2 Kings 17:7-41

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.

19 zJudah also did not keep the commandments of the Lord their God, but walked in the customs that Israel had introduced. 20And the Lord rejected all the descendants of Israel and afflicted them aaand gave them into the hand of plunderers, until he had cast them out of his sight.

21 abWhen he had torn Israel from the house of David, acthey made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king. And Jeroboam drove Israel from following the Lord adand made them commit great sin. 22The people of Israel walked in all the sins that Jeroboam did. They did not depart from them, 23until the Lord removed Israel out of his sight, aeas he had spoken by all his servants the prophets. afSo Israel was exiled from their own land to Assyria until this day.

Assyria Resettles Samaria

24 agAnd the king of Assyria brought people from ahBabylon, Cuthah, aiAvva, ajHamath, and akSepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the people of Israel. And they took possession of Samaria and lived in its cities. 25And at the beginning of their dwelling there, they did not fear the Lord. Therefore the Lord sent lions among them, which killed some of them. 26So the king of Assyria was told, “The nations that you have carried away and placed in the cities of Samaria do not know the law of the god of the land. Therefore he has sent lions among them, and behold, they are killing them, because they do not know the law of the god of the land.” 27Then the king of Assyria commanded, “Send there one of the priests whom you carried away from there, and let him
Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew them
go and dwell there and teach them the law of the god of the land.”
28So one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and lived in amBethel and taught them how they should fear the Lord.

29But every nation still made gods of its own and put them anin the shrines of the high places that the Samaritans had made, every nation in the cities in which they lived. 30The men of aoBabylon made Succoth-benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashima, 31and the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites apburned their children in the fire to aqAdrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of arSepharvaim. 32 asThey also feared the Lord atand appointed from among themselves all sorts of people as priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the shrines of authe high places. 33So they feared the Lord but also served their own gods, after the manner of the nations from among whom they had been carried away.

34To this day they do according to the former manner. They do not fear the Lord, and they do not follow the statutes or the rules or the law or the commandment that the Lord commanded the children of Jacob, avwhom he named Israel. 35The Lord made a covenant with them and commanded them, aw“You shall not fear other gods axor bow yourselves to them or serve them or sacrifice to them, 36but ayyou shall fear the Lord, azwho brought you out of the land of Egypt with great power and bawith an outstretched arm. You shall bow yourselves to him, and to him you shall sacrifice. 37And the statutes and the rules and the law and the commandment that he wrote for you, bbyou shall always be careful to do. bcYou shall not fear other gods, 38and bdyou shall not forget the covenant that I have made with you. beYou shall not fear other gods, 39but bfyou shall fear the Lord your God, and he will deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies.” 40However, they would not listen, but they did according to their former manner.

41 bgSo these nations feared the Lord and also served their carved images. Their children did likewise, and their children’s childrenas their fathers did, so they do to this day.

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