1In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea the son of Elah to reign in Samaria over Israel , and reigned nine years . 2And he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah , yet not as the kings of Israel that were before him . 3Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria; and Hoshea became his servant , and brought him tribute . 4And 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 . 5Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria , and besieged it three years . 6In 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 .
The Exile of Israel
7And 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, 8and 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 . 9And 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 ; 10and they set them up pillars and Asherim upon every high hill , and under every green tree ; 11and 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 ; 12and they served idols , whereof Jehovah had said unto them , Ye shall not do this thing .
The Practices of the Exiled People
13Yet 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 . 14Notwithstanding, they would not hear , but hardened their neck , like to the neck of their fathers, who believed not in Jehovah their God . 15And 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 . 16And 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 . 17And 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 . 18Therefore Jehovah was very angry with Israel , and removed them out of his sight : there was none left but the tribe of Judah only . 19Also Judah kept not the commandments of Jehovah their God , but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made . 20And 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 . 21For 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 . 22And the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did ; they departed not from them ; 23until 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 .
The Legacy of Israel's Sin
24And 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 . 25And 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 . 26Wherefore 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. 27Then 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. 28So 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 . 29Howbeit 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 . 30And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth , and the men of Cuth made Nergal , and the men of Hamath made Ashima, 31and the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak ; and the Sepharvites burnt their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech , the gods of Sepharvaim . 32So 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 . 33They feared Jehovah , and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations from among whom they had been carried away . 34Unto 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 ; 35with 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 : 36but 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 : 37and 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: 38and the covenant that I have made with you ye shall not forget ; neither shall ye fear other gods: 39but Jehovah your God shall ye fear ; and he will deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies . 40Howbeit they did not hearken , but they did after their former manner . 41So 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 .