The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Kings 17
1 In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea the son of Elah began to reign
in Samaria over Israel for nine years.
2 He did that which was evil in Yahweh’s
sight, yet not as the kings of Israel who
were before him.
3 Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up
against him; and Hoshea became his servant, and brought him tribute.
4 The king of Assyria discovered a 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 seized him, and bound him in
prison.
5 Then the king of Assyria came up
throughout all the land, went up to
Samaria, and besieged it three years.
6 In the ninth year of Hoshea the king
of Assyria took Samaria and carried Israel
away to Assyria, and placed them in Halah,
and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and
in the cities of the Medes.
7 It was so because the children of Israel
had sinned against Yahweh 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 Yahweh cast out from before
the children of Israel, and of the kings of
Israel, which they made.
9 The children of Israel secretly did
things that were not right against Yahweh
their God; and they built high places for
themselves in all their cities, from the
tower ofthe watchmen to the fortified city;
10 and they set up for themselves pillars
and Asherah poles on every high hill and
under every green tree;
11 and there they burned incense in all
the high places, as the nations whom Yahweh carried away before them did; and
they did wicked things to provoke Yahweh
to anger;
12 and they served idols, of which Yahwehhad said to them, “Youshallnot do this
thing.”
13 Yet Yahweh testified to Israel and to Judah, by every prophet and every seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways, and keep
my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded
your fathers, and which I sentto you by my
servants the prophets.”
14 Notwithstanding, they would not listen, but hardened their neck like the neck
of their fathers who didn’t believe in Yahweh their God.
15 They rejected his statutes and his
covenant that he made with their fathers,
and his testimonies which he testified
to them; and they followed vanity, and
became vain, and followed the nations
that were around them, concerning whom
Yahweh had commanded them that they
should not do like them.
16 They abandoned all the commandments of Yahweh their God, and made
molten images for themselves, even two
calves, and made an Asherah, and worshiped all the army of the sky, and served
Baal.
17 They caused their sons and their
daughters to pass through the fire, used
divination and enchantments, and sold
themselves to do that which was evil in
Yahweh’s sight, to provoke him to anger.
18 Therefore Yahweh was very angry
with Israel, and removed them out of his
sight. There was none left but the tribe of
Judah only.
19 Also Judah didn’t keep the commandments of Yahweh their God, but walked in
the statutes of Israel which they made.
20 Yahweh rejected all the offspring of
Israel, afflicted them, and delivered them
into the hands of raiders, until he had cast
them out of his sight.
21 For he tore Israel from David’s house;
and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat
king; and Jeroboam drove Israel from following Yahweh, and made them sin a great
sin.
22 The children of Israel walked in all the
sins of Jeroboam which he did; they didn’t
depart from them
23 until Yahweh removed Israel out of
his sight, as he said by all his servants the
prophets. So Israel was carried away out
of their own land to Assyria to this day.
24 The king of Assyria brought people
from Babylon, from Cuthah, from Avva,
and from Hamath and Sepharvaim, and
placed them in the cities of Samaria in- stead of the children of Israel; and they
possessed Samaria and lived in its cities.
25 So it was, at the beginning of their
dwelling there, that they didn’t fear Yahweh. Therefore Yahweh sent lions among
them, which killed some of them.
26 Therefore they spoke to the king of
Assyria, saying, “The nations which you
have carried away and placed in the cities
of Samaria don’t know the law of the god
of the land. Therefore he has sent lions
among them; and behold, they kill them,
because they don’t know the law ofthe god
of the land.”
27 Then the king of Assyria commanded,
saying, “Carry there one of the priests
whom you brought from there; and let
him† go and dwell there, and let him teach
them the law of the god of the land.”
28 So one of the priests whom they had
carried away from Samaria came and
lived in Bethel, and taught them how they
should fear Yahweh.
29 However 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 in which
they lived.
30 The men of Babylon made Succoth
Benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal,
and the men of Hamath made Ashima,
31 and the Avvites made Nibhaz and
Tartak; and the Sepharvites burned their
children in the fire to Adrammelech and
Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.
32 So they feared Yahweh, and also made
from among themselves priests of the high
places for themselves, who sacrificed for
them in the houses of the high places.
33 They feared Yahweh, and also served
their own gods, after the ways of the nations from among whom they had been
carried away.
34 To this day they do what they did before. They don’t fear Yahweh, and they do
not follow the statutes, or the ordinances,
or the law, or the commandment which
Yahweh commanded the childrenofJacob,
whom he named Israel;
35 with whom Yahweh had made a
covenant and commanded them, saying,
“You shall not fear other gods, nor bow
yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor
sacrifice to them;
36 but you shall fear Yahweh, who
brought you up out of the land of Egypt
with great power and with an outstretched
arm, and you shall bow yourselves to him,
and you shall sacrifice to him.
37 The statutes and the ordinances, and
the law and the commandment which he
wrote for you, you shall observe to do forever more. You shall not fear other gods.
38 You shall not forget the covenant that
I have made with you. You shall not fear
other gods.
39 But you shall fear Yahweh your God,
and he will deliver you out of the hand of
all your enemies.”
40 However they didn’t listen, but they
did what they did before.
41 So these nations feared Yahweh, and
also served their engraved images. Their
children did likewise, and so did their children’s children. They do as their fathers
did to this day.