^{1 Ref} In the twelfth year of Ahaz, king of Judah, Hoshea, the son of Elah, became king over Israel in Samaria, ruling for nine years.

^{2 Ref} He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, though not like the kings of Israel before him.

^{3 Ref} Against him came up Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, and Hoshea became his servant and sent him offerings.

^{4 Ref} But Hoshea's broken faith became clear to the king of Assyria because he had sent representatives to So, king of Egypt, and did not send his offering to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year: so the king of Assyria had him shut up in prison and put in chains.

^{5 Ref} Then the king of Assyria went through all the land and came up to Samaria, shutting it in with his forces for three years.

^{6 Ref} In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria, and took Israel away to Assyria, placing them in Halah and in Habor on the river Gozan, and in the towns of the Medes.

^{7 Ref} And the wrath of the Lord came on Israel because they had done evil against the Lord their God, who took them out of the land of Egypt from under the yoke of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and had become worshippers of other gods,

^{8 Ref} Living by the rules of the nations whom the Lord had sent out from before the children of Israel.

^{9 Ref} And the children of Israel did secretly against the Lord their God things which were not right, building high places for themselves in all their towns, from the tower of the watchmen to the walled town.

^{10 Ref} They put up pillars of stone and wood on every high hill and under every green tree:

^{11 Ref} Burning their offerings in all the high places, as those nations did whom the Lord sent away from before them; they did evil things, moving the Lord to wrath;

^{12 Ref} And they made themselves servants of disgusting things, though the Lord had said, You are not to do this.

^{13 Ref} And he gave witness to Israel and Judah, by every prophet and seer, saying, Come back from your evil ways, and do my orders and keep my rules, and be guided by the law which I gave to your fathers and sent to you by my servants the prophets.

^{14 Ref} And they did not give ear, but became stiff-necked, like their fathers who had no faith in the Lord their God.

^{15 Ref} And they went against his rules, and the agreement which he made with their fathers, and his laws which he gave them; they gave themselves up to things without sense or value, and became foolish like the nations round them, of whom the Lord had said, Do not as they do.

^{16 Ref} And turning their backs on all the orders which the Lord had given them, they made for themselves images of metal, and the image of Asherah, worshipping all the stars of heaven and becoming servants to Baal.

^{17 Ref} And they made their sons and their daughters go through the fire, and they made use of secret arts and unnatural powers, and gave themselves up to doing evil in the eyes of the Lord, till he was moved to wrath.

^{18 Ref} So the Lord was very angry with Israel, and his face was turned away from them: only the tribe of Judah kept its place.

^{19 Ref} (But even Judah did not keep the orders of the Lord their God, but were guided by the rules which Israel had made.

^{20 Ref} So the Lord would have nothing to do with all the offspring of Israel, and sent trouble on them, and gave them up into the hands of their attackers, till he had sent them away from before his face.)

^{21 Ref} For Israel was broken off from the family of David, and they made Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, king, who, driving them away from the laws of the Lord, made them do a great sin.

^{22 Ref} And the children of Israel went on with all the sins which Jeroboam did; they did not keep themselves from them;

^{23 Ref} Till the Lord put Israel away from before his face, as he had said by all his servants the prophets. So Israel was taken away from their land to Assyria, to this day.

^{24 Ref} Then the king of Assyria took men from Babylon and from Cuthah and Avva and Hamath and Sepharvaim, and put them in the towns of Samaria in place of the children of Israel; so they got Samaria for their heritage, living in its towns.

^{25 Ref} Now when first they were living there they did not give worship to the Lord. So the Lord sent lions among them, causing the death of some of them.

^{26 Ref} So they said to the king of Assyria, The nations whom you have taken as prisoners and put in the towns of Samaria, have no knowledge of the way of the god of the land: so he has sent lions among them, causing their death, because they have no knowledge of his way.

^{27 Ref} Then the king of Assyria gave orders, saying, Send there one of the priests whom you took away, and let him be living there and teaching the people the way of the god of the land.

^{28 Ref} So one of the priests whom they had taken away as a prisoner from Samaria came back, and, living in Beth-el, became their teacher in the worship of the Lord.

^{29 Ref} And every nation made gods for themselves, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in the towns where they were living.

^{30 Ref} The men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima,

^{31 Ref} The Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites gave their children to be burned in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.

^{32 Ref} So they went on worshipping the Lord, and made for themselves, from among all the people, priests for the high places, to make offerings for them in the houses of the high places.

^{33 Ref} They gave worship to the Lord, but they gave honour to their gods like the nations did from whom they had been taken as prisoners.

