17:1 In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea son of Elah became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned nine years.
17:2 He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, but not like the kings of Israel who preceded him.
17:3 Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up to attack Hoshea, who had been Shalmaneser’s vassal and had paid him tribute.
17:4 But the king of Assyria discovered that Hoshea was a traitor, for he had sent envoys to So king of Egypt, and he no longer paid tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year. Therefore Shalmaneser seized him and put him in prison.
17:5 The king of Assyria invaded the entire land, marched against Samaria and laid siege to it for three years.
17:6 In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and deported the Israelites to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, in Gozan on the Habor River and in the towns of the Medes.
17:7 All this took place because the Israelites had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up out of Egypt from under the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They worshiped other gods
17:8 and followed the practices of the nations the LORD had driven out before them, as well as the practices that the kings of Israel had introduced.
17:9 The Israelites secretly did things against the LORD their God that were not right. From watchtower to fortified city they built themselves high places in all their towns.
17:10 They set up sacred stones and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every spreading tree.
17:11 At every high place they burned incense, as the nations whom the LORD had driven out before them had done. They did wicked things that provoked the LORD to anger.
17:12 They worshiped idols, though the LORD had said, “You shall not do this.”
17:13 The LORD warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and seers: “Turn from your evil ways. Observe my commands and decrees, in accordance with the entire Law that I commanded your fathers to obey and that I delivered to you through my servants the prophets.”
17:14 But they would not listen and were as stiff-necked as their fathers, who did not trust in the LORD their God.
17:15 They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their fathers and the warnings he had given them. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless. They imitated the nations around them although the LORD had ordered them, “Do not do as they do,” and they did the things the LORD had forbidden them to do.
17:16 They forsook all the commands of the LORD their God and made for themselves two idols cast in the shape of calves, and an Asherah pole. They bowed down to all the starry hosts, and they worshiped Baal.
17:17 They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire. They practiced divination and sorcery and sold themselves to do evil in the eyes of the LORD, provoking him to anger.
17:18 So the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them from his presence. Only the tribe of Judah was left,
17:19 and even Judah did not keep the commands of the LORD their God. They followed the practices Israel had introduced.
17:20 Therefore the LORD rejected all the people of Israel; he afflicted them and gave them into the hands of plunderers, until he thrust them from his presence.
17:21 When he tore Israel away from the house of David, they made Jeroboam son of Nebat their king. Jeroboam enticed Israel away from following the LORD and caused them to commit a great sin.
17:22 The Israelites persisted in all the sins of Jeroboam and did not turn away from them
17:23 until the LORD removed them from his presence, as he had warned through all his servants the prophets. So the people of Israel were taken from their homeland into exile in Assyria, and they are still there.
17:24 The king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath and Sepharvaim and settled them in the towns of Samaria to replace the Israelites. They took over Samaria and lived in its towns.
17:25 When they first lived there, they did not worship the LORD; so he sent lions among them and they killed some of the people.
17:26 It was reported to the king of Assyria: “The people you deported and resettled in the towns of Samaria do not know what the god of that country requires. He has sent lions among them, which are killing them off, because the people do not know what he requires.”
17:27 Then the king of Assyria gave this order: “Have one of the priests you took captive from Samaria go back to live there and teach the people what the god of the land requires.”
17:28 So one of the priests who had been exiled from Samaria came to live in Bethel and taught them how to worship the LORD.
17:29 Nevertheless, each national group made its own gods in the several towns where they settled, and set them up in the shrines the people of Samaria had made at the high places.
17:30 The men from Babylon made Succoth Benoth, the men from Cuthah made Nergal, and the men from Hamath made Ashima;
17:31 the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire as sacrifices to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.
17:32 They worshiped the LORD, but they also appointed all sorts of their own people to officiate for them as priests in the shrines at the high places.
17:33 They worshiped the LORD, but they also served their own gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they had been brought.
17:34 To this day they persist in their former practices. They neither worship the LORD nor adhere to the decrees and ordinances, the laws and commands that the LORD gave the descendants of Jacob, whom he named Israel.
17:35 When the LORD made a covenant with the Israelites, he commanded them: “Do not worship any other gods or bow down to them, serve them or sacrifice to them.
17:36 But the LORD, who brought you up out of Egypt with mighty power and outstretched arm, is the one you must worship. To him you shall bow down and to him offer sacrifices.
17:37 You must always be careful to keep the decrees and ordinances, the laws and commands he wrote for you. Do not worship other gods.
17:38 Do not forget the covenant I have made with you, and do not worship other gods.
17:39 Rather, worship the LORD your God; it is he who will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.”
17:40 They would not listen, however, but persisted in their former practices.
17:41 Even while these people were worshiping the LORD, they were serving their idols. To this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their fathers did.
17:1 In the twelfth year of Ahaz the king of Judah, Hoshea the son of Elah began to reign in Samaria over Israel; he reigned for nine years.
