2Ki 17:8-20 | NASB1995 | STEP | and walked in the customs of the nations whom the Lord had driven out before the sons of Israel , and in the customs of the kings of Israel which they had introduced .

2 Kings 17:8-20

8 and ^awalked in the ^{▼▼ Lit statutes}customs of the nations whom the Lord had driven out before the sons of Israel, and in the customs ^cof the kings of Israel which they had ^{▼▼ Lit made}introduced. 9 The sons of Israel ^{▼▼ Or uttered words which}did things secretly which were not right against the Lord their God. Moreover, they built for themselves high places in all their towns, from ^fwatchtower to fortified city. 10 ^gThey set for themselves sacred pillars and ^{▼▼ I.e. wooden symbols of a female deity
,} ⁱAsherim on every high hill and under every green tree, 11 and there they burned incense on all the high places as the nations did which the Lord had carried away to exile before them; and they did evil things provoking the Lord. 12 They served idols, ^jconcerning which the Lord had said to them, “You shall not do this thing.” 13 Yet the ^kLord warned Israel and Judah ^lthrough all His prophets and ^mevery seer, saying, ⁿ“Turn from your evil ways and keep My commandments, My statutes according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you through My servants the prophets.” 14 However, they did not listen, but ^ostiffened their neck ^{▼▼ Lit like the neck of}like their fathers, who did not believe in the Lord their God. 15 ^qThey rejected His statutes and ^rHis covenant which He made with their fathers and His warnings with which He warned them. And ^sthey followed vanity and ^tbecame vain, and went after the nations which surrounded them, concerning which the ^uLord had commanded them not to do like them. 16 They forsook all the commandments of the Lord their God and made for themselves molten images, even ^vtwo calves, and ^wmade an ^{▼▼ I.e. a wooden symbol of a female deity}Asherah and ^yworshiped all the host of heaven and ^zserved Baal. 17 Then ^aathey made their sons and their daughters pass through the fire, and ^abpracticed divination and enchantments, and ^acsold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking Him. 18 So the Lord was very angry with Israel and ^adremoved them from His ^{▼▼ Lit face}sight; ^afnone was left except the tribe of Judah.

19 Also ^agJudah did not keep the commandments of the Lord their God, but ^ahwalked in the ^{▼▼ Lit statutes}customs ^{▼▼ Lit of Israel which they}which Israel had ^{▼▼ Lit made}introduced. 20 The Lord rejected all the ^{▼▼ Lit seed}descendants of Israel and afflicted them and ^amgave them into the hand of plunderers, until He had cast them ^{▼▼ Lit from His face}out of His sight.