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the twelfth year of the reign of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea son of Elah became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned nine years. 2 He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, but not as the kings of Israel who preceeded him.
3 Shalmaneser king of Assyria attacked him, and Hoshea became his vassal and paid him tribute money. 4 But the king of Assyria uncovered a conspiracy by Hoshea. Hoshea had sent envoys to So king of Egypt, and he no longer paid tribute money to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year. So the king of Assyria seized him and put him in prison. 5 Then the king of Assyria invaded the entire country, and he marched up to Samaria, and laid siege to it for three years. 6 In the ninth year of the reign of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria. He deported the Israelites to Assyria and forcibly resettled them in Halah, Gozan by the Habor River, and in the cities of the Medes.
7 All this happened because the Israelites had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Yet they had worshipped other gods, 8 and lived according to the customs of the nations the Lord had driven out before them, and the customs which the kings of Israel had introduced. 9 The Israelites secretly did things against the Lord their God that were not right. They built high places for themselves in all their cities, from watchtower to fortified city. 10 They set up for themselves sacred pillars and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green spreading tree. 11 They burned incense on all the high places, like the nations whom the Lord had driven out before them had done. They did wicked things that provoked the Lord to anger. 12 They served idols, of which the Lord had said to them, “You must not do this.” 13 Yet the Lord warned Israel and Judah through every prophet and every seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways and keep My commandments and statutes, in accordance with all the law I commanded your fathers to obey, and which I delivered to you through My servants the prophets.”
14 But they would not listen. Instead, they stiffened their necks, just as their fathers before them were stiff-necked, and did not believe in the Lord their God. 15 They rejected His statutes and His covenant He had made with their fathers and the warnings He had given them. They followed after worthless idols and became worthless themselves. They followed after the surrounding nations, even though the Lord had commanded them that day should not imitate them.
16 They forsook all the commandments of the Lord their God, and made for themselves moulded images of two calves, and an Asherah pole. They bowed down to all the starry hosts in the heavens, and they worshipped Baal. 17 They made their sons and their daughters pass through the fire. They practised divination and sorcery, and devoted themselves to doing evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking Him to anger.
18 Therefore, the Lord was very angry with Israel, and He removed them from His presence. None of the tribes were left except the tribe of Judah only. 19 Even Judah did not keep the commandments of the Lord their God. Instead they followed the customs that Israel had introduced. 20 So the Lord rejected all the offspring of Israel. He afflicted them and delivered them into the hands of plunderers, until He had finally banished all of them from His presence.
21 When the Lord tore Israel from the house of David, they made Jeroboam son of Nebat their king. Then Jeroboam led Israel away from following the Lord and caused them to commit great sin. 22 The Israelites persisted in all the sins of Jeroboam which he committed; they did not turn away from them. 23 So eventually the Lord removed Israel from His presence, as He had warned them through all His servants the prophets. Therefore the Israelites were deported from their homeland and exiled to Assyria, where they remain until this day.
24 The king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim, and he settled them in the cities of Samaria in place of the Israelites. Then those resettled peoples took possession of Samaria and lived in its cities. 25 When they first lived there, they did not fear the Lord. So the Lord sent lions among them, which killed some of them. 26 This was the situation reported to the king of Assyria:
“The nations you deported and resettled in the cities of Samaria do not know the customs of the god of the land. So he has sent lions among them, which are killing them because the people do not know what the god of the land requires.”
27 Then the king of Assyria commanded, “Send back one of the priests you deported from Samaria. Let him go and live there so he can teach the people about the customs of the god of the land.” 28 So one of the priests whom they had exiled from Samaria came and lived in Bethel, and he taught them how to fear the Lord.
29 However, each national group continued to make their own gods in the cities where they lived. They then set their gods up in the shrines of the high places that the Samaritans had made. 30 The men from Babylon made Succoth-benoth, the men from Cuth made Nergal, the men from Hamath made Ashima, 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. 32 They worshipped the Lord, but they also appointed priests from among themselves to officiate in the cultic services at the shrines of the high places. 33 So they worshipped the Lord, but they also served their own gods according to the customs of the nations they had been deported from.
34 To this day they persist in practising their former customs. They do not fear the Lord or obey the statutes and ordinances, the law and commandments which the Lord commanded the descendants of Jacob, whom He renamed Israel. 35 The Lord had made a covenant with them and commanded them, “You must not reverence any other gods, or bow down to them, serve them or sacrifice to them. 36 Instead, you must worship only the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt with great power and an outstretched arm. To Him alone you shall bow down, and to Him alone you shall offer sacrifices. 37 You must always be careful to keep the statutes and ordinances, the laws and commandments He wrote for you. Do not reverence other gods. 38 Do not forget the covenant that I made with you. Do not reverence other gods. 39 But the Lord your God you shall fear, and He will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.”
40 However, they would not listen, but they continued practising their former customs. 41 Though those national groups worshipped the Lord, they also continued serving their idols. To this day their children and their children’s children continue to do as their fathers did.