17:2 And he did what was evil in the sight of Jehovah, but not like the kings of Israel that had been before him.
17:3 Against him Shalmaneser the king of Assyria came up, and Hoshea became his servant and rendered presents to him.
17:4 But the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea; for he had sent messengers to So the king of Egypt and did not send up a present to the king of Assyria as he had from year to year. And the king of Assyria shut him up and bound him in prison.
17:5 And the king of Assyria invaded the whole land, and he went up against Samaria and besieged it three years.
17:6 In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria and carried Israel away into Assyria; and he placed them in Halah and by the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
17:7 And this happened because the children of Israel sinned against Jehovah their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and had feared other gods;
17:8 And they walked in the statutes of the nations that Jehovah had dispossessed from before the children of Israel and those of the kings of Israel, which they had made.
17:9 And the children of Israel secretly did things against Jehovah their God that were not right; and they built high places in all their cities for themselves, from the watchmen s tower to the fortified city.
17:10 And they set up for themselves pillars and Asherahs on every high hill and under every flourishing tree;
17:11 And there they burned incense in all the high places, as did the nations that Jehovah had carried away from before them, and they did wicked things to provoke Jehovah to anger;
17:12 And they served idols, concerning which Jehovah had said to them, You shall not do this thing.
17:13 And Jehovah testified against Israel and against Judah through all the prophets and 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 through My servants the prophets.
17:14 But they would not hear; and they stiffened their necks, which became like the neck of their fathers, who did not believe in Jehovah their God.
17:15 And they rejected His statutes and His covenant, which He had made with their fathers, and His testimonies, which He had testified unto them; and they followed vanity and became vain, and went after the nations that were around them, concerning whom Jehovah had charged them not to act like them.
17:16 And they forsook all the commandments of Jehovah their God and made for themselves molten images, that is, two calves; and they made an Asherah and worshipped all the host of heaven; and they served Baal.
17:17 And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through fire and practiced divination and enchantments; and they sold themselves to do what was evil in the sight of Jehovah, in order to provoke Him to anger.
17:18 Therefore Jehovah was very angry with Israel, and He removed them out of His sight; nothing remained except the tribe of Judah.
17:19 Judah also did not keep the commandments of Jehovah their God but walked in the statutes of Israel, which they had made.
17:20 And Jehovah rejected all the seed of Israel; and He afflicted them and delivered them into the hand of plunderers, until He had cast them out of His sight.
17:21 For He tore Israel from the house of David. Now they had made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king, and Jeroboam drove Israel away from following Jehovah and made them commit a great sin.
17:22 And the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they did not depart from them,
17:23 Until Jehovah removed Israel from His sight, as He had said through all His servants the prophets. And Israel was carried away from their own land to Assyria; as it is unto this day.
17:24 And the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon and from Cuthah and from Avva and from Hamath and from Sepharvaim, and made them dwell in the cities of Samaria in place of the children of Israel; and they took possession of Samaria and dwelt in its cities.
17:25 And when they began dwelling there, they did not fear Jehovah, so Jehovah sent lions among them, which killed some of them.
17:26 And they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations that you have carried away and made to dwell in the cities of Samaria do not know the custom of the God of the land; therefore He has sent lions among them, and now they are killing them because they do not know the custom of the God of the land.
17:27 And the king of Assyria gave a command, saying, Take there one of the priests whom you have carried away from there; and let him go and dwell there, and let him teach them the custom of the God of the land.
17:28 Then one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Bethel, and he taught them how to fear Jehovah.
17:29 And every nation made gods of their own and put them in the houses of the high places that the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities in which they dwelt.
17:30 And the people of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, and the people of Cuth made Nergal, and the people of Hamath made Ashima,
17:31 And the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites burned their children in fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.
17:32 So they feared Jehovah; and they made for themselves from all their classes priests for the high places, who offered sacrifices for them in the houses of the high places.
17:33 They feared Jehovah but served their own gods after the custom of the nations, from which they had been carried away.
17:34 Unto this day they have done according to their former customs: They do not fear Jehovah; nor do they act according to their statutes and their ordinances, nor according to the law and commandment that Jehovah commanded the sons of Jacob, whom He named Israel.
17:35 And Jehovah had made a covenant with them and commanded them, saying, You shall not fear other gods, nor bow down to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them.
17:36 But Jehovah alone, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and with an outstretched arm, Him shall you fear, and Him shall you worship, and to Him shall you sacrifice.
17:37 And the statutes and the ordinances and the law and the commandment which He wrote out for you, you shall be certain to do forever; and you shall not fear other gods.
17:38 And you shall not forget the covenant that I have made with you, neither shall you fear other gods;
17:39 But you shall fear Jehovah your God, and He will deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies.
17:40 But they did not listen but acted according to their former customs.
17:41 So these nations feared Jehovah but served their graven images, as well as their children and their children s children; as their fathers had done, so they have done unto this day.