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)

Judah’s King Hezekiah

18 In the third year of Israel’s King Hoshea^(BF) son of Elah, Hezekiah^(BG) son of Ahaz became king of Judah. ² He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abi^[f] daughter of Zechariah. ³ He did what was right in the Lord’s sight just as his ancestor David had done.^{(BH) 4} He removed the high places, shattered the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles.^(BI) He broke into pieces the bronze snake that Moses made,^(BJ) for until then the Israelites were burning incense to it. It was called Nehushtan.^[g]

⁵ Hezekiah relied on the Lord God of Israel;^(BK) not one of the kings of Judah was like him, either before him or after him.^{(BL) 6} He remained faithful to the Lord^(BM) and did not turn from following him but kept the commands the Lord had commanded Moses.

⁷ The Lord was with him, and wherever he went he prospered.^(BN) He rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him.^{(BO) 8} He defeated the Philistines as far as Gaza and its borders,^(BP) from watchtower^(BQ) to fortified city.

Review of Israel’s Fall

⁹ In the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Israel’s King Hoshea son of Elah, Assyria’s King Shalmaneser marched against Samaria and besieged it.^{(BR) 10} The Assyrians captured it at the end of three years. In the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was the ninth year of Israel’s King Hoshea, Samaria was captured. ¹¹ The king of Assyria deported the Israelites to Assyria and put them in Halah, along the Habor (Gozan’s river), and in the cities of the Medes,^{(BS) 12} because they did not listen to the Lord their God but violated his covenant—all he had commanded Moses the servant of the Lord. They did not listen, and they did not obey.^(BT)

Sennacherib’s Invasion

¹³ In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Assyria’s King Sennacherib attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them.^{(BU) 14} So King Hezekiah of Judah sent word to the king of Assyria at Lachish:^(BV) “I have done wrong;^(BW) withdraw from me. Whatever you demand from me, I will pay.” The king of Assyria demanded eleven tons^[h] of silver and one ton^[i] of gold from King Hezekiah of Judah. ¹⁵ So Hezekiah gave him all the silver found in the Lord’s temple and in the treasuries of the king’s palace.

¹⁶ At that time Hezekiah stripped the gold from the doors of the Lord’s sanctuary and from the doorposts he had overlaid and gave it to the king of Assyria.^(BX)

¹⁷ Then the king of Assyria sent the field marshal,^(BY) the chief of staff, and his royal spokesman, along with a massive army, from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem.^(BZ) They advanced and came to Jerusalem, and^[j] they took their position by the aqueduct of the upper pool, by the road to the Launderer’s Field.^{(CA) 18} They called for the king, but Eliakim^(CB) son of Hilkiah, who was in charge of the palace, Shebnah^(CC) the court secretary, and Joah son of Asaph, the court historian, came out to them.^(CD)

The Royal Spokesman’s Speech

¹⁹ Then^(CE) the royal spokesman said to them, “Tell Hezekiah this is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: ‘What are you relying on?^{[k](CF) 20} You think mere words are strategy and strength for war. Who are you now relying on so that you have rebelled against me?^{(CG) 21} Now look, you are relying on Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff^(CH) that will pierce the hand of anyone who grabs it and leans on it.^(CI) This is what Pharaoh king of Egypt is to all who rely on him. ²² Suppose you say to me, “We rely on the Lord our God.” Isn’t he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed,^(CJ) saying to Judah and to Jerusalem, “You must worship at this altar in Jerusalem”?’

²³ “So now, make a bargain with my master the king of Assyria. I’ll give you two thousand horses if you’re able to supply riders for them! ²⁴ How then can you drive back a single officer^(CK) among the least of my master’s servants? How can you rely on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? ²⁵ Now, have I attacked this place to destroy it without the Lord’s approval?^(CL) The Lord said to me, ‘Attack this land and destroy it.’”

²⁶ Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, Shebnah, and Joah said to the royal spokesman, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic,^(CM) since we understand it. Don’t speak with us in Hebrew^[l] within earshot of the people on the wall.”

²⁷ But the royal spokesman said to them, “Has my master sent me to speak these words only to your master and to you? Hasn’t he also sent me to the men who sit on the wall, destined with you to eat their own excrement and drink their own urine?” ^(CN)

²⁸ The royal spokesman stood and called out loudly in Hebrew: “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria. ²⁹ This is what the king says: ‘Don’t let Hezekiah deceive^(CO) you; he can’t rescue you from my power.^{(CP) 30} Don’t let Hezekiah persuade you to rely on the Lord by saying, “Certainly the Lord will rescue us! This city will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.”’^(CQ)

³¹ “Don’t listen to Hezekiah, for this is what the king of Assyria says: ‘Make peace^[m] with me and surrender to me. Then each of you may eat from his own vine and his own fig tree,^(CR) and each may drink water from his own cistern ³² until I come and take you away to a land like your own land—a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey^(CS)—so that you may live^(CT) and not die. But don’t listen to Hezekiah when he misleads you, saying, “The Lord will rescue us.” ³³ Has any of the gods of the nations ever rescued^(CU) his land from the power of the king of Assyria? ³⁴ Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?^[n] Have they rescued Samaria from my power?^{(CV) 35} Who among all the gods of the lands has rescued his land from my power? So will the Lord rescue Jerusalem from my power?’” ^(CW)

³⁶ But the people kept silent; they did not answer him at all, for the king’s command was, “Don’t answer him.” ³⁷ Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was in charge of the palace, Shebna the court secretary, and Joah son of Asaph, the court historian,^(CX) came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn^(CY) and reported to him the words of the royal spokesman.

Jesus Shares the Sorrow of Death

²⁸ Having said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.”

²⁹ As soon as Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him.^{(A) 30} Jesus had not yet come into the village but was still in the place where Martha had met him. ³¹ The Jews who were with her in the house consoling her saw that Mary got up quickly and went out. They followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb^(B) to cry there.

³² As soon as Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet^(C) and told him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died!”

³³ When Jesus saw her crying, and the Jews who had come with her crying, he was deeply moved^[a] in his spirit^(D) and troubled. ³⁴ “Where have you put him?” he asked.

“Lord,” they told him, “come and see.”

³⁵ Jesus wept.^(E)

³⁶ So the Jews said, “See how he loved^(F) him!” ³⁷ But some of them said, “Couldn’t he who opened the blind man’s eyes^(G) also have kept this man from dying?”

The Seventh Sign: Raising Lazarus from the Dead

³⁸ Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it.^{(H) 39} “Remove the stone,” Jesus said.

Martha, the dead man’s sister, told him, “Lord, there is already a stench because he has been dead four days.”

⁴⁰ Jesus said to her, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believed you would see the glory^(I) of God?”^(J)

⁴¹ So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised his eyes and said, “Father, I thank^(K) you that you heard me.^{(L) 42} I know that you always hear me, but because of the crowd standing here I said this, so that they may believe you sent^(M) me.” ⁴³ After he said this, he shouted with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” ⁴⁴ The dead man came out bound hand and foot with linen strips and with his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unwrap him and let him go.”

Psalm 71

God’s Help in Old Age