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2 Kings 17
Christian Standard Bible

Israel’s King Hoshea

17 In the twelfth year of Judah’s King Ahaz, Hoshea(A) son of Elah became king over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned nine years. 2 He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, but not like the kings of Israel who preceded him.(B)

3 King Shalmaneser(C) of Assyria attacked him,(D) and Hoshea became his vassal and paid him tribute. 4 But the king of Assyria caught Hoshea in a conspiracy: He had sent envoys to So king of Egypt(E) and had not paid tribute to the king of Assyria as in previous years.[a] Therefore the king of Assyria arrested him and put him in prison. 5 The king of Assyria invaded the whole land, marched up to Samaria, and besieged it for three years.(F)

The Fall of Samaria

6 In the ninth year of Hoshea,(G) the king of Assyria captured Samaria. He deported(H) the Israelites to Assyria and settled them in Halah, along the Habor (Gozan’s river), and in the cities of the Medes.(I)

Why Israel Fell

7 This disaster happened because the people of Israel sinned against the Lord their God who had brought them out of the land of Egypt from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt(J) and because they worshiped[b] other gods.(K) 8 They lived according to the customs of the nations that the Lord had dispossessed before the Israelites(L) and according to what the kings of Israel did.(M) 9 The Israelites secretly did things[c] against the Lord their God that were not right. They built high places in all their towns from watchtower(N) to fortified city. 10 They set up for themselves sacred pillars(O) and Asherah poles(P) on every high hill and under every green tree.(Q) 11 They burned incense there on all the high places just like the nations that the Lord had driven out before them had done. They did evil things, angering the Lord. 12 They served idols, although the Lord had told them, “You must not do this.”(R) 13 Still, the Lord warned(S) Israel and Judah through every prophet and every seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways and keep my commands and statutes according to the whole law I commanded your ancestors and sent to you through my servants the prophets.”(T)

14 But they would not listen. Instead they became obstinate like[d] their ancestors who did not believe the Lord their God.(U) 15 They rejected his statutes and his covenant he had made with their ancestors(V) and the warnings he had given them. They followed worthless idols and became worthless themselves,(W) following the surrounding nations the Lord had commanded them not to imitate.(X)

16 They abandoned all the commands of the Lord their God. They made cast images(Y) for themselves, two calves, and an Asherah pole.(Z) They bowed in worship to all the stars in the sky(AA) and served Baal.(AB) 17 They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire[e](AC) and practiced divination and interpreted omens.(AD) They devoted themselves to do what was evil in the Lord’s sight and angered him.(AE)

18 Therefore, the Lord was very angry with Israel, and he removed them from his presence.(AF) Only the tribe of Judah remained.(AG) 19 Even Judah did not keep the commands of the Lord their God(AH) but lived according to the customs Israel had practiced.(AI) 20 So the Lord rejected all the descendants of Israel, punished them, and handed them over to plunderers until he had banished them from his presence.(AJ)

Summary of Israel’s History

21 When the Lord tore(AK) Israel from the house of David, Israel made Jeroboam son of Nebat king.(AL) Then Jeroboam led Israel away from following the Lord and caused them to commit grave sin. 22 The Israelites persisted in all the sins that Jeroboam committed and did not turn away from them.(AM) 23 Finally, the Lord removed Israel from his presence just as he had declared through all his servants the prophets. So Israel has been exiled to Assyria from their homeland to this very day.(AN)

Foreign Refugees in Israel

24 Then the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and settled them in place of the Israelites in the cities of Samaria. The settlers took possession of Samaria and lived in its cities.(AO) 25 When they first lived there, they did not fear the Lord. So the Lord sent lions among them, which killed some of them.(AP) 26 The settlers said to the king of Assyria, “The nations that you have deported and placed in the cities of Samaria do not know the requirements of the god of the land. Therefore he has sent lions among them that are killing them because the people don’t know the requirements of the god of the land.”

27 Then the king of Assyria issued a command: “Send back one of the priests you deported.(AQ) Have him go and live there so he can teach them the requirements of the god of the land.” 28 So one of the priests they had deported came and lived in Bethel,(AR) and he began to teach them how they should fear the Lord.

