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 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 what is evil in the eyes of the Lord, but not like 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 Shalmanesser, the king of Assyria; and Hoshea' 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 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.
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 Assyria came up over all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it 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 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 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 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,
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 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 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 [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 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 had set themselves up statues and groves on every high hill, and under every green tree;
They also set up stone 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;
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 had served the idols, whereof the Lord had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing.
they worshiped idols, about which Yahweh had said to them, “You will 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 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 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; instead they were very stubborn like their fathers who did not trust in Yahweh 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 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 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 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 enchantments, and sold themselves to do what is evil in the eyes of the Lord, to provoke him to anger.
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 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.
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 Also Judah kept not the commandments of the Lord their God, but walked in the customs of Israel which they had made.
Even Judah did not keep the commandments of Yahweh their God, and they followed the practices that Israel had done.
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 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 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;
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 sins of Jerobo'am which he did; they departed not therefrom.
The people of Israel followed all the sins of Jeroboam and they did not depart 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.
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 [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.
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 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.
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 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 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 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, 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 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.
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 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.
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 Succoth-benoth, and the men of Cuth made Neregal, and the men of Chamath made Ashima.
The people of Babylon made Succoth Benoth; the people of Kuthah made Nergal; the people 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. The Sepharvites burned their children in the fire to Adrammelek and Anammelek, the gods of the Sepharvites.
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.
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 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 honored Yahweh and also worshiped their own gods, in the customs of the nations from among whom they had been taken 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 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 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;
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 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;
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 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.
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 And the covenant that I have made with you shall ye not forget; 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 the Lord your God shall ye fear; and he will deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies.
But Yahweh your God is who you will honor. He will rescue you from the might of your enemies.”
40 Nevertheless they have not hearkened, but they act after their former manner.
They would not listen, because they continued to do what they had done in the past.
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 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.
