2 Kings 17
1 In the twelfth year of Ahaz, king of Judah, Hoshea, the son of Elah, became king over Israel in Samaria, ruling for nine years.
In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, began Hosea son of Elah to reign in Samaria, over Israel, [and he reigned] nine years.
2 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, though not like the kings of Israel before him.
And he did the thing that was wicked in the eyes of Yahweh, —only, not like the kings of Israel who were before him.
3 Against him came up Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, and Hoshea became his servant and sent him offerings.
Against him, came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria, —and Hoshea became his servant, and rendered him a present.
4 But Hoshea's broken faith became clear to the king of Assyria because he had sent representatives to So, king of Egypt, and did not send his offering to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year: so the king of Assyria had him shut up in prison and put in chains.
Then found the king of Assyria, in Hosea, a conspiracy, in that he had sent messengers unto So king of Egypt, and had not brought up a present 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.
5 Then the king of Assyria went through all the land and came up to Samaria, shutting it in with his forces for three years.
And the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, —yea he came up to Samaria, and besieged it three years.
6 In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria, and took Israel away to Assyria, placing them in Halah and in Habor on the river Gozan, and in the towns of the Medes.
In the ninth year of Hoshea, did the king of Assyria capture Samaria, and carried Israel away captive to Assyria, —and settled them in Halah, and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and the mountains of Media.
7 And the wrath of the Lord came on Israel because they had done evil against the Lord their God, who took them out of the land of Egypt from under the yoke of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and had become worshippers of other gods,
And thus it came to pass that Israel sinned against Yahweh their God, who brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, —yea they did reverence to other gods;
8 Living by the rules of the nations whom the Lord had sent out from before the children of Israel.
and walked in the statutes of the nations, whom Yahweh had dispossessed from before the sons of Israel, —and [in the statutes] of the kings of Israel, which they had made.
9 And the children of Israel did secretly against the Lord their God things which were not right, building high places for themselves in all their towns, from the tower of the watchmen to the walled town.
And the sons of Israel did, secretly, things which were not right, against Yahweh their God, —and built for themselves high places in all their cities, from the watchmen’s tower, to the fortified city.
10 They put up pillars of stone and wood on every high hill and under every green tree:
And they set up for themselves pillars and Sacred Stems, upon every high hill, and under every green tree;
11 Burning their offerings in all the high places, as those nations did whom the Lord sent away from before them; they did evil things, moving the Lord to wrath;
and burned incense there, in all the high places, like the nations whom Yahweh drave out from before them, —and did things that were wicked, so as to provoke Yahweh to anger;
12 And they made themselves servants of disgusting things, though the Lord had said, You are not to do this.
and they served the manufactured gods, as to which Yahweh had said to them, Ye shall not do this thing.
13 And he gave witness to Israel and Judah, by every prophet and seer, saying, Come back from your evil ways, and do my orders and keep my rules, and be guided by the law which I gave to your fathers and sent to you by my servants the prophets.
And Yahweh testified against Israel and against Judah, through all his prophets—every one who had a vision, saying—Turn ye from your wicked ways, and keep my commandments, my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers; and which I sent unto you through my servants the prophets.
14 And they did not give ear, but became stiff-necked, like their fathers who had no faith in the Lord their God.
Howbeit they hearkened not, —but stiffened their neck, like the neck of their fathers, who trusted not in Yahweh their God;
15 And they went against his rules, and the agreement which he made with their fathers, and his laws which he gave them; they gave themselves up to things without sense or value, and became foolish like the nations round them, of whom the Lord had said, Do not as they do.
but rejected his statutes, and his covenant, which he solemnised with their fathers, and his testimonies wherewith he testified against them, —and followed vanity, and became vain, and followed the nations that were round about them, as to whom Yahweh charged them, so that they should not do like them.
16 And turning their backs on all the orders which the Lord had given them, they made for themselves images of metal, and the image of Asherah, worshipping all the stars of heaven and becoming servants to Baal.
But they forsook all the commandments of Yahweh their God, and made for themselves something molten—two calves, and made a Sacred Stem, and bowed themselves down to all the army of the heavens, and served Baal;
17 And they made their sons and their daughters go through the fire, and they made use of secret arts and unnatural powers, and gave themselves up to doing evil in the eyes of the Lord, till he was moved to wrath.
and made their sons and their daughters pass through the fire, and used divinations and enchantments, and sold themselves to do the thing that was wicked in the eyes of Yahweh, provoking him to wrath.
18 So the Lord was very angry with Israel, and his face was turned away from them: only the tribe of Judah kept its place.
So Yahweh shewed himself exceeding angry with Israel, and removed them from his presence, —there was none left, save the tribe of Judah, alone.
19 (But even Judah did not keep the orders of the Lord their God, but were guided by the rules which Israel had made.
Even Judah, kept not the commandments of Yahweh their God, —but walked in the statutes of Israel, which they had made.
20 So the Lord would have nothing to do with all the offspring of Israel, and sent trouble on them, and gave them up into the hands of their attackers, till he had sent them away from before his face.)
So Yahweh rejected all the seed of Israel, and humiliated them, and delivered them into the hand of spoilers, —until he had cast them out from his presence;
21 For Israel was broken off from the family of David, and they made Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, king, who, driving them away from the laws of the Lord, made them do a great sin.
for he rent Israel away from the house of David, and they made Jeroboam son of Nebat, king, —and Jeroboam thrust away Israel from following Yahweh, and caused them to commit a great sin.
