2 Kings 17

Revised Geneva Translation

17 In the twelfth year of Ahaz, king of Judah, Hoshea, the son of Elah, began to reign in Samaria over Israel (for nine years).

² And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, but not as the kings of Israel who 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 to the king of Assyria, 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 for three years.

⁶ In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria, Samaria took and carried Israel away to Assyria and put them in Halah and in Habor, by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

⁷ For when the children of Israel sinned against the LORD their God (Who 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 statutes of the heathen, whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel, and after those of the kings of Israel which they had made,

⁹ and the children of Israel had secretly done things that were not upright before the LORD their God, and had built high places throughout all their cities, from the watchtower to the defensed city,

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

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

¹² and served idols (of which the LORD had said to them, “You shall do no such thing.”),

¹³ nevertheless, the LORD testified to Israel, and to Judah, by all the Prophets, and by all the Seers, saying, “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 Still, they would not obey, but hardened their necks (like the necks of their fathers, who 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 with which He witnessed to them. And they followed vanity, and became empty, and followed the heathen who were all around 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 themselves molten images (two calves), and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal.

¹⁷ And they made their sons and daughters pass through the fire, and used witchcraft and enchantments. Indeed, they sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to anger Him.

¹⁸ Therefore, the LORD was exceedingly angry with Israel, and put them out of His sight. No one was left, only the tribe of Judah.

¹⁹ Yet Judah did not keep the Commandments of the LORD their God, but walked according to the statutes of Israel which they had made.

²⁰ Therefore, the LORD cast off all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hands of plunderers, until He had cast them out of His sight.

²¹ 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, not departing from them,

²³ until the LORD put Israel away, out of His sight (as He had said by all His servants the Prophets) and carried Israel away, out of their land, to Assyria, until this day.

²⁴ And the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, and from 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 its cities.

²⁵ And at the beginning of their dwelling there, they did not fear the LORD. Therefore, the LORD sent lions among them, which killed them.

²⁶ Therefore, they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, “The nations which you have removed, and placed in the cities of Samaria, do not know the justice of the God of the land. Therefore, He has sent lions among them. And behold, they kill them, because they do not know the justice of the God of the land.”

²⁷ Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, “Take back one of the priests whom you brought from there. And let him go and dwell there and teach them the justice of the God of the country.”

²⁸ So, one of the priests whom they had carried from Samaria came and dwelt in Bethel and taught them how they should fear the LORD.

²⁹ Nonetheless, every nation made their own gods and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in every city in which they dwelt.

³⁰ For the men of Babylon made 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 priests from themselves for the high places, who prepared sacrifices for them in the houses of the high places.

³³ They feared the LORD but served their own gods, after the rituals of the nations from whom they had been carried.

³⁴ They observe these rituals to this day. They neither fear God nor obey the Ordinances nor Customs nor the Law nor the Commandment which the LORD commanded the children of Jacob, whom He named Israel,

³⁵ and with whom the LORD had made a Covenant, and charged them, saying, “Fear no other gods, or bow yourselves to them, or serve them, or sacrifice to them.

³⁶ “But fear the LORD Who brought you out of the land of Egypt with great power, and an outstretched arm. Fear Him and worship Him and sacrifice to Him.

³⁷ “Also, diligently keep the Statutes and the Ordinances and the Law and the Commandment which He wrote for you, so that you do them continually. And do not fear other gods.

³⁸ “And do not forget the Covenant that I have made with you, or fear other gods.

³⁹ “But fear the LORD your God, and He will deliver you out of the hands of all your enemies.”

⁴⁰ However, they did not obey but did after their old customs.

⁴¹ So, these nations feared the LORD and served their own images, as did their children and their children’s children. As their fathers have done, so do they, to this day.