2 Kings 17

1In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea son of Elah has reigned over Israel in Samaria, nine years,

2and he does evil in the eyes of YHWH, only, not as the kings of Israel who were before him;

3Shalmaneser king of Asshur came up against him, and Hoshea is a servant to him, and renders a present to him.

4And the king of Asshur finds in Hoshea a conspiracy, in that he has sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and has not caused a present to go up to the king of Asshur, as year by year, and the king of Asshur restrains him, and binds him in a house of restraint.

5And the king of Asshur goes up into all the land, and he goes up to Samaria, and lays siege against it [for] three years;

6in the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Asshur has captured Samaria, and removes Israel to Asshur, and causes them to dwell in Halah, and in Habor, [by] the river Gozan, and [in] the cities of the Medes.

7And it comes to pass, because the sons of Israel have sinned against their God YHWH—who brings them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt—and fear other gods,

8and walk in the statutes of the nations that YHWH dispossessed from the presence of the sons of Israel, and of the kings of Israel that they made;

9and the sons of Israel covertly do things that [are] not right against their God YHWH, and build high places for themselves in all their cities, from a tower of the watchers to the fortified city,

10and set up standing-pillars and Asherim for themselves on every high height, and under every green tree,

11and make incense there in all high places, like the nations that YHWH removed from their presence, and do evil things to provoke YHWH,

12and serve the idols, of which YHWH said to them, “You do not do this thing.”

13And YHWH testifies against Israel, and against Judah, by the hand of every prophet, and every seer, saying, “Turn back from your evil ways, and keep My commands, My statutes, according to all the Law that I commanded your fathers, and that I sent to you by the hand of My servants the prophets”;

14and they have not listened, and harden their neck, like the neck of their fathers, who did not remain steadfast in their God YHWH,

15and reject His statutes and His covenant that He made with their fathers, and His testimonies that He testified against them, and go after the vain thing, and become vain, and after the nations that are around them, of whom YHWH commanded them not to do like them.

16And they forsake all the commands of their God YHWH, and make a molten image for themselves—two calves, and make an Asherah, and bow themselves to all the host of the heavens, and serve Ba‘al,

17and cause their sons and their daughters to pass over through fire, and divine divinations, and use enchantments, and sell themselves to do evil in the eyes of YHWH, to provoke Him.

18And YHWH shows Himself very angry against Israel, and turns them aside from His presence; none has been left, only the tribe of Judah by itself.

19Also Judah has not kept the commands of their God YHWH, and they walk in the statutes of Israel that they had made.

20And YHWH kicks against all the seed of Israel, and afflicts them, and gives them into the hand of spoilers, until He has cast them out of His presence,

21for He has torn Israel from the house of David, and they make Jeroboam son of Nebat king, and Jeroboam drives Israel from after YHWH, and has caused them to sin a great sin,

22and the sons of Israel walk in all the sins of Jeroboam that he did, they have not turned aside from them,

23until YHWH has turned Israel aside from His presence, as He spoke by the hand of all His servants the prophets, and Israel is removed from off its land to Asshur, to this day.

24And the king of Asshur brings in [people] from Babylon and from Cutha, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and Sepharvaim, and causes [them] to dwell in the cities of Samaria instead of the sons of Israel, and they possess Samaria, and dwell in its cities;

25and it comes to pass, at the commencement of their dwelling there, they have not feared YHWH, and YHWH sends the lions among them, and they are destroying among them.

26And they speak to the king of Asshur, saying, “The nations that you have removed and place in the cities of Samaria have not known the custom of the God of the land, and He sends the lions among them, and behold, they are destroying them, as they do not know the custom of the God of the land.”

27And the king of Asshur commands, saying, “Cause one of the priests to go there whom you removed from there, and they go and dwell there, and he teaches them the custom of the God of the land.”

28And one of the priests whom they removed from Samaria comes in, and dwells in Beth-El, and he is teaching them how they fear YHWH,

29and each nation is making its gods, and they place [them] in the houses of the high places that the Samaritans have made—each nation in their cities where they are dwelling.

30And the men of Babylon have made Succoth-Benoth, and the men of Cuth have made Nergal, and the men of Hamath have made Ashima,

31and the Avites have made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites are burning their sons with fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, gods of Sepharvim.

32And they are fearing YHWH, and make for themselves from their extremities priests of high places, and they are working for them in the house of the high places.

33They are fearing YHWH, and they are serving their gods, according to the custom of the nations from where they removed them.

34To this day they are doing according to the former customs—they are not fearing YHWH, and are not doing according to their statutes, and according to their ordinances, and according to the Law, and according to the command, that YHWH commanded the sons of Jacob whose name He made Israel,

35and YHWH makes a covenant with them and charges them, saying, “You do not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them,

36but YHWH who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with an outstretched arm, Him you fear, and to Him you bow yourselves, and to Him you sacrifice;

37and the statutes, and the judgments, and the Law, and the command, that He wrote for you, you observe to do all the days, and you do not fear other gods;

38and you do not forget the covenant that I have made with you, and you do not fear other gods;

39but you fear your God YHWH, and He delivers you out of the hand of all your enemies”;

40and they have not listened, but they are doing according to their former custom,

41and these nations are fearing YHWH, and they have served their carved images, both their sons and their sons’ sons; as their fathers did, they are doing to this day.