6 In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyriam captured Samarian and deportedo the Israelites to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, in Gozanp on the Habor River and in the towns of the Medes.

Israel Exiled Because of Sin

7 All this took place because the Israelites had sinnedq against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of Egyptr from under the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They worshiped other gods 8 and followed the practices of the nationss the Lord had driven out before them, as well as the practices that the kings of Israel had introduced. 9 The Israelites secretly did things against the Lord their God that were not right. From watchtower to fortified cityt they built themselves high places in all their towns. 10 They set up sacred stonesu and Asherah polesv 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. 12 They worshiped idols,x though the Lord had said, “You shall not do this.”b 13 The Lord warnedy 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

14 But they would not listen and were as stiff-neckedc as their ancestors, who did not trust in the Lord their God. 15 They rejected his decrees and the covenantd he had made with their ancestors and the statutes he had warned them to keep. They followed worthless idolse and themselves became worthless.f They imitated the nationsg around them although the Lord had ordered them, “Do not do as they do.”

16 They 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 sacrificedl their sons and daughters in the fire. They practiced divination and sought omensm and soldn themselves to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger.

18 So the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them from his presence.o Only the tribe of Judah was left, 19 and 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

21 When he tores 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 23 until the Lord removed them from his presence,v as he had warnedw through all his servants the prophets. So the people of Israel were taken from their homelandx into exile in Assyria, and they are still there.