Kings IV 17
1 In the twelfth year of Achaz king of Juda began Osee the son of Ela to reign in Samaria over Israel nine years.
In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, the reign of Hoshea son of Elah began. He ruled in Samaria over Israel for nine years.
2 And he did evil in the eyes of the Lord, only not as the kings of Israel that were before him.
He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, yet not as the kings of Israel who were before him.
3 Against him came up Salamanassar king of the Assyrians; and Osee became his servant, and rendered him tribute.
Shalmaneser king of Assyria attacked him, and Hoshea became his servant and brought him tribute.
4 And the king of the Assyrians found iniquity in Osee, in that he sent messengers to Segor king of Egypt, and brought not a tribute to the king of the Assyrians in that year: and the king of the Assyrians besieged him, and bound him in the prison-house.
Then the king of Assyria realized that Hoshea had been plotting against him, for Hoshea had sent messengers to So king of Egypt; also, he offered no tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year. So the king of Assyria shut him up and bound him in prison.
5 And the king of the Assyrians went up against all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it [for] three years.
Then the king of Assyria attacked throughout all the land, and attacked Samaria and besieged it for three years.
6 In the ninth year of Osee the king of the Assyrians took Samaria, and carried Israel away to the Assyrians, and settled them in Alae, and in Abor, [near] the rivers of Gozan, and [in] the mountains of the Medes.
In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria and carried Israel away to Assyria. He put them in Halah, at the Habor River of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
7 For it came to pass that the children of Israel [had] transgressed against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharao king of Egypt, and they feared other gods,
This captivity happened because the people of Israel had sinned against Yahweh their God, who had brought them up from the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. The people had been worshiping other gods
8 and walked in the statutes of the nations which the Lord cast out before the face of the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel as many as did [such things],
and walking in the practices of the nations whom Yahweh had driven out before the people of Israel, and in the practices of the kings of Israel that they had done.
9 and [in those] of the children of Israel as many as secretly practised customs, not as [they should have done], against the Lord their God:
The people of Israel did secretly—against Yahweh their God—things that were not right. They built for themselves high places in all their cities, from the watchtower to the fortress.
10 and they built for themselves high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fortified city. And they made for themselves pillars and groves on every high hill, and under every shady tree.
They also set up stone pillars and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree.
11 And burned incense there on all high places, as the nations [did] whom the Lord removed from before them, and dealt with familiar spirits, and they carved [images] to provoke the Lord to anger.
There they burned incense in all the high places, as the nations had done, those whom Yahweh had carried away before them. The Israelites performed wicked things to provoke Yahweh to anger;
12 And they served the idols, of which the Lord said to them, Ye shall not do this thing [against] the Lord.
they worshiped idols, about which Yahweh had said to them, “You will not do this thing.”
13 And the Lord testified against Israel and against Juda, even by the hand of all his prophets, [and] of every seer, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my ordinances, and all the law which I commanded your fathers, [and] all that I sent to them by the hand of my servants the prophets.
Yet Yahweh had 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, and be careful to keep all the law I commanded your fathers, and that I sent to you by my servants the prophets.”
14 But they hearkened not, and made their neck harder than the neck of their fathers.
But they would not listen; instead they were very stubborn like their fathers who did not trust in Yahweh their God.
15 And they kept not any of his testimonies which he charged them; and they walked after vanities, and became vain, and after the nations round about them, concerning which the Lord had charged them not to do accordingly.
They rejected his statutes and the covenant that he had made with their ancestors, and the covenant decrees that he had given to them. They followed useless practices and they themselves became useless. They followed the pagan nations who were around them, those that Yahweh had commanded them not to imitate.
16 They forsook the commandments of the Lord their God, and made themselves graven images, [even] two heifers, and they made groves, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal.
They ignored all the commandments of Yahweh their God. They made cast metal figures of two calves to worship. They made an Asherah pole, and they worshiped all the stars of the heavens and Baal.
17 And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divinations and auspices, and sold themselves to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him.
They made their sons and daughters pass through the fire, they used divination and enchantments, they sold themselves to do that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, and they provoked him to anger.
18 And the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight; and there was only left the tribe of Juda quite alone.
Therefore Yahweh was very angry with Israel and removed them out of his sight. There was no one left but the tribe of Judah alone.
19 Nay even Juda kept not the commandments of the Lord their God, but they walked according to the customs of Israel which they practised, and rejected the Lord.
Even Judah did not keep the commandments of Yahweh their God, and they followed the practices that Israel had done.
20 And the Lord was angry with the whole seed of Israel, and troubled them, and gave them into the hand of them that spoiled them, until he cast them out of his presence.
So Yahweh rejected all the descendants of Israel; he afflicted them and gave them into the hand of those who would take the possession as spoil, until he had cast them out of his sight.
21 Forasmuch as Israel revolted from the house of David, and they made Jeroboam the son of Nabat king: and Jeroboam drew off Israel from following the Lord, and led them to sin a great sin.
He tore Israel from the royal line of David, and they made Jeroboam son of Nebat king. Jeroboam drove Israel away from following Yahweh and made them commit a great sin.
