2 Kings 17
1 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.
Elah’s son Hoshea began to rule Israel after King Ahaz had ruled Judah for twelve years. Hoshea ruled in Samaria for nine years.
2 And he did the thing that was wicked in the eyes of Yahweh, —only, not like the kings of Israel who were before him.
He did many things that Yahweh considered to be evil, but he did not do as many evil things as the previous kings of Israel had done.
3 Against him, came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria, —and Hoshea became his servant, and rendered him a present.
[The army of] King Shalmaneser of Assyria attacked and defeated [the army of] King Hoshea. As a result, the Israelis were forced to pay a lot of tribute/taxes to Assyria each year.
4 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.
But several years later, Hoshea secretly planned to rebel against the rulers of Assyria. He sent messengers to So/Osorkon, the king of Egypt, [asking if his army could help the Israelis fight against the army of Assyria]. Hoshea also stopped paying the tribute/taxes that he had been paying to Assyria every year. But the king of Assyria found out about those things, so he told his officers to put Hoshea in prison.
5 And the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, —yea he came up to Samaria, and besieged it three years.
Then he [brought the army of] Assyria to Israel, and they attacked everywhere in that land. His army surrounded Samaria [city] for three years.
6 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.
Finally, after King Hoshea had been ruling Israel for nine years, the army of Assyria [MTY] [forcefully entered] the city [and] captured [the people]. They took the Israeli people to Assyria and forced some of them to live in Halah [town]. They forced others to live near the Habor River in Gozan district. They forced others to live in the towns where the Mede people-group lived.
7 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;
Those things happened because the Israeli people had sinned against Yahweh their God. He had rescued their [ancestors] from the power [MTY] of the king of Egypt and brought them [safely] out of Egypt, but later they began to worship other gods.
8 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.
They imitated the things that the heathen/pagan people-groups did. Those were the groups that Yahweh had expelled as the Israelis occupied their land. The Israeli people also did the evil things that the kings of Israel (introduced/showed to them).
9 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.
The Israeli people also secretly did many things that were not pleasing to Yahweh their God. They built shrines [to worship idols] in all their cities, including small towns and big cities with walls around them.
10 And they set up for themselves pillars and Sacred Stems, upon every high hill, and under every green tree;
They set up stone pillars [to honor gods], and poles [to worship the goddess] Asherah at the top of every high hill and under every [big] tree.
11 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;
The Israelis burned incense in every place where they worshiped those gods, just like the people-groups who lived there previously had done—the groups that Yahweh had expelled from the land. The Israelis did many wicked things that caused Yahweh to become angry.
12 and they served the manufactured gods, as to which Yahweh had said to them, Ye shall not do this thing.
Yahweh warned them many times that they should not worship idols, but they did it anyway.
13 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.
Yahweh frequently sent his prophets and (seers/those who saw visions from Yahweh) to warn the people of Israel and the people of Judah. The message that Yahweh gave them was, “Turn away from all your evil behavior. Obey my commands and my laws, the laws that I told your ancestors [to obey] and which I told the prophets who served me to tell to you [again].”
14 Howbeit they hearkened not, —but stiffened their neck, like the neck of their fathers, who trusted not in Yahweh their God;
But the Israeli people would not pay attention. They were stubborn [IDM] just like their ancestors were. Just like their ancestors did, they refused to believe in Yahweh their God.
15 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.
They rejected Yahweh’s laws and the agreement that he had made with their ancestors. They ignored Yahweh’s warnings. They worshiped worthless idols and as a result they themselves became worthless. Although Yahweh had commanded them not to imitate the evil behavior of the people-groups that lived near them, they disobeyed that command.
16 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;
The Israeli people disobeyed all of Yahweh’s commands. They made two metal calves [to worship]. They set up two poles [to worship the goddess] Asherah, and they worshiped [the god] Baal, and the sun, the moon, and the stars.
17 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.
They also burned their own sons and daughters to be sacrifices [to those gods]. They went to fortune-tellers and they practiced sorcery. They continually chose [MET] to do [all kinds of] evil things that caused Yahweh to become angry.
18 So Yahweh shewed himself exceeding angry with Israel, and removed them from his presence, —there was none left, save the tribe of Judah, alone.
So, because Yahweh was very angry with the Israeli people, he allowed [their enemies] to take them away [from their country]. Only the people of the tribe of Judah were left [in the land].
19 Even Judah, kept not the commandments of Yahweh their God, —but walked in the statutes of Israel, which they had made.
