2 Kings 17
1 In year two [plus] ten of Ahaz [the] king of Judah he became king Hoshea [the] son of Elah in Samaria over Israel nine years.
Hoshea, son of Elah, became king of Israel, in the twelfth year of the reign of King Ahaz of Judah. He reigned in Samaria for nine years.
2 And he did the evil in [the] eyes of Yahweh only not like [the] kings of Israel who they were before him.
He did what was evil in the Lord's sight, but not in the same way the kings of Israel who were before him.
3 On him he came up Shalmaneser [the] king of Assyria and he became of him Hoshea subject and he returned to him tribute.
Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, came and attacked him, and Hoshea submitted to him and paid him tribute.
4 And he found [the] king of Assyria in Hoshea treason that he had sent messengers to So [the] king of Egypt and not he had brought up tribute to [the] king of Assyria as a year in a year and he arrested him [the] king of Assyria and he confined him [the] house of imprisonment.
But then the king of Assyria discovered that Hoshea was being disloyal. Hoshea had sent messengers to So, king of Egypt, asking for help, and he also had stopped sending annual tribute to the king of Assyria as he had done previously. So the king of Assyria arrested Hoshea and put him in prison.
5 And he came up [the] king of Assyria in all the land and he came up Samaria and he laid siege on it three years.
Then the king of Assyria invaded the whole country, and attacked Samaria, besieging it for three years.
6 In [the] year ninth of Hoshea he captured [the] king of Assyria Samaria and he took into exile Israel Assyria towards and he caused to dwell them in Halah and on [the] Habor [the] river of Gozan and [the] cities of Media.
In the ninth year of the reign of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and deported the Israelites to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, in Gozan on the Habor River, and in the towns of the Medes.
7 And it was that they had sinned [the] people of Israel to Yahweh God their who had brought up them from [the] land of Egypt from under [the] hand of Pharaoh [the] king of Egypt and they had feared gods other.
All this happened because the people of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, the one who had led them out of Egypt, saving them from the power of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. They had worshiped other gods,
8 And they had walked in [the] customs of the nations which he had dispossessed Yahweh from before [the] people of Israel and [the] kings of Israel which they had done.
adopting the ways of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites, and the pagan practices introduced by the kings of Israel.
9 And they did secretly [the] people of Israel things which [were] not right on Yahweh God their and they built for themselves high places in all cities their from a tower of watchmen unto a city of fortification.
Secretly the Israelites did things that were not right against the Lord their God. They built high places in all their towns, from watchtowers to fortified cities.
10 And they erected for themselves sacred pillars and Asherah poles on every hill high and under every tree luxuriant.
They set up pagan stone pillars and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree.
11 And they made smoke there at all [the] high places like the nations which he had taken into exile Yahweh from before them and they did things evil to provoke to anger Yahweh.
They offered sacrifices on all the high places, just like the nations the Lord drove out before them. They did evil things, angering the Lord.
12 And they served the idols which he had said Yahweh to them not you must do the thing this.
They worshiped idols, even though the Lord had told them, “You are not to do this.”
13 And he warned Yahweh Israel and Judah by [the] hand of every ([the] prophets *Q(K)*) every seer saying turn back from ways your evil and keep commandments my statutes my according to all the law which I commanded ancestors your and which I sent to you by [the] hand of servants my the prophets.
Yet the Lord had warned Israel and Judah repeatedly through all his prophets and seers, saying, “Leave your wicked ways and keep my commandments and instructions. Follow the whole law that I ordered your forefathers to obey, and gave to you through my servants the prophets.”
14 And not they listened and they stiffened neck their like [the] neck of ancestors their who not they trusted in Yahweh God their.
But they refused listen, and they were as stubborn as their forefathers who did not trust the Lord their God.
15 And they rejected statutes his and covenant his which he had made with ancestors their and testimonies his which he warned them and they walked after vanity and they became vain and after the nations which [were] around them which he had commanded Yahweh them to not to do like them.
They gave up on his regulations and the covenant he had made with their forefathers, as well as the decrees he had given them. They followed pointless idols and they became pointless themselves, copying the nations around them that the Lord ordered them not to copy.
16 And they forsook all [the] commandments of Yahweh God their and they made for themselves a molten image (two *Q(K)*) calves and they made an Asherah pole and they bowed down to all [the] host of the heavens and they served Baal.
They ignored all the commandments of the Lord their God, and they made themselves two metal idols of calves and an Asherah pole. They bowed down in worship to the sun, moon, and stars and served Baal.
17 And they made pass sons their and daughters their in the fire and they divined divinations and they practiced divination and they sold themselves to do the evil in [the] eyes of Yahweh to provoke to anger him.
They sacrificed their sons and daughters as pagan burnt offerings, and practiced fortune-telling and witchcraft. They gave themselves over to doing what was evil in the Lord's sight, making him angry.
18 And he was angry Yahweh very with Israel and he removed them from on face his not anyone was left only [the] tribe of Judah to only it.
So the Lord was extremely angry with Israel, and he banished them from his presence. Only the tribe of Judah was left,
19 Also Judah not it kept [the] commandments of Yahweh God their and they walked in [the] customs of Israel which they had done.
but even Judah did not keep the commandments of the Lord their God, but followed the idolatry that Israel had introduced.
20 And he rejected Yahweh all [the] offspring of Israel and he afflicted them and he gave them in [the] hand of plunderers until that he threw them from before him.
The Lord gave up on all the descendants of Israel. He punished them and handed them over to their enemies, until he had banished them from his presence.