29 But the people of each nation were still making their own gods in the cities where they lived and putting them in the shrines of the high places that the people of Samaria had made.(AS) 30 The men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashima, 31 the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire(AT) to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. 32 They feared the Lord, but they also made from their ranks priests for the high places, who were working for them at the shrines of the high places.(AU) 33 They feared the Lord, but they also worshiped their own gods(AV) according to the practice of the nations from which they had been deported.

34 They are still observing the former practices to this day. None of them fear the Lord or observe the statutes and ordinances, the law and commandments that the Lord had commanded the descendants of Jacob, whom he had given the name Israel.(AW) 35 The Lord made a covenant with Jacob’s descendants and commanded them, “Do not fear other gods; do not bow in worship to them;(AX) do not serve them; do not sacrifice to them.(AY) 36 Instead fear the Lord, who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power(AZ) and an outstretched arm.(BA) You are to bow down to him, and you are to sacrifice to him. 37 You are to be careful always(BB) to observe the statutes, the ordinances, the law, and the commandments he wrote for you; do not fear other gods. 38 Do not forget the covenant that I have made with you.(BC) Do not fear other gods, 39 but fear the Lord your God, and he will rescue you from all your enemies.”(BD)

40 However, these nations would not listen but continued observing their former practices. 41 They feared the Lord but also served their idols. Still today, their children and grandchildren continue doing as their ancestors did.(BE)

Footnotes

  1. 17:4 Lit as year by year
  2. 17:7 Lit feared
  3. 17:9 Or Israelites spoke words
  4. 17:14 Lit they stiffened their neck like the neck of
  5. 17:17 Lit They made their sons and daughters pass through the fire
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2 Kings 17
Legacy Standard Bible

Hoshea Reigns over Israel

17 In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, (A)Hoshea the son of Elah became king over Israel in Samaria and reigned nine years. 2 And he did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, only not as the kings of Israel who were before him. 3 (B)Shalmaneser king of Assyria went up (C)against him, and Hoshea became his servant and paid him tribute. 4 But the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea, who had sent messengers to So king of Egypt and had offered no tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year; therefore the king of Assyria shut him up and bound him in prison.

5 Then the king of Assyria went up against the whole land and he went up to (D)Samaria and besieged it three years.

Israel Exiled to Assyria

6 In the ninth year of Hoshea, (E)the king of Assyria captured Samaria and (F)took Israel away into exile to Assyria, and (G)settled them in Halah and Habor, on the river of (H)Gozan, and (I)in the cities of the Medes.

Israel Rejects Yahweh

7 Now (J)this happened because the sons of Israel had sinned against Yahweh their God—(K)who had brought them up from the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt—(L)and they had [a]feared other gods 8 and (M)walked in the statutes of the nations whom Yahweh had dispossessed from before the sons of Israel, and in the statutes (N)of the kings of Israel which they had made. 9 And the sons of Israel [b]did things secretly which were not right against Yahweh their God. Moreover, they built for themselves high places in all their cities, from (O)watchtower to fortified city. 10 (P)And they set for themselves sacred pillars and [c](Q)Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree, 11 and there they burned incense on all the high places as the nations did which Yahweh had taken away into exile before them; and they did evil things provoking Yahweh to anger. 12 And they served idols, (R)concerning which Yahweh had said to them, “You shall not do this thing.” 13 Yet (S)Yahweh warned Israel and Judah (T)by the hand of all His prophets and (U)every seer, saying, “(V)Turn from your evil ways and keep My commandments, My statutes according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by the hand of My slaves the prophets.” 14 However, they did not listen, but (W)stiffened their neck [d]like their fathers, who did not believe in Yahweh their God. 15 (X)They also rejected His statutes and (Y)His covenant which He cut with their fathers and His warnings with which He warned them. And (Z)they followed vanity and (AA)became vain, and went after the nations which surrounded them, concerning which (AB)Yahweh had commanded them not to do like them. 16 And they forsook all the commandments of Yahweh their God and made for themselves molten images, even (AC)two calves, and (AD)made an [e]Asherah and (AE)worshiped all the host of heaven and (AF)served Baal. 17 Then (AG)they made their sons and their daughters pass through the fire, and (AH)practiced divination and omens, and (AI)sold themselves to do what is evil in the sight of Yahweh, provoking Him to anger. 18 So Yahweh was very angry with Israel and (AJ)caused them to depart from His [f]presence; (AK)none was left except the tribe of Judah alone.

