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 for nine years. ² He did evil in the sight of the Lord, only not as the kings of Israel who preceded him. ^3 (B)Shalmaneser the king of Assyria marched ^(C)against him, and Hoshea became his servant and paid him tribute. ⁴ But the king of Assyria uncovered a conspiracy by Hoshea, who had sent messengers to So, king of Egypt, and had then brought no tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year; so the king of Assyria arrested him and confined him in prison.

⁵ Then the king of Assyria invaded the entire land, and went up to ^(D)Samaria and besieged it for three years.

Israel Captive

⁶ In the ninth year of Hoshea, ^(E)the king of Assyria captured Samaria and ^(F)led the people of Israel 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.

Why Israel Fell

⁷ Now ^(J)this came about because the sons of Israel had sinned against the Lord 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 They also ^[b](M)followed the ^[c]customs of the nations whom the Lord had driven out from the sons of Israel, and in the customs ^(N)of the kings of Israel which they had ^[d]introduced. ⁹ And the sons of Israel ^[e]did things secretly against the Lord their God which were not right. Moreover, they built for themselves high places in all their towns, from ^(O)watchtower to fortified city. ¹⁰ And ^(P)they set up for themselves memorial stones and ^[f](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 that the Lord had taken into exile before them; and they did evil things, provoking the Lord. ¹² They served idols, ^(R)concerning which the Lord had said to them, “You shall not do this thing.” ¹³ Yet the ^(S)Lord warned Israel and Judah ^[g](T)through all His prophets and ^(U)every seer, saying, “^(V)Turn back from your evil ways and keep My commandments and My statutes in accordance with all the Law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you ^[h]through My servants the prophets.” ¹⁴ However, they did not listen, but ^(W)stiffened their neck ^[i]like their fathers, who did not believe in the Lord their God. ^15 (X)They rejected His statutes and ^(Y)His covenant which He made with their fathers, and His warnings which He ^[j]gave them. And ^(Z)they followed ^[k]idols and ^(AA)became empty, and followed the nations that surrounded them, about which the ^(AB)Lord had commanded them not to do as they did. ¹⁶ And they abandoned all the commandments of the Lord their God and made for themselves cast metal images: ^(AC)two calves. And they ^(AD)made an ^[l]Asherah, and ^(AE)worshiped all the heavenly ^[m]lights, and ^(AF)served Baal. ¹⁷ Then ^(AG)they made their sons and their daughters pass through the fire, and they ^(AH)practiced divination and interpreting omens, and ^(AI)gave themselves over to do evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking Him. ¹⁸ So the Lord was very angry with Israel, and He ^(AJ)removed them from His ^[n]sight; ^(AK)no one was left except the tribe of Judah.

^19 (AL)Judah did not keep the commandments of the Lord their God either, but they ^[o](AM)followed the ^[p]customs ^[q]which Israel had ^[r]introduced. ²⁰ So the Lord rejected all the ^[s]descendants of Israel and afflicted them and ^(AN)handed them over to plunderers, until He had cast them ^[t]out of His sight.

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 the Lord and misled them into a great sin. ²² And the sons of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he committed; they did not desist from them ^23 (AR)until the Lord removed Israel from His sight, ^(AS)just as He had spoken through all His servants the prophets. ^(AT)So Israel went into exile from their own land to Assyria until this day.

Bear One Another’s Burdens

6 ^(A)Brothers and sisters, even if a person is caught in any wrongdoing, you who are ^(B)spiritual are to ^(C)restore such a person ^(D)in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you are not tempted as well. ^2 (E)Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill ^(F)the law of Christ. ³ For ^(G)if anyone thinks that he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. ⁴ But each one must ^(H)examine his own work, and then he will have reason for ^(I)boasting, but ^[a]to himself alone, and not ^[b]to another. ⁵ For ^(J)each one will bear his own load.

^6 (K)The one who is taught ^(L)the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him. ^7 (M)Do not be deceived, ^(N)God is not mocked; for ^(O)whatever a person sows, this he will also reap. ^8 (P)For the one who sows to his own flesh will reap ^(Q)destruction from the flesh, but ^(R)the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit. ^9 (S)Let’s not become discouraged in doing good, for in due time we will reap, if we ^(T)do not become weary. ¹⁰ So then, ^[c](U)while we have opportunity, let’s do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the ^(V)household of ^(W)the faith.

¹¹ See with what large letters I have written to you ^(X)with my own hand! ¹² All who want ^(Y)to make a good showing in the flesh try to ^(Z)compel you to be circumcised, simply so that they ^(AA)will not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. ¹³ For those who ^[d]are circumcised do not even ^(AB)keep ^[e]the Law themselves, but they want to have you circumcised so that they may ^(AC)boast in your flesh. ¹⁴ But ^(AD)[f]far be it from me to boast, ^(AE)except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, ^(AF)through ^[g]which the world has been crucified to me, and ^(AG)I to the world. ¹⁵ For ^(AH)neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a ^(AI)new ^[h]creation. ¹⁶ And all who will follow this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the ^(AJ)Israel of God.

¹⁷ From now on let no one cause trouble for me, for I bear on my body the ^[i](AK)marks of Jesus.

^18 (AL)The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be ^(AM)with your spirit, ^(AN)brothers and sisters. Amen.