^{34 Ref} So to this day they go on in their old ways, not worshipping the Lord or keeping his orders or his ways or the law and the rule which the Lord gave to the children of Jacob, to whom he gave the name Israel;

^{35 Ref} And the Lord made an agreement with them and gave them orders, saying, You are to have no other gods; you are not to give worship to them or be their servants or make them offerings:

^{36 Ref} But the Lord, who took you out of the land of Egypt with his great power and his outstretched arm, he is your God, to whom you are to give worship and make offerings:

^{37 Ref} And the rules and the orders and the law which he put in writing for you, you are to keep and do for ever; you are to have no other gods.

^{38 Ref} And you are to keep in memory the agreement which I have made with you; and you are to have no other gods.

^{39 Ref} And you are to give worship to the Lord your God; for it is he who will give you salvation from the hands of all who are against you.

^{40 Ref} But they gave no attention, but went on in their old way.

^{41 Ref} So these nations, worshipping the Lord, still were servants to the images they had made; their children and their children's children did the same; as their fathers did, so do they, to this day.

^{1 Ref} In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea the son of Elah to reign in Samaria over Israel, `and reigned' nine years.

^{2 Ref} And he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, yet not as the kings of Israel that were before him.

^{3 Ref} Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria; and Hoshea became his servant, and brought him tribute.

^{4 Ref} And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea; for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and offered no tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year: therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison.

^{5 Ref} Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years.

^{6 Ref} In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away unto Assyria, and placed them in Halah, and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

^{7 Ref} And it was so, because the children of Israel had sinned against Jehovah their God, who brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods,

^{8 Ref} and walked in the statutes of the nations, whom Jehovah cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they made.

^{9 Ref} And the children of Israel did secretly things that were not right against Jehovah their God: and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fortified city;

^{10 Ref} and they set them up pillars and Asherim upon every high hill, and under every green tree;

^{11 Ref} and there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the nations whom Jehovah carried away before them; and they wrought wicked things to provoke Jehovah to anger;

^{12 Ref} and they served idols, whereof Jehovah had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing.

^{13 Ref} Yet Jehovah testified unto Israel, and unto Judah, by every prophet, and every seer, saying, Turn ye 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 by my servants the prophets.

^{14 Ref} Notwithstanding, they would not hear, but hardened their neck, like to the neck of their fathers, who believed not in Jehovah their God.

^{15 Ref} And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified unto them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and `went' after the nations that were round about them, concerning whom Jehovah had charged them that they should not do like them.

^{16 Ref} And they forsook all the commandments of Jehovah their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made an Asherah, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal.

^{17 Ref} And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, to provoke him to anger.

^{18 Ref} Therefore Jehovah was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only.

^{19 Ref} Also Judah kept not the commandments of Jehovah their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made.

^{20 Ref} And Jehovah rejected all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of spoilers, until he had cast them out of his sight.

^{21 Ref} For he rent Israel from the house of David; and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king: and Jeroboam drove Israel from following Jehovah, and made them sin a great sin.

^{22 Ref} And the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they departed not from them;

^{23 Ref} until Jehovah removed Israel out of his sight, as he spake by all his servants the prophets. So Israel was carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day.

^{24 Ref} And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Avva, and from Hamath and Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel; and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof.

^{25 Ref} And so it was, at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not Jehovah: therefore Jehovah sent lions among them, which killed some of them.

^{26 Ref} Wherefore they spake to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations which thou hast carried away, and placed in the cities of Samaria, know not the law of the god of the land: therefore he hath sent lions among them, and, behold, they slay them, because they know not the law of the god of the land.

^{27 Ref} Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Carry thither one of the priests whom ye brought from thence; and let them go and dwell there, and let him teach them the law of the god of the land.

^{28 Ref} So one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Beth-el, and taught them how they should fear Jehovah.

^{29 Ref} Howbeit every nation made gods of their own, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities wherein they dwelt.

^{30 Ref} And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima,

^{31 Ref} and the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites burnt their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.

^{32 Ref} So they feared Jehovah, and made unto them from among themselves priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places.

^{33 Ref} They feared Jehovah, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations from among whom they had been carried away.

^{34 Ref} Unto this day they do after the former manner: they fear not Jehovah, neither do they after their statutes, or after their ordinances, or after the law or after the commandment which Jehovah commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel;

^{35 Ref} with whom Jehovah had made a covenant, and charged them, saying, Ye shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them:

^{36 Ref} but Jehovah, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and with an outstretched arm, him shall ye fear, and unto him shall ye bow yourselves, and to him shall ye sacrifice:

^{37 Ref} and the statutes and the ordinances, and the law and the commandment, which he wrote for you, ye shall observe to do for evermore; and ye shall not fear other gods:

^{38 Ref} and the covenant that I have made with you ye shall not forget; neither shall ye fear other gods:

^{39 Ref} but Jehovah your God shall ye fear; and he will deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies.