22 And the children of Israel went on with all the sins which Jeroboam did; they did not keep themselves from them;
And the sons of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he had committed, —they turned not away therefrom;
23 Till the Lord put Israel away from before his face, as he had said by all his servants the prophets. So Israel was taken away from their land to Assyria, to this day.
until that Yahweh removed Israel from his presence, according as he spake through all his servants the prophets, —and so Israel was driven away from off their own soil, to Assyria, until this day.
24 Then the king of Assyria took men from Babylon and from Cuthah and Avva and Hamath and Sepharvaim, and put them in the towns of Samaria in place of the children of Israel; so they got Samaria for their heritage, living in its towns.
And the king of Assyria brought [men] from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Avvah, and from Hamath, and [from] Sepharvaim, and caused them to dwell in the cities of Samaria, instead of the sons of Israel, —so they took possession of Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof.
25 Now when first they were living there they did not give worship to the Lord. So the Lord sent lions among them, causing the death of some of them.
And so it was, that, when they first dwelt there, they revered not Yahweh, —therefore Yahweh sent among them, lions, which were slaying them.
26 So they said to the king of Assyria, The nations whom you have taken as prisoners and put in the towns of Samaria, have no knowledge of the way of the god of the land: so he has sent lions among them, causing their death, because they have no knowledge of his way.
Therefore spake they unto the king of Assyria, saying, The nations whom thou hast removed and settled in the cities of Samaria, know not the custom of the God of the land, —and he hath sent among them lions, and lo! they are slaying them, because they know not the custom of the God of the land.
27 Then the king of Assyria gave orders, saying, Send there one of the priests whom you took away, and let him be living there and teaching the people the way of the god of the land.
So the king of Assyria commanded, saying—Carry thither, one of the priests, whom ye brought away captive from thence, that they may go, and dwell there, —and teach them the custom of the God of the land.
28 So one of the priests whom they had taken away as a prisoner from Samaria came back, and, living in Beth-el, became their teacher in the worship of the Lord.
Then came one of the priests whom they had carried away captive from Samaria, and dwelt in Bethel, —and he began teaching them how they should do reverence unto Yahweh.
29 And every nation made gods for themselves, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in the towns where they were living.
Howbeit the nations severally were making their own gods, —and did put them in the houses of the high places, which, the Samaritans, had made, each several nation, in their cities wherein, they, were dwelling.
30 The men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima,
So then, the men of Babylon, made Succoth-benoth, and, the men of Cuth, made Nergal, and, the men of Hamath, made Ashima:
31 The Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites gave their children to be burned in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.
and, the Avvites, made Nibhaz and Tartak, and, the Sepharvites, did consume their sons in the fire, to Adrammelech and Anammelech gods of Sepharvaim.
32 So they went on worshipping the Lord, and made for themselves, from among all the people, priests for the high places, to make offerings for them in the houses of the high places.
Thus became they reverers of Yahweh, —and yet made for themselves, from the whole compass of them, priests of high places, who became offerers for them in the house of the high places.
33 They gave worship to the Lord, but they gave honour to their gods like the nations did from whom they had been taken as prisoners.
Yahweh, were they revering, —and yet, their own gods, were they serving, according to the custom of the nations from whence they had brought them away captive.
34 So to this day they go on in their old ways, not worshipping the Lord or keeping his orders or his ways or the law and the rule which the Lord gave to the children of Jacob, to whom he gave the name Israel;
Unto this day, are they offering according to the former customs, —they are not revering Yahweh, neither are they offering after their own statutes, or their own custom, nor yet after the law and the commandment which Yahweh commanded the sons of Jacob, whose name he made to be Israel:
35 And the Lord made an agreement with them and gave them orders, saying, You are to have no other gods; you are not to give worship to them or be their servants or make them offerings:
With, whom, Yahweh solemnised a covenant, and commanded them saying—Ye shall not revere other gods, —nor bow down to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them;
36 But the Lord, who took you out of the land of Egypt with his great power and his outstretched arm, he is your God, to whom you are to give worship and make offerings:
But, Yahweh—who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, with great might, and with arm outstretched, him, shall ye revere, —and to him, shall ye bow down, and to him, shall ye sacrifice;
37 And the rules and the orders and the law which he put in writing for you, you are to keep and do for ever; you are to have no other gods.
And, the statutes and the regulations, and the law and the commandment, which he wrote for you, shall ye surely observe to do, continually, —So shall ye not revere other gods;
38 And you are to keep in memory the agreement which I have made with you; and you are to have no other gods.
But, the covenant which I have solemnised with you, shall ye not forget, —So shall ye not revere other gods;
39 And you are to give worship to the Lord your God; for it is he who will give you salvation from the hands of all who are against you.
But, Yahweh your God, shall ye revere, —then will, he, deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies.
40 But they gave no attention, but went on in their old way.
Howbeit they hearkened not, —but, according to their own former custom, were they offering.
41 So these nations, worshipping the Lord, still were servants to the images they had made; their children and their children's children did the same; as their fathers did, so do they, to this day.
Thus were these nations doing reverence unto Yahweh, and yet, unto their own carved images, were they rendering service, —yea, their sons and their son’s sons, as the fathers offered, so are, they, offering until this day.
