2 Kings 17:7-18

New American Standard Bible 1995

Why Israel Fell

⁷ Now ^(A)this came about because the sons of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, ^(B)who had brought them up from the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, ^(C)and they had ^[a]feared other gods ⁸ and ^(D)walked in the ^[b]customs of the nations whom the Lord had driven out before the sons of Israel, and in the customs ^(E)of the kings of Israel which they had ^[c]introduced. ⁹ The sons of Israel ^[d]did things secretly which were not right against the Lord their God. Moreover, they built for themselves high places in all their towns, from ^(F)watchtower to fortified city. ^10 (G)They set for themselves sacred pillars and ^[e](H)Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree, ¹¹ and there they burned incense on all the high places as the nations did which the Lord had carried away to exile before them; and they did evil things provoking the Lord. ¹² They served idols, ^(I)concerning which the Lord had said to them, “You shall not do this thing.” ¹³ Yet the ^(J)Lord warned Israel and Judah ^(K)through all His prophets and ^(L)every seer, saying, “^(M)Turn from your evil ways and keep My commandments, My statutes according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you through My servants the prophets.” ¹⁴ However, they did not listen, but ^(N)stiffened their neck ^[f]like their fathers, who did not believe in the Lord their God. ^15 (O)They rejected His statutes and ^(P)His covenant which He made with their fathers and His warnings with which He warned them. And ^(Q)they followed vanity and ^(R)became vain, and went after the nations which surrounded them, concerning which the ^(S)Lord had commanded them not to do like them. ¹⁶ They forsook all the commandments of the Lord their God and made for themselves molten images, even ^(T)two calves, and ^(U)made an ^[g]Asherah and ^(V)worshiped all the host of heaven and ^(W)served Baal. ¹⁷ Then ^(X)they made their sons and their daughters pass through the fire, and ^(Y)practiced divination and enchantments, and ^(Z)sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking Him. ¹⁸ So the Lord was very angry with Israel and ^(AA)removed them from His ^[h]sight; ^(AB)none was left except the tribe of Judah.