1 Hoshea Reigns over Israel In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea the son of Elah became king over Israel in Samaria,and reignedfor nine years.
2 He did evil in the sight of the L, but not as the kings of Israel who came before him.
3 Shalmaneser V succeeded his father Tiglath-pileser III as king in 727 b.c. He ruled five years and was succeeded by Sargon II in 722 b.c.Shalmaneser [V] king of Assyria came up against him, and Hoshea became his servant and paid him tribute (money).
4 But the king of Assyria discovered a conspiracy in Hoshea, who sent messengers to So, king of Egypt, and offered no tribute to the king of Assyria, ashe had doneyear by year; therefore the king of Assyria arrested him and bound him in prison.
5 Then the king of Assyria invaded all the land [of Israel] and went up toSamaria was well-fortified and very difficult to conquer. The siege, led by Shalmaneser V, began in 725 b.c.Samaria and besieged it for three years.
6 Israel Captive In the ninth year of Hoshea,Sargon II seized the Assyrian throne after the death of Shalmaneser V and was in power when Samaria was finally captured.the king of Assyria took Samaria and carried [the people of] Israel into exile to Assyria, and settled them in Halah and in Habor, by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
7 Why Israel Fell Now this came about because the Israelites had sinned against the Ltheir God, who had brought them up from the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and they had feared [and worshiped] other gods
8 and walked in the customs of the [pagan] nations whom the Lhad driven out before the sons (descendants) of Israel, andin the pagan customs ofthe kings of Israel which they had introduced.
9 The Israelites ascribed things to the Ltheir God which were not true. They built for themselves high places [of worship] in all their towns, from [the lonely] lookout tower to the [populous] fortified city.
10 They set up for themselvessacredpillars (memorial stones) andSymbols of the goddess Asherah.Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree.
11 There they burned incense on all the high places, just as the [pagan] nations whom the Lhad deported before them; and they did evilandcontemptible things, provoking the L[to anger].
12 And they served idols, of which the Lhad said to them, “You shall not do this thing.”
13 Yet the Lwarned Israel and Judah through all His prophets and every seer, saying, “Turn 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 sent to you by My servants the prophets.”
14 However they did not listen, but stiffened their necks as did their fathers who did not believe (trust in, rely on, remain steadfast to) the Ltheir God.
15 They rejected His statutes and His covenant which He made with their fathers, as well as His warnings that he gave them. And they followed vanity [that is, false gods, idols] and became vain (empty-headed). They followed the [pagan practices of the] nations which surrounded them, although the Lhad commanded that they were not to do as they did.
16 They abandoned all the commandments of the Ltheir God and made for themselves cast images of two calves; and they made an Asherah [idol] and worshiped all the [starry] host of heaven and served Baal.
17 They made their sons and their daughters pass through the fire [as human sacrifices], and used divination [to foretell the future] and enchantments; and they sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the L, provoking Him to anger.
18 Therefore the Lwas very angry with Israel and removed them from His sight; none [of the tribes] was left except the tribe of Judah.
19 Judah did not keep the commandments of the Ltheir God either, but walked in the customs which Israel introduced.
20 So the Lrejected all the descendants of Israel (Jacob) and [repeatedly] afflicted them and handed them over to plunderers, until He had cast them out of His sight.
21 When He had torn Israel from the [royal] house of David, they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king. And Jeroboam drove Israel away from following the Land made them commit a great sin.
22 For the Israelites walked in all the [idolatrous] sins which Jeroboam committed; they did not turn from them
23 until the Lremoved Israel from His sight, just as He had foretold through all His servants the prophets. So Israel went into exile from their own land to Assyria to this day [the date of this writing].
24 Cities of Israel Filled with Strangers The king of Assyria broughtmenfrom Babylon and from Cuthah and from Avva and from Hamath and Sepharvaim, and settled them in the cities of Samaria in place of the sons (people) of Israel. They took possession of Samaria and lived in its cities.
25 Now when they began to live there, they did not fear the L; therefore the Lsent lions among them which killed some of them.
26 So the king of Assyria was told, “The nations whom you have sent into exile and settled in the cities of Samaria do not know the custom of the god of the land; so He has sent lions among them, and they are killing them because they do not know the manner of [worship demanded by] the god of the land.”
27 Then the king of Assyria commanded, “Take back [to Samaria] one of the priests whom you brought from there, and have him go and live there; and have him teach the people the custom of the god of the land.”
28 So one of the priests whom they had exiled from Samaria came [back] and lived in Bethel and taught them how they should fear [and worship] the L.
29 But every nation still made gods of its own and put them in the houses (shrines) of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in the cities where they lived.
30 The men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashima,
31 the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.
32 They also feared the Land appointed from among themselves priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places.
33 They feared the L, yet served their own gods, following the custom of the nations from among whom they had been sent into exile.
34 To this day they act in accordance with their former [pagan] customs: they do not [really] fear the L, nor do they obey their statutes and ordinances, nor the law, nor the commandments which the Lcommanded the sons (descendants) of Jacob, whom He named Israel;
35 with whom the Lhad made a covenant and commanded them, saying, “You shall not fear other gods or bow yourselves to them nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them.
36 But the L, who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and an outstretched arm, Him you shall fear, and to Him you shall bow yourselves down, and to Him you shall sacrifice.
37 The statutes and the ordinances and the law and the commandment which He wrote for you [by the hand of Moses], you shall observe and do forever. You shall not fear (worship, serve) other gods.
38 The covenant that I have made with you, you shall not forget; you shall not fear other gods.
39 But the Lyour God you shall fear [and worship]; then He will rescue you from the hands of all your enemies.”
40 However, they did not listen, but they acted in accordance with their former custom.
41 So these nations [superficially] feared the L; they also served their idols, as did their children and their children’s children, just as their fathers did, so do they to this day [the date of this writing].