1
In the twelfth year of Ahaz, king of Judah, Hoshea the son of Elah became··king in Samaria, and reigned over Israel nine years.
2
And he did evil in the eyes of Jehovah, only not as◦ the kings of Israel that were before him.
3
Against him came··up Shalmaneser king of’ Assyria; and Hoshea became his servant and returned him a gift◦.
4
And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea, because he had sent messengers to▵ So king of Egypt, and brought··up no◦ gift··offering to the king of Assyria, as◦ he had done year by year; and the king of Assyria detained him, and bound him in the prison house.
5
And the king of Assyria came··up against all the land, and came··up to Samaria and besieged it three years.
6
In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria, and exiled Israel unto Assyria, and caused them to dwell in Halah, and at Habor the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
7
And it was so, because◦ the sons 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,
8
and walked◦ in the statutes of the nations, whom Jehovah had dispossessed before the sons of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made.
9
And the sons of Israel covered··over things that were not honest before Jehovah their God; and they built them high··places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen* even··to the fortified city.
10
And they set··up for themselves statues and groves on every lofty hill, and under every green tree.
11
And there they burnt··incense on all the high··places, as did the nations whom Jehovah exiled before them; and they did evil things to provoke Jehovah.
12
And they served the idols, of which Jehovah had said unto them, You shall not do this thing.
13
And Jehovah testified in Israel, and in Judah, by the hand of all His prophets, every visionary, saying, Turn··back 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 upon you by the hand of my servants the prophets.
14
But they did not hear, but hardened their neck◦ as the neck◦ of their fathers, who believed not in Jehovah their God.
15
And they rejected His statutes, and His covenant which He cut with◦ their fathers, and His testimonies which He testified among◦ them; and they went after vanity◦ and became··vain◦, and after the nations who were all around them, concerning whom Jehovah had commanded that they should not▵ do as they.
16
And they forsook all the commandments of Jehovah their God, and made for themselves a molten image, two calves; and made a grove, and worshiped all the army of the heavens, and served Baal.
17
And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass··through the fire, and divined divinations, and told··fortunes, and sold themselves to do evil in the eyes of Jehovah to provoke Him.
18
And Jehovah was· very ·angry against Israel, and removed them from His face; there was none▵ left but the tribe◦ of Judah only.
19
Also Judah kept not the commandment of Jehovah their God, but walked◦ in the statutes of Israel, which they made.
20
And Jehovah rejected all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and gave them into the hand of pillagers, until He had cast them from before His face.
21
For He rent Israel from the house of David; and they made· Jeroboam the son of Nebat ·king; and Jeroboam cast··out◦ Israel away from after Jehovah, and made them sin a great sin.
22
And the sons of Israel walked◦ in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they turned· not ·aside from them;
23
until Jehovah removed Israel from before His face, as◦ He spoke by the hand of all His servants the prophets. And Israel was exiled from his ground to Assyria to◦ this day.
24
And the king of Assyria brought others from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Ḥamath, and from Sepharvaim, and caused them to dwell in the cities of Samaria instead of the sons of Israel; and they possessed Samaria and dwelt in her cities.
25
And it was, in the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not Jehovah; and Jehovah sent lions among◦ them and some among◦ them were killed.
26
And they said to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations which thou hast exiled and made to dwell in the cities of Samaria know not the manner◦* of the god of the land; and He has sent lions among them, and, behold, they put· them ·to··death, because they know not◦ the manner◦ of the god of the land.
27
And the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Make one of the priests to go thither, whom you exiled from thence; and let them go and dwell there, and let him instruct them in the manner◦ of the god of the land.
28
And one of the priests whom they exiled from Samaria came and dwelt in Bethel, and he instructed them how◦ they should fear Jehovah.
29
And it was, that they made nation by nation, their own gods, and placed them in the house of the high··places which the Samaritans had made, nation by nation in their cities in which◦ they◦ dwelt.
30
And the men◦ of Babel made Succoth-benoth, and the men◦ of Cuthah made Nergal, and the men◦ of Ḥamath made Ashima.
31
And the Avim made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites burnt··up their sons in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech the gods▵ of Sepharvaim.
32
And they were fearful of Jehovah, but made for themselves◦ from the lowest* of them, priests of the high··places, and they were making sacrifices for them◦ in the house of the high··places.
33
They were fearful of Jehovah, but they were serving their own gods, according··to the manner◦ of the nations, from whence they had been exiled.
34
Even··to this day they◦ do according··to the former manner◦: none of them fear Jehovah, and none of them do according··to their statutes, or◦ according··to their judgment, or◦ according··to the law, or◦ according··to the commandment which Jehovah commanded the sons of Jacob, to whom He set the name Israel.
35
And Jehovah cut a covenant with◦ them, and commanded them, saying, You shall not fear other gods, nor bow··down yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them.
36
But◦ Jehovah, who brought· you ·up out··of the land of Egypt with great power, and with an outstretched arm, Him shall you fear, and unto Him shall you bow· yourselves ·down, and to Him shall you sacrifice.
37
And the statutes and the judgments and the law, and the commandment which He wrote for you, you shall take··heed to do all the days; and you shall not fear other gods.
38
And the covenant which I cut with◦ you, you shall not forget, and you◦ shall not fear other gods.
39
But◦ Jehovah your God you shall fear; and He◦ will rescue you out··of the hand of all your enemies.
40
But they did not hearken, but◦ they◦ did according··to their former manner◦.
41
And these nations feared Jehovah but served their graven images; also their sons and their sons’ sons; as did their fathers, so do they◦ to◦ this day.