Cities of Israel Filled with Strangers

^24 (A)Then the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, ^[a](B)Avva, ^(C)Hamath, and Sepharvaim, and settled them in the cities of Samaria in place of the sons of Israel. So they took possession of Samaria and lived in its cities. ²⁵ And at the beginning of their living there, they ^(D)did not fear the Lord; therefore the Lord sent lions among them that were killing some of them. ²⁶ So they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, “The nations whom you have taken 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 killing them because they do not know the custom of the God of the land.”

²⁷ Then the king of Assyria issued commands, saying, “Take one of the priests there whom you led into ^[b]exile, and have ^[c]him go and live there; and have him teach them the custom of the God of the land.” ²⁸ So one of the priests whom they had led into exile from Samaria came and lived in Bethel, and taught them how they were to fear the Lord.

²⁹ But every nation was still making gods of its own, and they put them ^(E)in the houses of the high places which the people of Samaria had made, every nation in their cities in which they lived. ^30 (F)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 ^(G)the Sepharvites were burning their children in the fire to ^(H)Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of ^(I)Sepharvaim. ^32 (J)They also feared the Lord and ^[d](K)appointed from their entire population priests of the high places, who acted for them in the houses of the high places. ³³ They feared the Lord, yet they were serving their own gods in accordance with the custom of the nations from among whom they had been taken into exile.

³⁴ To this day they act in accordance with the earlier customs: they do not fear the Lord, nor do they ^[e]follow their statutes, their ordinances, the Law, or the commandments which the Lord commanded the sons of Jacob, ^(L)whom He named Israel. ³⁵ The Lord made a covenant with them and commanded them, saying, “^(M)You shall not fear other gods, nor ^(N)bow down to them, nor ^(O)serve them, nor sacrifice to them. ³⁶ But the Lord, ^(P)who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and with ^(Q)an outstretched arm, ^(R)Him you shall fear, and to Him you shall bow down, and to Him you shall sacrifice. ³⁷ And the statutes, the ordinances, the Law, and the commandment which He wrote for you, ^(S)you shall take care to do always; and you shall not fear other gods. ³⁸ The covenant that I have made with you, ^(T)you shall not forget, nor shall you fear other gods. ³⁹ But you shall fear the Lord your God; and He will save you from the hand of all your enemies.” ⁴⁰ However, they did not listen, but they kept acting in accordance with their earlier custom. ^41 (U)So while these nations feared the Lord, they also served their ^[f]idols; their children likewise and their grandchildren, just as their fathers did, they do to this day.

Jesus Goes to Galilee

4 So then, when ^(A)the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that ^[a]He was making and ^(B)baptizing more disciples than John ² (although ^(C)Jesus Himself was not baptizing; rather, His ^(D)disciples were), ³ He left ^(E)Judea and went away ^(F)again to Galilee. ⁴ And He had to pass through ^(G)Samaria. ⁵ So He *came to a city of ^(H)Samaria called Sychar, near ^(I)the parcel of land that ^(J)Jacob gave to his son Joseph; ⁶ and Jacob’s well was there. So Jesus, tired from His journey, was just sitting by the well. It was about ^[b]the sixth hour.

The Woman of Samaria

⁷ A woman of Samaria *came to draw water. Jesus *said to her, “Give Me a drink.” ⁸ For His ^(K)disciples had gone away to ^(L)the city to buy food. ⁹ So the ^(M)Samaritan woman *said to Him, “How is it that You, though You are a Jew, are asking me for a drink, though I am a Samaritan woman?” (For ^(N)Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) ¹⁰ Jesus replied to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who is saying to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you ^(O)living water.” ¹¹ She *said to Him, “^[c]Sir, You have no bucket and the well is deep; where then do You get this ^(P)living water? ¹² You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who ^(Q)gave us the well and drank of it himself, and his sons and his cattle?” ¹³ Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again; ¹⁴ but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him ^(R)shall never be thirsty; but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up to ^(S)eternal life.”

¹⁵ The woman *said to Him, “^[d]Sir, ^(T)give me this water so that I will not be thirsty, nor come all the way here to draw water.” ¹⁶ He *said to her, “Go, call your husband and come here.” ¹⁷ The woman answered and said to Him, “I have no husband.” Jesus *said to her, “You have correctly said, ‘I have no husband’; ¹⁸ for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this which you have said is true.” ¹⁹ The woman *said to Him, “^[e]Sir, I perceive that You are ^(U)a prophet. ^20 (V)Our fathers worshiped on ^(W)this mountain, and yet you Jews say that ^(X)in Jerusalem is the place where one must worship.” ²¹ Jesus *said to her, “Believe Me, woman, that ^[f](Y)a time is coming when you will worship the Father ^(Z)neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. ^22 (AA)You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, because ^(AB)salvation is from the Jews. ²³ But ^[g](AC)a time is coming, and ^[h]even now has arrived, when the true worshipers will worship the Father ^(AD)in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be ^[i]His worshipers. ²⁴ God is ^[j]spirit, and those who worship Him must worship ^(AE)in spirit and truth.” ²⁵ The woman *said to Him, “I know that ^(AF)Messiah is coming (^(AG)He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.” ²⁶ Jesus *said to her, “^(AH)I am He, the One speaking to you.”