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 the reign of Ahaz over Judah, Hoshea son of Elah became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria nine years.
2 And he did evil in the eyes of the Lord, only not as the kings of Israel that were before him.
And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, but not like the kings of Israel who preceded 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 vassal and paid 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.
But the king of Assyria discovered that Hoshea had conspired to send envoys to King So of Egypt, and that he had not paid tribute to the king of Assyria as in previous years. Therefore the king of Assyria arrested Hoshea and put 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 invaded the whole land, marched up to 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 captured Samaria and carried away the Israelites to Assyria, where he settled them in Halah, in Gozan by the Habor River, 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,
All this happened because the people of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They had worshiped 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 walked in the customs of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites, as well as in the practices introduced by the kings of Israel.
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 Israelites secretly did things against the LORD their God that were not right. From watchtower to fortified city, they built high places in all their cities.
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 set up for themselves sacred pillars and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree.
11 And burnt 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.
They burned incense on all the high places like the nations that the LORD had driven out before them. They did wicked things, provoking the LORD to anger.
12 And they served the idols, of which the Lord said to them, You shall not do this thing [against] the Lord.
They served idols, although the LORD had told them, “You shall 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 you 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 through all His prophets and seers, the LORD warned Israel and Judah, saying, “Turn from your wicked ways and keep My commandments and statutes, according to the entire Law that I commanded your fathers and delivered to you through My servants the prophets.”
14 But they listened not, and made their neck harder than the neck of their fathers.
But they would not listen, and they stiffened their necks like their fathers, who did not believe the LORD 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 He had made with their fathers, as well as the decrees He had given them. They pursued worthless idols and themselves became worthless, going after the surrounding nations that the LORD 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 abandoned all the commandments of the LORD their God and made for themselves two cast idols of calves and an Asherah pole. They bowed down to all the host of heaven and served 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 sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire and practiced divination and soothsaying. They devoted themselves to doing evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking 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.
So the LORD was very angry with Israel, and He removed them from His presence. Only the tribe of Judah remained,
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.
and even Judah did not keep the commandments of the LORD their God, but lived according to the customs Israel had introduced.
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 the LORD rejected all the descendants of Israel. He afflicted them and delivered them into the hands of plunderers, until He had banished them from His presence.
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.
When the LORD had torn Israel away from the house of David, they made Jeroboam son of Nebat king, and Jeroboam led Israel away from following the LORD and caused them to 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 Israelites persisted in all the sins that Jeroboam had committed and did not turn away 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.
Finally, the LORD removed Israel from His presence, as He had declared through all His servants the prophets. So Israel was exiled from their homeland into Assyria, where they are to this 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.
Then the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and settled them in the towns of Samaria to replace the Israelites. They took possession of Samaria and lived in its towns.
25 And it was so at the beginning of their establishment there [that] they feared not the Lord, and the Lord sent lions amongst them, and they killed some of them.
Now when the settlers first lived there, they did not worship the LORD, so He sent lions among them, which killed some of them.
26 And they spoke to the king of the Assyrians, saying, The nations whom you have 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 peoples that you have removed and placed in the cities of Samaria do not know the requirements of the God of the land. Because of this, He has sent lions among them, which are indeed killing them off.”
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: “Send back one of the priests you carried off from Samaria, and have him go back to live there and teach the requirements of 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.
Thus one of the priests they had carried away came and lived in Bethel, and he began to teach them how they should worship the LORD.
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 lived.
Nevertheless, the people of each nation continued to make their own gods in the cities where they had settled, and they set them up in the shrines that the people of Samaria had made on the high places.
30 And the men of Babylon made Socchoth Benith, and the men of Chuth made Ergel, and the men of Haemath made Asimath.
The men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men 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, and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech the gods of the Sepharvaim.
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 lived: 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.
So the new residents worshiped the LORD, but they also appointed for themselves priests of all sorts to serve in the shrines of 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 worshiped the LORD, but they also served their own gods according to the customs of the nations from which they had been carried 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 are still practicing their former customs. None of them worship the LORD or observe the statutes, ordinances, laws, and commandments that the LORD gave the descendants of Jacob, whom He named Israel.
35 And the Lord made a covenant with them, and charged them, saying, You shall not fear other gods, neither shall you worship them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them:
For the LORD had made a covenant with the Israelites and commanded them, “Do not worship other gods or bow down to them; do not serve them or 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 you fear, and him shall you worship; to him shall you sacrifice.
Instead, worship the LORD, who brought you out of the land of Egypt with great power and an outstretched arm. You are to bow down to Him and offer sacrifices to Him.
37 You shall observe continually the ordinances, and the judgements, and the law, and the commandments which he wrote for you to do; and you shall not fear other gods.
And you must always be careful to observe the statutes, ordinances, laws, and commandments He wrote for you. Do not worship other gods.
38 Neither shall you forget the covenant which he made with you: and you shall not fear other gods.
Do not forget the covenant I have made with you. Do not worship other gods,
39 But you shall fear the Lord your God, and he shall deliver you from all your enemies.
but worship the LORD your God, and He will deliver you from the hands of all your enemies.”
40 Neither shall you comply with their practise, which they follow.
But they would not listen, and they persisted in their former customs.
41 So these nations feared the Lord, and served their graven images: yes, their sons and their son's sons do until this day even as their fathers did.
So these nations worshiped the LORD but also served their idols, and to this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their fathers did.
