2Ki 17:9-23 | NASB2020 | STEP | And the sons of Israel did things secretly against the Lord their God which were not right . Moreover, they built for themselves high places in all their towns , from watchtower to fortified city .

2 Kings 17:9-23

9 And the sons of Israel ^{▼▼Or ascribed words to}did things secretly against the Lord their God which were not right. Moreover, they built for themselves high places in all their towns, from ^bwatchtower to fortified city. 10 And ^cthey set up for themselves memorial stones and ^{▼▼I.e., wooden symbols of a female deity (Asherah)
,} ^eAsherim on every high hill and under every green tree, 11 and there they burned incense on all the high places as the nations did that the Lord had taken into exile before them; and they did evil things, provoking the Lord. 12 They served idols, ^fconcerning which the Lord had said to them, “You shall not do this thing.” 13 Yet the ^gLord warned Israel and Judah ^{▼▼Lit by the hand of
,} ⁱthrough all His prophets and ^jevery seer, saying, “ ^kTurn back from your evil ways and keep My commandments and My statutes in accordance with all the Law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you ^{▼▼Lit by the hand of}through My servants the prophets.” 14 However, they did not listen, but ^mstiffened their neck ^{▼▼Lit like the neck of}like their fathers, who did not believe in the Lord their God. 15 ^oThey rejected His statutes and ^pHis covenant which He made with their fathers, and His warnings which He ^{▼▼Lit warned}gave them. And ^rthey followed ^{▼▼Lit the non-existent}idols and ^tbecame empty, and followed the nations that surrounded them, about which the ^uLord had commanded them not to do as they did. 16 And they abandoned all the commandments of the Lord their God and made for themselves cast metal images: ^vtwo calves. And they ^wmade an ^{▼▼I.e., a wooden symbol of a female deity}Asherah, and ^yworshiped all the heavenly ^{▼▼Lit host}lights, and ^aaserved Baal. 17 Then ^abthey made their sons and their daughters pass through the fire, and they ^acpracticed divination and interpreting omens, and ^adgave themselves over to do evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking Him. 18 So the Lord was very angry with Israel, and He ^aeremoved them from His ^{▼▼Lit face}sight; ^agno one was left except the tribe of Judah.

19 ^ahJudah did not keep the commandments of the Lord their God either, but they ^{▼▼Lit walked in
,} ^ajfollowed the ^{▼▼Lit statutes}customs ^{▼▼Lit of Israel which they}which Israel had ^{▼▼Lit made}introduced. 20 So the Lord rejected all the ^{▼▼Lit seed}descendants of Israel and afflicted them and ^aohanded them over to plunderers, until He had cast them ^{▼▼Lit from His face}out of His sight.

21 When ^aqHe had torn Israel from the house of David, ^arthey made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king. Then ^asJeroboam drove Israel away from following the Lord and misled them into a great sin. 22 And the sons of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he committed; they did not desist from them 23 ^atuntil the Lord removed Israel from His sight, ^aujust as He had spoken through all His servants the prophets. ^avSo Israel went into exile from their own land to Assyria until this day.