2 Kings 17
17:1In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea son of Elah reigned in Samaria over Israel for nine years.
17:2And he did the wicked thing in the eyes of the lord, only not as the kings of Israel who were before him.
17:3Against him there ascended Shalmaneser king of the Assyrians; and Hoshea became to him as a servant, and he bore gifts to him.
17:4And the king of the Assyrians found a plot by Hoshea, for Hoshea sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and did not bring gifts to the king of the Assyrians year by year. And the king of the Assyrians assaulted him, and tied him up in the house of the prison.
17:5And the king of the Assyrians ascended unto all the land, and ascended unto Samaria, and assaulted it for three years.
17:6In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of the Assyrians seized Samaria, and he resettled Israel into Assyria, and he settled them in Halah and in Habor, the rivers of Gozan, in the mountains of the Medes.
17:7And it came to pass that the sons of Israel sinned against the lord their God, the one leading them from out of the land of Egypt, from beneath the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and they feared other gods.
17:8And they went by the ordinances of the nations which the lord removed in front of the sons of Israel, and the kings of Israel as many as they did.
17:9And the sons of Israel clothed words of wrongdoings against the lord their God. And they built to themselves high places in all their cities, from guard tower unto fortified city.
17:10And they set up to themselves stone monuments and sacred groves upon every high hill, and underneath every tree of the woods.
17:11And they burned incense there in all the high places, as the nations which the lord moved far away from their face. And they made partners, and they graved images to provoke the lord to anger.
17:12And they served to the idols which the lord said to them, Do not do this thing!
17:13And the lord testified to Israel, and to Judah, by the hand of all his prophets, every one of them seers, saying, Turn from your wicked ways, and guard my commandments, and my ordinances, and every law! which I gave charge to your fathers, as many as I sent to them by the hand of my servants the prophets.
17:14And they did not hearken, and they hardened their back above the back of their fathers, the ones that trusted not in the lord their God;
17:15even thrusting away his covenant, and the ordinances which he ordained with their fathers, and his testimonies, as many as he testified to them; and they went after the vain things, and acted in folly, and followed after the nations surrounding them, which the lord gave charge to them to not do according to these things.
17:16And they abandoned the commandments of the lord their God, and they made for themselves molten castings of two heifers, and they made a sacred grove, and did obeisance to all the military of the heaven, and they served to Baal.
17:17And they led their sons and their daughters through fire. And they used oracles of divinations, and they foretold. And they were sold to do the wicked thing in the eyes of the lord, to provoke him to anger.
17:18And the lord was enraged exceedingly with Israel, and he removed them from his face. He did not leave any behind except the tribe of Judah alone.
17:19And indeed Judah did not guard the commandments of the lord his God, and they went by the ordinances of Israel, which they did, and they thrusted away the lord.
17:20And the lord was enraged with all the seed of Israel, and he shook them off, and gave them into the hand of the ones tearing them in pieces, until of which time he threw them away from his face.
17:21Except that Israel was torn from the house of David; and they gave reign to Jeroboam son of Nebat. And Jeroboam banished Israel from following the lord, and he led them into sin -- a great sin.
17:22And the sons of Israel went in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did -- they did not abstain from them;
17:23until of which time the lord removed Israel from his face, as the lord spoke by the hand of all his servants the prophets. And Israel was resettled from its land into Assyria until this day.
17:24And the king of the Assyrians led from out of Babylon the one from out of Cuthah, and from out of Ava, and from out of Hamath, and Sepharvaim, and settled them in the cities of Samaria instead of the sons of Israel. And they inherited Samaria, and they settled in its cities.
17:25And it came to pass in the beginning of their place of sitting down, they did not fear the lord. And the lord sent among them the lions, and they were being killed by them.
17:26And they said to the king of the Assyrians, saying, The nations which you resettled and relocated, in the cities of Samaria, they know not the distinguishing manner of the God of the land. And he sent to them lions, and behold, they are killing them, in so far as they do not know the distinguishing manner of the God of the land.
17:27And the king of the Assyrians gave charge, saying, Lead away there one of the priests whom I resettled from Samaria! and let him go and let him dwell there! and he shall enlighten them on the distinguishing manner of the God of the land.
17:28And they brought one of the priests which they resettled from Samaria, and he settled in Bethel. And he was enlightening them how they should fear the lord.
17:29And nation by nation were making their gods. And they put them in the houses of the high places, which the Samaritans made, nation by nation in their cities in which they dwelt.
17:30And the men of Babylon made Succoth Benoth. And the men of Cuth made Nergal. And the men of Hamath made Ashima.
17:31And the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak. And the Sepharvites incinerated their sons by fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, gods of the Sepharvaim.
17:32And they were fearing the lord, and they made for themselves priests of the high places; and they offered for themselves in the houses of the high places.
17:33They were fearing the lord, and they served their gods, according to the distinguishing manner of the nations from where he resettled them from there.
17:34Until this day they do according to their distinguishing manner. They are not fearing the lord, and they do not do according to their ordinances, and according to their judgment, and according to the law, and according to the commandment which the lord gave charge to the sons of Jacob, of whom he established his name Israel.
17:35And the lord ordained with them a covenant, and he gave charge to them, saying, You shall not fear other gods, and you shall not do obeisance to them, and you shall not serve to them, and you shall not sacrifice to them.
17:36For only to the lord, who led you from out of the land of Egypt with great strength and with a high arm, him you shall fear, and to him you shall do obeisance, and to him you shall sacrifice.
17:37And his ordinances, and the judgments, and the commandments, and the law which he wrote for you, you shall guard to do all the days, and you shall not fear other gods.
17:38And the covenant which he ordained with you you shall not forget; and you shall not fear other gods.
17:39For only the lord your God -- him you shall fear; and he will rescue you from the hand of all your enemies.
17:40And they hearkened not, but only in their former ordinances they acted.
17:41And these nations were fearing the lord, and they served to their carvings; even indeed their sons, and the sons of their sons -- they do as did their fathers unto this day.