22 And the children of Israel walked in all the sin of Jeroboam which he committed; they departed not from it,
The people of Israel followed all the sins of Jeroboam and they did not depart from them,
23 until the Lord removed Israel from his presence, as the Lord spoke by all his servants the prophets; and Israel was removed from off their land to the Assyrians until this day.
so Yahweh removed Israel from his sight, as he had said through all his servants the prophets that he would. So Israel was carried away out of their own land to Assyria, and it is this way to this present day.
24 And the king of Assyria brought from Babylon the men of Chutha, [and men] from Aia, and from Aemath, and Seppharvaim, and they were settled in the cities of Samaria in the place of the children of Israel: and they inherited Samaria, and were settled in its cities.
The king of Assyria brought people from Babylon and from Kuthah, and from Avva, and from Hamath and Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria in place of the people of Israel. They took over Samaria and lived in its cities.
25 And it was so at the beginning of their establishment there [that] they feared not the Lord, and the Lord sent lions among them, and they slew some of them.
It happened at the beginning of their residence there that they did not honor Yahweh. So Yahweh sent lions among them which killed some of them.
26 And they spoke to the king of the Assyrians, saying, The nations whom thou hast removed and substituted in the cities of Samaria [for the Israelites], know not the manner of the God of the land: and he has sent the lions against them, and, behold, they are slaying them, because they know not the manner of the God of the land.
So they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, “The nations that you have carried away and placed in the cities of Samaria do not know the practices required by the god of the land. So he has sent lions among them, and, see, the lions are killing people there because they do not know the practices required by the god of the land.”
27 And the king of the Assyrians commanded, saying, Bring some [Israelites] thence, and let them go and dwell there, and they shall teach them the manner of the God of the land.
Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, “Take one of the priests there whom you brought from there, and let him go and live there, and let him teach them the practices required by the god of the land.”
28 And they brought one of the priests whom they had removed from Samaria, and he settled in Baethel, and taught them how they should fear the Lord.
So one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and lived in Bethel; he taught them how they should honor Yahweh.
29 But the nations made each their own gods, and put them in the house of the high places which the Samaritans [had] made, each nation in the cities in which they dwelt.
Every ethnic group made gods of their own, and put them in the high places that the Samaritans had made—every ethnic group in the cities where they lived.
30 And the men of Babylon made Socchoth Benith, and the men of Chuth made Ergel, and the men of Haemath made Asimath.
The people of Babylon made Succoth Benoth; the people of Kuthah made Nergal; the people of Hamath made Ashima;
31 And the Evites made Eblazer and Tharthac, and the [inhabitant] of Seppharvaim [did evil] when they burnt their sons in the fire to Adramelech and Anemelech, the gods of Seppharvaim.
the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak. The Sepharvites burned their children in the fire to Adrammelek and Anammelek, the gods of the Sepharvites.
32 And they feared the Lord, yet they established their abominations in the houses of the high places which they made in Samaria, each nation in the city in which they dwelt: and they feared the Lord, and they made for themselves priests of the high places, and sacrificed for themselves in the house of the high places.
They also honored Yahweh, and appointed from among themselves priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the temples at the high places.
33 And they feared the Lord, and served their gods according to the manner of the nations, whence [their lords] brought them.
They honored Yahweh and also worshiped their own gods, in the customs of the nations from among whom they had been taken away.
34 Until this day they did according to their manner: they fear [the Lord], and they do according to their customs, and according to their manner, and according to the law, and according to the commandment which the Lord commanded the sons of Jacob, whose name he made Israel.
To this day they persist in their old customs. They neither honor Yahweh, nor do they follow the statutes, decrees, the law, or the commandments that Yahweh gave to the people of Jacob—whom he named Israel—
35 And the Lord made a covenant with them, and charged them, saying, Ye shall not fear other gods, neither shall ye worship them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them:
and with whom Yahweh had made a covenant and commanded them, “You will not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor worship them, nor sacrifice to them.
36 but only to the Lord, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great strength and with a high arm: him shall ye fear, and him shall ye worship; to him shall ye sacrifice.
But Yahweh, who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and a raised arm, is the one you must honor; it is to him that you will prostrate yourselves, and it is to him that you will sacrifice.
37 Ye shall observe continually the ordinances, and the judgments, and the law, and the commandments which he wrote for you to do; and ye shall not fear other gods.
The statutes and the decrees, the law and the commandments that he wrote for you, you will keep them forever. So you must not fear other gods,
38 Neither shall ye forget the covenant which he made with you: and ye shall not fear other gods.
and the covenant that I have made with you, you will not forget; neither will you honor other gods.
39 But ye shall fear the Lord your God, and he shall deliver you from all your enemies.
But Yahweh your God is who you will honor. He will rescue you from the might of your enemies.”
40 Neither shall ye comply with their practice, which they follow.
They would not listen, because they continued to do what they had done in the past.
41 So these nations feared the Lord, and served their graven images: yea, their sons and their son's sons do until this day even as their fathers did.
So these nations feared Yahweh and they also worshiped their carved figures, and their children did the same—as did their children's children. They continue to do what their ancestors did, up to this day.
