^17:29But each of these nations made⁵⁰ its own gods and put them in the shrines on the high places that the people of Samaria⁵¹ had made. Each nation did this in the cities where they lived. ^17:30The people from Babylon made Succoth Benoth,⁵² the people from Cuth made Nergal,⁵³ the people from Hamath made Ashima,⁵⁴^17:31the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak,⁵⁵ and the Sepharvites burned their sons in the fire as an offering to Adrammelech and Anammelech,⁵⁶ the gods of Sepharvaim. ^17:32At the same time they worshiped⁵⁷ the Lord. They appointed some of their own people to serve as priests in the shrines on the high places.⁵⁸^17:33They were worshiping⁵⁹ the Lord and at the same time serving their own gods in accordance with the practices of the nations from which they had been deported.

^17:34To this very day they observe their earlier practices. They do not worship⁶⁰ the Lord; they do not obey the rules, regulations, law, and commandments that the Lord gave⁶¹ the descendants of Jacob, whom he renamed Israel. ^17:35The Lord made an agreement⁶² with them⁶³ and instructed them, “You must not worship other gods. Do not bow down to them, serve them, or offer sacrifices to them. ^17:36Instead you must worship the Lord, who brought you up from the land of Egypt by his great power and military ability;⁶⁴ bow down to him and offer sacrifices to him. ^17:37You must carefully obey at all times the rules, regulations, law, and commandments he wrote down for you. You must not worship other gods. ^17:38You must never forget the agreement I made with you, and you must not worship other gods. ^17:39Instead you must worship the Lord your God; then he will rescue you from the power of all your enemies.” ^17:40But they⁶⁵ pay no attention; instead they observe their earlier practices. ^17:41These nations are worshiping the Lord and at the same time serving their idols; their sons and grandsons do just as their fathers have done, to this very day.

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Footnotes

48 For location see ; ; ; ; .
49 Heb “fear.”
50 The verb “make” refers to the production of idols. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (), .
51 Heb “Samaritans.” This refers to the Israelites who had been deported from the land.
52 No deity is known by the name Succoth Benoth in extant Mesopotamian literature. For speculation as to the identity of this deity, see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (), .
53 Nergal was a Mesopotamian god of the underworld.
54 This deity is unknown in extra-biblical literature. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (), .
55 Nibhaz and Tartak were two Elamite deities. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (), .
56sn Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of the Sepharvaim are unknown in extra-biblical literature. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (), .
57 Heb “feared.”
58 Heb “and they appointed for themselves from their whole people priests for the high places and they were serving for them in the house[s] of the high places.”
59 Heb “fearing.”
60 Heb “fear.”
61 Heb “commanded.”
62 Or “covenant.”
63 That is, the descendants of Jacob/Israel (see v. 35b).
64 Heb “and outstretched arm.”
65 This refers to the foreigners whom the king of Assyria settled in the land (see v. 35a).