2 Kings 17:7–41

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, ¹⁹and even Judah did not keep the commands of the Lord their God. They followed the practices Israel had introduced.^{p 20}Therefore the Lord rejected all the people of Israel; he afflicted them and gave them into the hands of plunderers,^q until he thrust them from his presence.^r

²¹When he tore^s Israel away from the house of David, they made Jeroboam son of Nebat their king.^t Jeroboam enticed Israel away from following the Lord and caused them to commit a great sin.^{u 22}The Israelites persisted in all the sins of Jeroboam and did not turn away from them ²³until the Lord removed them from his presence,^v as he had warned^w through all his servants the prophets. So the people of Israel were taken from their homeland^x into exile in Assyria, and they are still there.

Samaria Resettled

²⁴The king of Assyria^y brought people from Babylon, Kuthah, Avva, Hamath and Sepharvaim^z and settled them in the towns of Samaria to replace the Israelites. They took over Samaria and lived in its towns. ²⁵When they first lived there, they did not worship the Lord; so he sent lions^a among them and they killed some of the people. ²⁶It was reported to the king of Assyria: “The people you deported and resettled in the towns of Samaria do not know what the god of that country requires. He has sent lions among them, which are killing them off, because the people do not know what he requires.”

²⁷Then the king of Assyria gave this order: “Have one of the priests you took captive from Samaria go back to live there and teach the people what the god of the land requires.” ²⁸So one of the priests who had been exiled from Samaria came to live in Bethel and taught them how to worship the Lord.

²⁹Nevertheless, each national group made its own gods in the several towns^b where they settled, and set them up in the shrines^c the people of Samaria had made at the high places.^{d 30}The people from Babylon made Sukkoth Benoth, those from Kuthah made Nergal, and those from Hamath made Ashima; ³¹the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire as sacrifices to Adrammelek^e and Anammelek, the gods of Sepharvaim.^{f 32}They worshiped the Lord, but they also appointed all sorts^g of their own people to officiate for them as priests in the shrines at the high places. ³³They worshiped the Lord, but they also served their own gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they had been brought.

³⁴To this day they persist in their former practices. They neither worship the Lord nor adhere to the decrees and regulations, the laws and commands that the Lord gave the descendants of Jacob, whom he named Israel.^{h 35}When the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites, he commanded them: “Do not worshipⁱ any other gods or bow down to them, serve them or sacrifice to them.^{j 36}But the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt with mighty power and outstretched arm,^k is the one you must worship. To him you shall bow down and to him offer sacrifices. ³⁷You must always be careful^l to keep the decrees^m and regulations, the laws and commands he wrote for you. Do not worship other gods. ³⁸Do not forgetⁿ the covenant I have made with you, and do not worship other gods. ³⁹Rather, worship the Lord your God; it is he who will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.”

⁴⁰They would not listen, however, but persisted in their former practices. ⁴¹Even while these people were worshiping the Lord,^o they were serving their idols. To this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their ancestors did.