17 In the 12th year of King Aʹhaz of Judah, Ho·sheʹa the son of Eʹlah became king over Isra'Al in Sa·marʹi·a; he ruled for nine years. 2 He continued to do what was bad in Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah}’s eyes, only not to the extent of the kings of Isra'Al prior to him. 3 King Shal·man·eʹser of As·syrʹi·a came up against him, and Ho·sheʹa became his servant and began to pay tribute to him. 4 However, the king of As·syrʹi·a learned that Ho·sheʹa was involved in a conspiracy, for he had sent messengers to King So of Egypt and did not bring the tribute up to the king of As·syrʹi·a as in former years. Therefore, the king of As·syrʹi·a kept him confined and bound in prison.
5 The king of As·syrʹi·a invaded the entire land, and he came to Sa·marʹi·a and laid siege to it for three years. 6 In the ninth year of Ho·sheʹa, the king of As·syrʹi·a captured Sa·marʹi·a. He then led the people of Isra'Al into exile in As·syrʹi·a and made them dwell in Haʹlah and in Haʹbor at the river Goʹzan and in the cities of the Medes.
7 This happened because the people of Isra'Al had sinned against Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} their Al {pre. Ahl}, who brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the control of Pharʹaoh king of Egypt. They worshipped other gods, 8 they followed the customs of the nations that Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} had driven out from before the Isra'Al·ites, and they followed the customs that the kings of Isra'Al had established.
9 The Isra'Al·ites were pursuing the things that were not right according to Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} their Al {pre. Ahl}. They kept building high places in all their cities, from watchtower to fortified city. 10 They kept setting up for themselves sacred pillars and sacred poles on every high hill and under every luxuriant tree; 11 and on all the high places they would make sacrificial smoke just as the nations did that Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} had driven into exile from before them. They kept doing wicked things to offend Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah}.
12 They continued to serve disgusting idols, about which Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} had told them: “You must not do this!” 13 Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} kept warning Isra'Al and Judah through all his prophets and every visionary, saying: “Turn back from your wicked ways! Keep my commandments and my statutes according to all the law that I commanded your forefathers and that I sent to you through my servants the prophets.” 14 But they did not listen, and they remained just as stubborn as their forefathers who had not shown faith in Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} their Al {pre. Ahl}. 15 They continued rejecting his regulations and his covenant that he had made with their forefathers and his reminders that he had given to warn them, and they kept following worthless idols and became worthless themselves, imitating the nations all around them that Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} had commanded them not to imitate.
16 They kept leaving all the commandments of Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} their Al {pre. Ahl}, and they made metal statues of two calves and a sacred pole, and they bowed down to all the army of the heavens and served Baʹal. 17 They also made their sons and their daughters pass through the fire, they practiced divination and looked for omens, and they kept devoting themselves to do what was bad in the eyes of Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah}, to offend him.
18 So Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} was very angry with Isra'Al, so that he removed them from his sight. He did not let any remain but the tribe of Judah alone.
19 Even Judah did not keep the commandments of Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} their Al {pre. Ahl}; they also walked in the customs that Isra'Al followed. 20 Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} rejected all the descendants of Isra'Al and humiliated them and gave them into the hand of plunderers, until he had cast them away from before him. 21 He ripped Isra'Al away from the house of David, and they made Yer·o·boʹam the son of Neʹbat king. But Yer·o·boʹam caused Isra'Al to stray from following Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah}, and he caused them to commit a great sin. 22 And the people of Isra'Al kept walking in all the sins that Yer·o·boʹam had committed. They did not depart from them 23 until Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} removed Isra'Al from his sight, just as he had declared through all his servants the prophets. So Isra'Al was taken into exile from its land to As·syrʹi·a, where they remain to this day.
24 The king of As·syrʹi·a then brought people from Babylon, Cuʹthah, Avʹva, Haʹmath, and Seph·ar·vaʹim and settled them in the cities of Sa·marʹi·a in place of the Isra'Al·ites; they took possession of Sa·marʹi·a and lived in its cities. 25 When they first began dwelling there, they did not fear Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah}. So Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} sent lions among them, and they killed some of the people. 26 It was reported to the king of As·syrʹi·a: “The nations that you have taken into exile and resettled in the cities of Sa·marʹi·a do not know the religion of the Al {pre. Ahl} of the land. So he keeps sending lions among them, which are putting them to death, because none of them know the religion of the Al {pre. Ahl} of the land.”
27 At that the king of As·syrʹi·a commanded: “Have one of the priests whom you took into exile from there return to live there and to teach them the religion of the Al {pre. Ahl} of the land.” 28 So one of the priests whom they had taken into exile from Sa·marʹi·a came back to live in Bethʹel, and he began to teach them how they should fear Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah}.
29 However, each different nation made their own god, which they placed in the houses of worship on the high places that the Sa·marʹi·tans had made; each different nation did so in their cities where they were living. 30 So the men of Babylon made Sucʹcoth-beʹnoth, the men of Cuth made Nerʹgal, the men of Haʹmath made A·shiʹma, 31 and the Avʹvites made Nibʹhaz and Tarʹtak. The Seʹphar·vites would burn their sons in the fire to A·dramʹme·lech and A·namʹme·lech, the gods of Seph·ar·vaʹim. 32 Although they feared Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah}, they appointed priests for the high places from the people in general, and these officiated for them at the houses of worship on the high places. 33 Thus, they feared Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah}, but they worshipped their own gods according to the religion of the nations from which they had been deported.
34 To this day they follow their former religions. None of them worship Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah}, and none follow his statutes, his judgments, the Law, and the commandment that Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} gave the sons of Yacob, whose name he changed to Isra'Al. 35 When Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} made a covenant with them, he commanded them: “You must not fear other gods, and you must not bow down to them or serve them or sacrifice to them. 36 But Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah}, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and an outstretched arm, is the One you should fear, and to him you should bow down, and to him you should sacrifice. 37 And the regulations, the judgments, the Law, and the commandment that he wrote for you, you should always follow carefully, and you must not fear other gods. 38 And you must not forget the covenant that I made with you, and you must not fear other gods. 39 But it is Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} your Al {pre. Ahl} whom you should fear, as he is the one who will rescue you out of the hand of all your enemies.”
40 But they did not obey, and they followed their former religion. 41 So these nations came to fear Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah}, but they were also serving their own graven images. Both their sons and their grandsons have done just as their forefathers did, down to this day.