2 Kings 17:7–18

Israel Exiled Because of Sin

⁷All this took place because the Israelites had sinned^q against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of Egypt^r from under the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They worshiped other gods ⁸and followed the practices of the nations^s the Lord had driven out before them, as well as the practices that the kings of Israel had introduced. ⁹The Israelites secretly did things against the Lord their God that were not right. From watchtower to fortified city^t they built themselves high places in all their towns. ¹⁰They set up sacred stones^u and Asherah poles^v on every high hill and under every spreading tree.^{w 11}At every high place they burned incense, as the nations whom the Lord had driven out before them had done. They did wicked things that aroused the Lord’s anger. ¹²They worshiped idols,^x though the Lord had said, “You shall not do this.”^{b 13}The Lord warned^y Israel and Judah through all his prophets and seers:^z “Turn from your evil ways.^a Observe my commands and decrees, in accordance with the entire Law that I commanded your ancestors to obey and that I delivered to you through my servants the prophets.”^b

¹⁴But they would not listen and were as stiff-necked^c as their ancestors, who did not trust in the Lord their God. ¹⁵They rejected his decrees and the covenant^d he had made with their ancestors and the statutes he had warned them to keep. They followed worthless idols^e and themselves became worthless.^f They imitated the nations^g around them although the Lord had ordered them, “Do not do as they do.”

¹⁶They forsook all the commands of the Lord their God and made for themselves two idols cast in the shape of calves,^h and an Asherahⁱ pole. They bowed down to all the starry hosts,^j and they worshiped Baal.^{k 17}They sacrificed^l their sons and daughters in the fire. They practiced divination and sought omens^m and soldⁿ themselves to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger.

¹⁸So the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them from his presence.^o Only the tribe of Judah was left,