2 Kings 17:24-26

International Standard Version

Assyria Supplants the Northern Kingdom

²⁴ Because the king of Assyria brought captives^[a] from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sephar-vaim and settled them in the cities of Samaria to replace the Israelis, the settlers^[b] possessed Samaria and lived in its cities. ²⁵ When they first began to live there, the settlers^[c] did not fear the Lord, so he sent lions among them, and they killed a few of them. ²⁶ As a result, they reported to the king of Assyria, “Because the nations whom you exiled to live in the cities of Samaria don’t know the law^[d] of the god of the land, he has sent lions among them. Look how the lions^[e] are killing them, because they don’t know the law of the god of the land!”