5 The king of Assyria invaded the whole land, marched up to Samaria, and besieged it for three years.y

THE FALL OF SAMARIA

6 In the ninth year of Hoshea,z the king of Assyria captured Samaria. He deportedaa the Israelites to Assyria and settled them in Halah, along the Habor (Gozan’s river), and in the cities of the Medes.ab

WHY ISRAEL FELL

7 This disaster happened because the people of Israel sinned against the Lord their God who had brought them out of the land of Egypt from the power of Pharaoh king of Egyptac and because they worshipedF other gods.ad 8 They lived according to the customs of the nations that the Lord had dispossessed before the Israelitesae and according to what the kings of Israel did.af 9 The Israelites secretly did thingsG against the Lord their God that were not right. They built high places in all their towns from watchtowerag to fortified city. 10 They set up for themselves sacred pillarsah and Asherah polesai on every high hill and under every green tree.aj 11 They burned incense there on all the high places just like the nations that the Lord had driven out before them had done. They did evil things, angering the Lord. 12 They served idols, although the Lord had told them, “You must not do this.”a 13 Still, the Lord warnedb Israel and Judah through every prophet and every seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways and keep my commands and statutes according to the whole law I commanded your ancestors and sent to you through my servants the prophets.”c

14 But they would not listen. Instead they became obstinate likeA their ancestors who did not believe the Lord their God.d 15 They rejected his statutes and his covenant he had made with their ancestorse and the warnings he had given them. They followed worthless idols and became worthless themselves,f following the surrounding nations the Lord had commanded them not to imitate.g

16 They abandoned all the commands of the Lord their God. They made cast imagesh for themselves, two calves, and an Asherah pole.i They bowed in worship to all the stars in the skyj and served Baal.k 17 They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fireB,l and practiced divination and interpreted omens.m They devoted themselves to do what was evil in the Lord’s sight and angered him.n

18 Therefore, the Lord was very angry with Israel, and he removed them from his presence.o Only the tribe of Judah remained.p 19 Even Judah did not keep the commands of the Lord their Godq but lived according to the customs Israel had practiced.r 20 So the Lord rejected all the descendants of Israel, punished them, and handed them over to plunderers until he had banished them from his presence.s

SUMMARY OF ISRAEL’S HISTORY

21 When the Lord toret Israel from the house of David, Israel made Jeroboam son of Nebat king.u Then Jeroboam led Israel away from following the Lord and caused them to commit grave sin. 22 The Israelites persisted in all the sins that Jeroboam committed and did not turn away from them.v 23 Finally, the Lord removed Israel from his presence just as he had declared through all his servants the prophets. So Israel has been exiled to Assyria from their homeland to this very day.w

FOREIGN REFUGEES IN ISRAEL

24 Then the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and settled them in place of the Israelites in the cities of Samaria. The settlers took possession of Samaria and lived in its cities.x