q]of the country.

²⁸ So one of the Priests, which they had carried from Samaria, came and dwelt in Bethel, and taught them how they should fear the Lord.

²⁹ Howbeit, every nation made their gods, and put them in the houses of the high places, which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities wherein they dwelt.

³⁰ For the men of Babylon made ^[r]Succoth Benoth: and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima,

³¹ And the Avites made Nibhaz, and Tartak: and the Sepharvites burnt their children in the fire to Adrammelech, and Anammelech the gods of Sepharvaim.

³² Thus they feared the Lord, and appointed out Priests out of themselves for the high places, who prepared for them sacrifices in the houses of the high places.

^33 (G)They ^[s]feared the Lord, but served their gods after the manner of the nations whom they carried thence.

³⁴ Unto this day they do after the old manner: they neither fear God, neither do after ^[t]their ordinances, nor after their customs, nor after the Law, nor after the commandment, which the Lord commanded the children of Jacob ^(H)whom he named Israel,

³⁵ And with whom the Lord had made a covenant, and charged them, saying, ^(I)Fear none other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them:

³⁶ But fear the Lord which brought you out of the land of Egypt with great power, and a stretched out arm: him fear ye, and worship him and sacrifice to him.

³⁷ Also keep ye diligently the statutes and the ordinances and the law, and the commandment, which he wrote for you, that ye do them continually, and fear not other gods.

³⁸ And forget not the covenant that I have made with you, neither fear ye other gods.

³⁹ But fear the Lord your God, and he will deliver you out of the hands of all your enemies.

⁴⁰ Howbeit they obeyed not, but did after their old custom.

⁴¹ So these ^[u]nations feared the Lord, and served their images also: so did their children, and their children’s children: as did their fathers, so do they unto this day.