2 Kings 17:7-18

Exile Because of Idolatry

7And this occurred because the people of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, awho had brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods 8 band walked in the customs of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel, cand in the customs that the kings of Israel had practiced. 9And the people of Israel did secretly against the Lord their God things that were not right. They built for themselves high places in all their towns, dfrom watchtower to fortified city. 10They set up for themselves epillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree, 11and there they made offerings on all the high places, as the nations did whom the Lord carried away before them. And they did wicked things, provoking the Lord to anger, 12and they served idols, fof which the Lord had said to them, “You shall not do this.” 13Yet the Lord gwarned Israel and Judah hby every prophet iand every seer, saying, jTurn from your evil ways and keep my commandments and my statutes, in accordance with all the Law that I commanded your fathers, and that I sent to you by my servants the prophets.”

14But they would not listen, kbut were stubborn, as their fathers had been, who did not believe in the Lord their God. 15They despised his statutes land his covenant that he made with their fathers and the warnings that he gave them. They went after mfalse idols nand became false, and they followed the nations that were around them, concerning whom the oLord had commanded them that they should not do like them. 16And they abandoned all the commandments of the Lord their God, and made for themselves metal images of ptwo calves; and they qmade an Asherah and rworshiped all the host of heaven and served sBaal. 17 tAnd they burned their sons and their daughters as offerings
Or made their sons and their daughters pass through the fire
and used vdivination and womens and xsold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger.
18Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them out of his sight. None was left but ythe tribe of Judah only.

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