^{40 Ref} Howbeit they did not hearken, but they did after their former manner.

^{41 Ref} So these nations feared Jehovah, and served their graven images; their children likewise, and their children's children, as did their fathers, so do they unto this day.

^{1 Ref} In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea the son of Elah to reign in Samaria over Israel, [and reigned] nine years.

^{2 Ref} He did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, yet not as the kings of Israel who were before him.

^{3 Ref} Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria; and Hoshea became his servant, and brought him tribute.

^{4 Ref} The king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea; for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and offered no tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year: therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison.

^{5 Ref} Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years.

^{6 Ref} In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away to Assyria, and placed them in Halah, and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

^{7 Ref} It was so, because the children of Israel had sinned against Yahweh their God, who brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods,

^{8 Ref} and walked in the statutes of the nations, whom Yahweh cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they made.

^{9 Ref} The children of Israel did secretly things that were not right against Yahweh their God: and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fortified city;

^{10 Ref} and they set them up pillars and Asherim on every high hill, and under every green tree;

^{11 Ref} and there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the nations whom Yahweh carried away before them; and they worked wicked things to provoke Yahweh to anger;

^{12 Ref} and they served idols, of which Yahweh had said to them, You shall not do this thing.

^{13 Ref} Yet Yahweh testified to Israel, and to Judah, by every prophet, and every seer, saying, Turn you 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 by my servants the prophets.

^{14 Ref} Notwithstanding, they would not hear, but hardened their neck, like the neck of their fathers, who didn't believe in Yahweh their God.

^{15 Ref} They rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified to them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and [went] after the nations that were round about them, concerning whom Yahweh had charged those who they should not do like them.

^{16 Ref} They forsook all the commandments of Yahweh their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made an Asherah, and worshiped all the host of the sky, and served Baal.

^{17 Ref} They caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, to provoke him to anger.

^{18 Ref} Therefore Yahweh was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only.

^{19 Ref} Also Judah didn't keep the commandments of Yahweh their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made.

^{20 Ref} Yahweh rejected all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of spoilers, until he had cast them out of his sight.

^{21 Ref} For he tore Israel from the house of David; and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king: and Jeroboam drove Israel from following Yahweh, and made them sin a great sin.

^{22 Ref} The children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they didn't depart from them;

^{23 Ref} until Yahweh removed Israel out of his sight, as he spoke by all his servants the prophets. So Israel was carried away out of their own land to Assyria to this day.

^{24 Ref} The king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Avva, and from Hamath and Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel; and they possessed Samaria, and lived in the cities of it.

^{25 Ref} So it was, at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they didn't fear Yahweh: therefore Yahweh sent lions among them, which killed some of them.

^{26 Ref} Therefore they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations which you have carried away, and placed in the cities of Samaria, don't know the law of the god of the land: therefore he has sent lions among them, and, behold, they kill them, because they don't know the law of the god of the land.

^{27 Ref} Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Carry there one of the priests whom you brought from there; and let them go and dwell there, and let him teach them the law of the god of the land.

^{28 Ref} So one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and lived in Bethel, and taught them how they should fear Yahweh.

^{29 Ref} However every nation made gods of their own, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities in which they lived.

^{30 Ref} The men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima,

^{31 Ref} and the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites burnt their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.

^{32 Ref} So they feared Yahweh, and made to them from among themselves priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places.

^{33 Ref} They feared Yahweh, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations from among whom they had been carried away.

^{34 Ref} To this day they do after the former manner: they don't fear Yahweh, neither do they after their statutes, or after their ordinances, or after the law or after the commandment which Yahweh commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel;

^{35 Ref} with whom Yahweh had made a covenant, and charged them, saying, You shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them:

^{36 Ref} but Yahweh, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and with an outstretched arm, him shall you fear, and to him shall you bow yourselves, and to him shall you sacrifice:

^{37 Ref} and the statutes and the ordinances, and the law and the commandment, which he wrote for you, you shall observe to do forevermore; and you shall not fear other gods:

^{38 Ref} and the covenant that I have made with you you shall not forget; neither shall you fear other gods:

^{39 Ref} but Yahweh your God shall you fear; and he will deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies.

^{40 Ref} However they did not listen, but they did after their former manner.

^{41 Ref} So these nations feared Yahweh, and served their engraved images; their children likewise, and their children's children, as did their fathers, so do they to this day.