19 Also (AL)Judah did not keep the commandments of Yahweh their God, but (AM)walked in the statutes [g]which Israel had made. 20 So Yahweh rejected all the seed of Israel and afflicted them and (AN)gave them into the hand of plunderers, until He had cast them [h]from His presence.

21 When (AO)He had torn Israel from the house of David, (AP)they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king. Then (AQ)Jeroboam drove Israel away from following Yahweh and made them sin a great sin. 22 And the sons of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they did not depart from them 23 (AR)until Yahweh caused Israel to depart from His presence, (AS)as He spoke through all His slaves the prophets. (AT)So Israel went into exile from their own land to Assyria until this day.

Exiled Men in the Cities of Samaria

24 (AU)And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon and from Cuthah and from [i](AV)Avva and from (AW)Hamath and Sepharvaim, and settled them in the cities of Samaria in place of the sons of Israel. So they possessed Samaria and lived in its cities. 25 Now it happened at the beginning of their settlement there, that they (AX)did not fear Yahweh; therefore Yahweh sent lions among them which were killing them. 26 So they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, “The nations whom you have taken away into exile and settled in the cities of Samaria do not know the custom of the god of the land; so he has sent lions among them, and behold, they are putting them to death because they do not know the custom of the god of the land.”

27 Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, “Take there one of the priests whom you took away into [j]exile and let [k]him go and live there; and let him instruct them the custom of the god of the land.” 28 So one of the priests whom they had taken away into exile from Samaria came and settled at Bethel, and instructed them how they should fear Yahweh.

29 But each nation was still making gods of its own and put them (AY)in the houses of the high places which the people of Samaria had made, each nation in their cities in which they lived. 30 (AZ)And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashima, 31 and the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and (BA)the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire to (BB)Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of the (BC)Sepharvaim. 32 (BD)They were also fearing Yahweh and [l](BE)appointed from among all of themselves priests of the high places, and they were acting for them in the houses of the high places. 33 They were fearing Yahweh and serving their own gods according to the custom of the nations from among whom they had been taken away into exile.

34 To this day they are acting according to the earlier customs: they are not fearing Yahweh; they are not acting according to their statutes or their judgments or the law, or the commandment which Yahweh commanded the sons of Jacob, (BF)whom He named Israel; 35 with whom Yahweh cut a covenant and commanded them, saying, “(BG)You shall not fear other gods, nor (BH)worship them nor (BI)serve them nor sacrifice to them. 36 But Yahweh, (BJ)who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and with (BK)an outstretched arm, (BL)Him you shall fear, and to Him you shall worship, and to Him you shall sacrifice. 37 And the statutes and the judgments and the law and the commandment which He wrote for you, (BM)you shall be careful to do forever; and you shall not fear other gods. 38 And the covenant that I have cut with you, (BN)you shall not forget, nor shall you fear other gods. 39 But Yahweh your God you shall fear; and He will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.” 40 However, they did not listen, but they were acting according to their earlier custom. 41 (BO)So while these nations were fearing Yahweh, they also were serving their graven images; their children likewise and their grandchildren, as their fathers acted, so they are acting this way to this day.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 17:7 Or reverenced, so in ch
  2. 2 Kings 17:9 Or uttered words which
  3. 2 Kings 17:10 Wooden symbols of a female deity
  4. 2 Kings 17:14 Lit like the neck of
  5. 2 Kings 17:16 A wooden symbol of a female deity
  6. 2 Kings 17:18 Lit face
  7. 2 Kings 17:19 Lit of Israel which they
  8. 2 Kings 17:20 Lit from His face
  9. 2 Kings 17:24 In 2 Kin 18:34, Ivvah
  10. 2 Kings 17:27 Lit exile from there
  11. 2 Kings 17:27 Lit them
  12. 2 Kings 17:32 Lit appointed from one extremity of themselves
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