2 Kings 17–18

Israel’s King Hoshea

17In the twelfth year of Judah’s King Ahaz, Hoshea ^qson of Elah became king over Israel in Samaria and reigned nine years. ²He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, but not like the kings of Israel who preceded him. ^r

³Shalmaneser ^sking of Assyria attacked him, ^tand Hoshea became his vassal and paid him tribute money. ⁴But the king of Assyria discovered Hoshea’s conspiracy. He had sent envoys to So king of Egypt ^uand had not paid tribute money to the king of Assyria as in previous years. ^vTherefore the king of Assyria arrested him and put him in prison. ⁵Then the king of Assyria invaded the whole land, marched up to Samaria, and besieged it for three years. ^w

The Fall of Samaria

⁶In the ninth year of Hoshea, ^xthe king of Assyria captured Samaria. He deported ^ythe Israelites to Assyria and settled them in Halah and by the Habor, Gozan’s river, and in the cities of the Medes. ^z

Why Israel Fell

⁷This disaster happened because the people of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God who had brought them out of the land of Egypt from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt ^aand because they had worshiped ^bother gods. ^c8They had lived according to the customs of the nations that the Lord had dispossessed before the Israelites ^dand the customs the kings of Israel had introduced. ^e9The Israelites secretly did what was not right ^fagainst the Lord their God. They built high places in all their towns from watchtower ^gto fortified city. ¹⁰They set up for themselves sacred pillars ^hand Asherah poles ⁱon every high hill and under every green tree. ^j11They burned incense on all the high places just like those nations that the Lord had driven out before them. They did evil things, provoking the Lord. ¹²They served idols, although the Lord had told them, “You must not do this.” ^k13Still, the Lord warned ^lIsrael and Judah through every prophet and every seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways and keep My commands and statutes according to all the law I commanded your ancestors and sent to you through My servants the prophets.” ^m

¹⁴But they would not listen. Instead they became obstinate like ⁿtheir ancestors who did not believe the Lord their God. ^o15They rejected His statutes and His covenant He had made with their ancestors ^pand the decrees He had given them. They pursued worthless idols and became worthless themselves, ^qfollowing the surrounding nations the Lord had commanded them not to imitate. ^r

¹⁶They abandoned all the commands of the Lord their God. They made cast images ^sfor themselves, two calves, and an Asherah pole. ^tThey worshiped the whole heavenly host ^uand served Baal. ^v17They made their sons and daughters pass through the fire ^wand practiced divination and interpreted omens. ^xThey devoted themselves to do what was evil in the Lord’s sight and provoked Him. ^y

¹⁸Therefore, the Lord was very angry with Israel, and He removed them from His presence. ^zOnly the tribe of Judah remained. ^a19Even Judah did not keep the commands of the Lord their God ^bbut lived according to the customs Israel had introduced. ^c20So the Lord rejected all the descendants of Israel, afflicted them, and handed them over to plunderers until He had banished them from His presence. ^d

Summary of Israel’s History

²¹When the Lord tore ^eIsrael from the house of David, Israel made Jeroboam son of Nebat king. ^fThen Jeroboam led Israel away from following the Lord and caused them to commit great sin. ²²The Israelites persisted in all the sins that Jeroboam committed and did not turn away from them. ^g23Finally, 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 until today. ^h

Foreign Refugees in Israel

²⁴Then 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. ⁱ²⁵When they first lived there, they did not fear Yahweh. So the Lord sent lions among them, which killed some of them. ^j26The settlers spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, “The nations that you have deported and placed in the cities of Samaria do not know the requirements of the God of the land. Therefore He has sent lions among them that are killing them because the people don’t know the requirements of the God of the land.”

²⁷Then the king of Assyria issued a command: “Send back one of the priests you deported. ^kHave him go and live there so he can teach them the requirements of the God of the land.” ²⁸So one of the priests they had deported came and lived in Bethel, ^land he began to teach them how they should fear Yahweh.

²⁹But the people of each nation were still making their own gods in the cities where they lived and putting them in the shrines of the high places that the people of Samaria had made. ^m30The men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashima, ³¹the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire ⁿto Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of the Sepharvaim. ³²They feared the Lord, but they also appointed from their number priests to serve them in the shrines of the high places. ^o33They feared the Lord, but they also worshiped their own gods ^paccording to the custom of the nations where they had been deported from.

