2 Kings 17
1 In the twelfth year of Achaz the king of Judah became Hoshea' the son of Elah king in Samaria over Israel, [for] 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 what is evil in the eyes of the Lord, but not like 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 Shalmanesser, the king of Assyria; and Hoshea' 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 Assyria discovered a conspiracy on Hoshea'; for he had sent messengers to So the king of Egypt, and had raised no tribute for the king of Assyria, as [before] year by year; and the king of Assyria made him prisoner, and shut him up in a 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 Assyria came up over all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it 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 Hoshea' did the king of Assyria capture Samaria, and he led Israel away as exiles into Assyria, and settled them in Chalach and in Chabor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of Media.
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 This took place, because the children of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and had 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 had walked in the customs of the nations whom the Lord had driven out from before the children of Israel, and in those of the kings of Israel, which they had made.
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 [because] the children of Israel had secretly done things that are not right against the Lord their God, and had built themselves high-places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen up to fortified cities;
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 had set themselves up statues and groves on every high hill, and under every green tree;
They set up for themselves sacred pillars and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree.
11 And had burnt there incense on all the high-places, like the nations that the Lord had led away exiles before them; and wrought wicked things 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 had served the idols, whereof the Lord had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing.
They served idols, although the LORD had told them, “You shall not do this thing.”
13 The Lord had indeed warned Israel and Judah, by means of all the prophets, all the seers, saying, Turn ye back from your evil ways, and keep my commandments [and] my statutes, in accordance with all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I have sent to you by means 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 would not hear, and hardened their neck, like the neck of their fathers, who had not believed in the Lord their God;
But they would not listen, and they stiffened their necks like their fathers, who did not believe the LORD their God.
15 And they despised his statutes, and his covenant which he had made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he had entrusted to them; and they followed after what is vanity, and became vain, and followed after the nations that were round about them, concerning whom the Lord had charged them, not to do like them.
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 And they forsook all the commandments of the Lord their God, and made themselves molten images, two calves, and made a grove, and bowed down to all the host of the heavens, and served Ba'al;
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 enchantments, and sold themselves to do what is evil in the eyes of the Lord, to provoke him to anger.
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 Therefore became the Lord very angry with Israel, and he removed them from his presence: there was none left but the tribe of Judah alone.
So the LORD was very angry with Israel, and He removed them from His presence. Only the tribe of Judah remained,
19 Also Judah kept not the commandments of the Lord their God, but walked in the customs of Israel which they had made.
and even Judah did not keep the commandments of the LORD their God, but lived according to the customs Israel had introduced.
20 Therefore did the Lord reject all the seed of Israel, and he afflicted them, and gave them up into the hand of spoilers, until that he had 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 For Israel had torn themselves from the house of David, and they made Jerobo'am the son of Nebat king: and Jerobo'am misled Israel from following the Lord, and caused them to commit 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 sins of Jerobo'am which he did; they departed not therefrom.
The Israelites persisted in all the sins that Jeroboam had committed and did not turn away from them.
23 Until that the Lord removed Israel out of his presence, as he had spoken by means of all his servants the prophets; and Israel was led away as exiles out of their own land to Assyria even 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 [men] from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from 'Avva, and from Chamath, and from Sepharvayim, and settled them in the cities of Samaria in the room of the children of Israel: and they took possession of Samaria, and dwelt 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 happened at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not the Lord; wherefore the Lord sent among them lions, which slew 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 said to the king of Assyria, as followeth, The nations that thou hast led away, and settled in the cities of Samaria, know not the manner of the God of the land; wherefore he hath sent among them lions, and, behold, they are slaying them, since 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 Then commanded the king of Assyria, saying, Carry thither one of the priests whom ye led away from there; and let them go and dwell there, and let him 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 there came one of the priests whom they had led away as exiles from Samaria, and dwelt in Beth-el; and he 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 Yet they made, every nation, their own gods; and they put them in the houses of the high-places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities wherein they dwelt.
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 Succoth-benoth, and the men of Cuth made Neregal, and the men of Chamath made Ashima.
The men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashima,
31 And the 'Avvites made Nibchaz and Tharthak, and the Sepharvites burnt their children in fire to 'Adrammelech and 'Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvayim.
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 [also] the Lord; and they made unto themselves of the lowest of them priests of the high-places, and these sacrificed for them in the houses 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 The Lord did they fear, and their own gods did they serve, after the manner of the nations whence they had been led away.
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 Even until this day do they act after the former manners: they fear not the Lord, neither do they act after their own customs, and after their manner, nor after the law and after the commandment which the Lord commanded the children of Israel, whose name he styled 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 With whom the Lord had made a covenant, and charged them, saying, Ye shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves down to 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 the Lord, who hath brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great might and with an outstretched arm, him alone shall ye fear, and to him shall ye bow yourselves down, and to him shall ye 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 And the statutes, and the ordinances, and the law, and the commandment, which he hath written for you, shall ye observe to do for all time; and ye 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 And the covenant that I have made with you shall ye not forget; and ye shall not fear other gods.
Do not forget the covenant I have made with you. Do not worship other gods,
39 But the Lord your God shall ye fear; and he will deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies.
but worship the LORD your God, and He will deliver you from the hands of all your enemies.”
40 Nevertheless they have not hearkened, but they act after their former manner.
But they would not listen, and they persisted in their former customs.
41 So were these nations, while they feared the Lord, also serving their graven images; and both their children and their children's children do until this day as their fathers have done.
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.
