2 Kings 17:24–41

Cities of Israel Filled with Strangers

^24aThe king of Assyria brought men from Babylon and from Cuthah and from ^1bAvva and from ^cHamath and Sephar-vaim, and settled them in the cities of Samaria in place of the sons of Israel. So they possessed Samaria and lived in its cities.

²⁵At the beginning of their living there, they ^adid not fear the Lord; therefore the Lord sent lions among them which killed some of them.

²⁶So they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, “The nations whom you have carried away into exile in the cities of Samaria do not know the custom of the god of the land; so he has sent lions among them, and behold, they kill them because they do not know the custom of the god of the land.”

²⁷Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, “Take there one of the priests whom you carried away into ¹exile and let ²him go and live there; and let him teach them the custom of the god of the land.”

²⁸So one of the priests whom they had carried away into exile from Samaria came and lived at Bethel, and taught them how they should fear the Lord.

²⁹But every nation still made gods of its own and put them ^ain the houses of the high places which the people of Samaria had made, every nation in their cities in which they lived.

^30aThe men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashima,

³¹and the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and ^athe Sepharvites burned their children in the fire to ^bAdrammelech and Anammelech the gods of ^cSepharvaim.

^32aThey also feared the Lord and ^1bappointed from among themselves priests of the high places, who acted for them in the houses of the high places.

³³They feared the Lord and served their own gods according to the custom of the nations from among whom they had been carried away into exile.

³⁴To this day they do according to the earlier customs: they do not fear the Lord, nor do they ¹follow their statutes or their ordinances or the law, or the commandments which the Lord commanded the sons of Jacob, ^awhom He named Israel;

³⁵with whom the Lord made a covenant and commanded them, saying, “^aYou shall not fear other gods, nor ^bbow down yourselves to them nor ^cserve them nor sacrifice to them.

³⁶“But the Lord, ^awho brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and with ^ban outstretched arm, ^cHim 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, ^ayou shall observe to do forever; and you shall not fear other gods.

³⁸“The covenant that I have made with you, ^ayou shall not forget, nor shall you fear other gods.

³⁹“But the Lord your God you shall fear; and He will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.”

⁴⁰However, they did not listen, but they did according to their earlier custom.

^41aSo while these nations feared the Lord, they also served their ¹idols; their children likewise and their grandchildren, as their fathers did, so they do to this day.