³⁴They are still practicing the former customs to this day. None of them fear the Lord or observe their statutes and ordinances, the law and commandments the Lord commanded the descendants of Jacob. He had renamed him Israel. ^q35The Lord made a covenant with them and commanded them, “Do not fear other gods; do not bow down to them; ^rdo not serve them; do not sacrifice to them. ^s36Instead fear the Lord, who brought you from the land of Egypt with great power ^tand an outstretched arm. ^uYou are to bow down to Him, and you are to sacrifice to Him. ³⁷You are to be careful always ^vto observe the statutes, the ordinances, the law, and the commandments He wrote for you; do not fear other gods. ³⁸Do not forget the covenant that I have made with you. ^wDo not fear other gods, ³⁹but fear the Lord your God, and He will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.” ^x

⁴⁰However, they would not listen but continued practicing their former customs. ⁴¹These nations feared the Lord but also served their idols. Their children and grandchildren continue doing as their fathers did until today. ^y

Judah’s King Hezekiah

18In the third year of Israel’s King Hoshea ^zson of Elah, Hezekiah ^ason of Ahaz became king of Judah. ²He was 25 years old when he became king and reigned 29 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abi ^bdaughter of Zechariah. ³He did what was right in the Lord’s sight just as his ancestor David had done. ^c4He removed the high places, shattered the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles. ^dHe broke into pieces the bronze snake that Moses made, ^efor the Israelites burned incense to it up to that time. He called it Nehushtan. ^f

⁵Hezekiah trusted in the Lord God of Israel; ^gnot one of the kings of Judah was like him, either before him or after him. ^h6He remained faithful to Yahweh ⁱand did not turn from following Him but kept the commands the Lord had commanded Moses.

⁷The Lord was with him, and wherever he went he prospered. ^jHe rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him. ^k8He defeated the Philistines as far as Gaza and its borders, ^lfrom watchtower ^mto fortified city.

Review of Israel’s Fall

⁹In the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Israel’s King Hoshea son of Elah, Shalmaneser king of Assyria marched against Samaria and besieged it. ⁿ¹⁰The Assyrians captured it at the end of three years. In the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was the ninth year of Israel’s King Hoshea, Samaria was captured. ¹¹The king of Assyria deported the Israelites to Assyria and put them in Halah and by the Habor, Gozan’s river, and in the cities of the Medes, ^o12because they did not listen to the voice of the Lord their God but violated His covenant—all He had commanded Moses the servant of the Lord. They did not listen, and they did not obey. ^p

Sennacherib’s Invasion

¹³In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. ^q14So Hezekiah king of Judah sent word to the king of Assyria at Lachish, ^rsaying, “I have done wrong; ^swithdraw from me. Whatever you demand from me, I will pay.” The king of Assyria demanded 11 tons ^tof silver and one ton ^uof gold from King Hezekiah of Judah. ¹⁵So Hezekiah gave him all the silver found in the Lord’s temple and in the treasuries of the king’s palace.

¹⁶At that time Hezekiah stripped the gold from the doors of the Lord’s sanctuary and from the doorposts he had overlaid and gave it to the king of Assyria. ^v

¹⁷Then the king of Assyria sent the Tartan, ^wthe Rab-saris, and the Rabshakeh, along with a massive army, from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. ^xThey advanced and came to Jerusalem, and ^ythey took their position by the aqueduct of the upper pool, which is by the highway to the Fuller’s Field. ^z18Then they called for the king, but Eliakim ^ason of Hilkiah, who was in charge of the palace, Shebnah ^bthe court secretary, and Joah son of Asaph, the court historian, came out to them. ^c

The Rabshakeh’s Speech

¹⁹Then ^dthe Rabshakeh said to them, “Tell Hezekiah this is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: ‘What are you relying on? ^ef20You think mere words are strategy and strength for war. What are you now relying on so that you have rebelled against me? ^g21Look, you are now trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff ^hthat will enter and pierce the hand of anyone who leans on it. ⁱThis is how Pharaoh king of Egypt is to all who trust in him. ²²Suppose you say to me: We trust in the Lord our God. Isn’t He the One…