2 Kings 17:9–23

⁹And the children of Israel did secretly against Jehovah their God things that were not right; and they built them high places in all their cities, from the watchmen’s tower to the fortified city. ¹⁰And they set them up columns and Asherahs on every high hill and under every green tree; ¹¹and there they burned incense on all the high places, as did the nations that Jehovah had carried away from before them, and they wrought wicked things to provoke Jehovah to anger; ¹²and they served idols, as to which Jehovah had said to them, Ye shall not do this thing. ¹³And Jehovah testified against Israel and against Judah, by all the prophets, all the seers, saying, Turn from your evil ways, and keep my commandments, my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you through my servants the prophets. ¹⁴But they would not hear, and hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, who did not believe in Jehovah their God. ¹⁵And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant which he had made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he had testified unto them; and they followed vanity and became vain, and went after the nations that were round about them, concerning whom Jehovah had charged them that they should not do like them. ¹⁶And they forsook all the commandments of Jehovah their God, and made them molten images, two calves, and made an Asherah, and worshipped all the host of the heavens, and served Baal; ¹⁷and they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of Jehovah, to provoke him to anger. ¹⁸Therefore Jehovah was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there remained but the tribe of Judah only. ¹⁹Also Judah kept not the commandments of Jehovah their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they had made. ²⁰And Jehovah rejected all the seed of Israel; and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of spoilers, until he had cast them out of his sight. ²¹For Israel had rent the kingdom from the house of David; and they had made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king; and Jeroboam violently turned Israel from following Jehovah, and made them sin a great sin. ²²And the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they did not depart from them: ²³until Jehovah had removed Israel out of his sight, as he had said through all his servants the prophets; and Israel was carried away out of their own land to Assyria, unto this day.