But even the people of Judah did not obey the commands of Yahweh their God. They imitated the evil customs that the Israelis had introduced.
20 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;
So Yahweh rejected all the people of Israel and of Judah. He punished them by allowing the armies of other nations to defeat them [and take them away]. He got rid of all of them.
21 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.
Earlier, when Yahweh allowed the people of Israel to separate/break away from the area [MTY] that King David [had estabished], they chose Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, to be their king. Then Jeroboam enticed the people of Israel to stop worshiping Yahweh [and to worship idols instead]. He led them to commit great sins.
22 And the sons of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he had committed, —they turned not away therefrom;
And the Israeli people continued to do the evil things that Jeroboam introduced. They did not turn away from those sins,
23 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.
until finally Yahweh got rid of them. That was just what his prophets had warned would happen. The Israeli people were taken away to the land of Assyria, and they still remain there.
24 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.
The king of Assyria [ordered his soldiers to] take [groups of] people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim [cities] to [the] Samaria [region], and to resettle them in the towns there, to take the place of the Israelis [who lived there previously]. Those people took control over [the whole] Samaria [region] and lived in the towns there.
25 And so it was, that, when they first dwelt there, they revered not Yahweh, —therefore Yahweh sent among them, lions, which were slaying them.
But those people [who came from other countries] did not worship Yahweh when they first arrived in Samaria. So Yahweh sent lions to kill some of them.
26 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.
Then those people sent a message to the king of Assyria. They wrote, “We people who have resettled in the towns in Samaria do not know how to worship the God [that the Israelis worshiped] in this land. So he has sent lions among us to kill us, because we have not worshiped him correctly.”
27 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.
[When] the king of Assyria [read this letter, he] commanded [his officers], “You brought many priests here from Samaria. Send one of them back there. Tell him to teach the people who are now living there how to worship correctly the God whom the Israelis worshiped in that land.”
28 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.
So [the officers did that]. They sent one of the Israeli priests back to Samaria. That priest went to live in Bethel [city], and he taught the people there how to worship Yahweh.
29 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.
But the people [who returned from Babylon and started to live in Samaria and] continued to make their own idols. They placed them in the shrines that the Israelis had built there. The people of each people-group made idols in the cities in which they were living.
30 So then, the men of Babylon, made Succoth-benoth, and, the men of Cuth, made Nergal, and, the men of Hamath, made Ashima:
The people from Babylon made idols to represent their god Succoth-Benoth. The people from Cuthah made idols to represent their god Nergal. The people from Hamath made idols to represent their god Ashima.
31 and, the Avvites, made Nibhaz and Tartak, and, the Sepharvites, did consume their sons in the fire, to Adrammelech and Anammelech gods of Sepharvaim.
The people of Avva made idols to represent their gods Nibhaz and Tartak. The people from Sepharvaim sacrificed their own children. They completely burned them [in pits where hot fires were kept burning, ] as offerings to their gods Adrammelech and Anammelech.
32 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.
But those people also worshiped Yahweh, and they appointed from among their own groups many people to be priests at the shrines on the tops of the hills, in order that those priests could offer sacrifices for them there.
33 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.
So they revered Yahweh, but they also worshiped their own gods, just as the people living in the countries from which they had been taken to Samaria did.
34 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:
They still keep their old customs. They really do not worship Yahweh, and they do not obey all the laws and commands that Yahweh gave to the descendants of Jacob, to whom he gave the new name Israel.
35 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;
Yahweh had previously made an agreement with their ancestors, commanding them not to worship other gods or bow down to honor them or do other things to please them or offer sacrifices to them.
36 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;
He had said to them, “You must have an awesome respect for me, Yahweh, the one who brought you out of Egypt with my very great power [DOU]. I am the one whom you must bow down to honor, and I am the one to whom you must offer sacrifices.
37 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;
You must always obey the laws and commands that I [told Moses to] write for you. You must not worship other gods.
38 But, the covenant which I have solemnised with you, shall ye not forget, —So shall ye not revere other gods;
And you must not forget the agreement that I made with your ancestors. You must not revere other gods.
39 But, Yahweh your God, shall ye revere, —then will, he, deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies.
Instead, you must revere me, Yahweh, your God. If you do that, I will rescue you from the power [MTY] of all your enemies.”
40 Howbeit they hearkened not, —but, according to their own former custom, were they offering.
But the people [from those foreign nations] would not heed what Yahweh said. Instead, they continued to adhere to their old customs.
41 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.
So, they worshiped Yahweh, but they also worshiped their idols. And their descendants still do the same thing.