21 If he tore Israel from with [the] house of David and they made king Jeroboam [the] son of Nebat (and he enticed away *Q(K)*) Jeroboam Israel from after Yahweh and he caused to sin them a sin great.
When the Lord ripped Israel away from the house of David, they made Jeroboam, son of Nebat, their king. Jeroboam led Israel away from the Lord and made them commit terrible sins.
22 And they walked [the] people of Israel in all [the] sins of Jeroboam which he did not they turned aside from it.
The Israelites continued to practice all the sins that Jeroboam committed. They did not stop doing them,
23 Until that he removed Yahweh Israel from on face his just as he had spoken by [the] hand of all servants his the prophets and it went into exile Israel from on land its Assyria towards until the day this.
so the Lord eventually expelled them from his presence, just as he had said he would through all his servants, the prophets. So the Israelites were deported from their land and taken to Assyria, where they are to this day.
24 And he brought [people] [the] king of Assyria from Babylon and from Cuthah and from Avva and from Hamath and Sepharvaim and he caused [them] to dwell in [the] cities of Samaria in place of [the] people of Israel and they took possession of Samaria and they dwelt in cities its.
The king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Kuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and settled them in the towns of Samaria instead of the Israelites. They took over ownership of Samaria and lived in its towns.
25 And it was at [the] beginning of dwelling they there not they feared Yahweh and he sent Yahweh among them lions and they were killing in them.
When they first started living there they did not worship the Lord, so he sent lions there among them, killing some of them.
26 And people said to [the] king of Assyria saying the nations which you took into exile and you caused to dwell in [the] cities of Samaria not they know [the] custom of [the] god of the land and he has sent among them lions and there they [are] killing them since not they [are] knowing [the] custom of [the] god of the land.
The king of Assyria was told, “The peoples that you brought and settled in the towns of Samaria they don't not know the rules of the God of the land. As a result, he has sent lions among them, which are killing them off because they don't know what the God of the land requires.”
27 And he commanded [the] king of Assyria saying take there towards one from the priests whom you took into exile from there so they may go and they may dwell there so he may teach them [the] custom of [the] god of the land.
The king of Assyria gave the order: “Send back one of the priests you deported from Samaria, and let him go back and live there and teach the rules of the God of the land.”
28 And he went one from the priests whom they had taken into exile from Samaria and he dwelt in Beth-el and he was teaching them how? will they fear Yahweh.
So one of the priests who had been deported from Samaria returned to live in Bethel, and taught them how to worship the Lord.
29 And they were making nation nation own gods its and they placed [them] - in [the] house of the high places which they had made the Samaritans nation nation in own cities their where they [were] dwelling there.
But the people of the different nations went on making their own gods in the towns where they had settled, and they placed them in the shrines of the high places that the people of Samaria had made.
30 And [the] people of Babylon they made Succoth Benoth and [the] people of Cuthah they made Nergal and [the] people of Hamath they made Ashima.
Those from Babylon made Sukkoth Benoth, those from Kuthah made Nergal, and those from Hamath made Ashima.
31 And the Avvites they made Nibhaz and Tartak and the Sepharvites [were] burning children their in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech ([the] gods of Sepharvaim. *Q(K)*)
The Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites sacrificed their children as burnt offerings to their gods Adrammelech and Anammelech.
32 And they were fearing Yahweh and they appointed for themselves from among themselves priests of [the] high places and they were offering for them in [the] house of the high places.
While they worshiped the Lord, they also appointed priests from all kinds of their own people to offer sacrifices for them in the shrines of the high places.
33 Yahweh they were fearing and own gods their they were serving according to [the] custom of the nations which they had taken into exile them from there.
So even though they worshiped the Lord, they also worshiped their own gods following the practices of the nations they had come from.
34 Until the day this they [are] doing according to the customs former not they [are] fearing Yahweh and not they [are] doing according to statutes their and according to judgment their and according to the law and according to the commandment which he commanded Yahweh [the] descendants of Jacob whom he made name his Israel.
Even to this day they are still following their former practices. None of them truly worship the Lord or observe the regulations, requirements, laws, and commandments that the Lord gave to the descendants of Jacob, the one he named Israel.
35 And he made Yahweh with them a covenant and he commanded them saying not you must fear gods other and not you must bow down to them and not you must serve them and not you must sacrifice to them.
For the Lord had made an agreement with the Israelites, ordering them, “Don't worship other gods or bow down to them; don't serve them or offer sacrifices to them.
36 That except Yahweh who he brought up you from [the] land of Egypt with power great and by an arm outstretched him you will fear and to him you will bow down and to him you will sacrifice.
You must worship only the Lord, who led you out of Egypt, helping you with his great power and strong arm. Only bow down to him; only offer sacrifices to him.
37 And the statutes and the judgments and the law and the commandment which he wrote for you you will take care! to do all the days and not you must fear gods other.
Always pay attention to observe the regulations, requirements, laws, and commandments he gave you in writing, and don't worship other gods.
38 And the covenant which I made with you not you must forget and not you must fear gods other.
Don't forget the agreement I have made with you, and don't worship other gods.
39 That except Yahweh God your you will fear and he he will deliver you from [the] hand of all enemies your.
You must worship only the Lord your God, and he will save you from all your enemies.”
40 And not they listened that except according to custom their former they [were] doing.
But they refused to listen, and continued their former idolatrous practices.
41 And they were - the nations these fearing Yahweh and idols their they were serving also children their - and [the] children of children their just as they did fathers their they [are] doing until the day this.
Even while these people from different nations were worshiping the Lord, they were actually worshiping their idols. Their children and grandchildren continue to do as their forefathers did to this day.
