2 Kings 17:7-18

Legacy Standard Bible

Israel Rejects Yahweh

⁷ Now ^(A)this happened because the sons of Israel had sinned against Yahweh their God—^(B)who had brought them up from the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt—^(C)and they had ^[a]feared other gods ⁸ and ^(D)walked in the statutes of the nations whom Yahweh had dispossessed from before the sons of Israel, and in the statutes ^(E)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 ^(F)watchtower to fortified city. ^10 (G)And they set for themselves sacred pillars and ^[c](H)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, ^(I)concerning which Yahweh had said to them, “You shall not do this thing.” ¹³ Yet ^(J)Yahweh warned Israel and Judah ^(K)by the hand of all His prophets and ^(L)every seer, saying, “^(M)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 ^(N)stiffened their neck ^[d]like their fathers, who did not believe in Yahweh their God. ^15 (O)They also rejected His statutes and ^(P)His covenant which He cut with their fathers and His warnings with which He warned them. And ^(Q)they followed vanity and ^(R)became vain, and went after the nations which surrounded them, concerning which ^(S)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 ^(T)two calves, and ^(U)made an ^[e]Asherah and ^(V)worshiped all the host of heaven and ^(W)served Baal. ¹⁷ Then ^(X)they made their sons and their daughters pass through the fire, and ^(Y)practiced divination and omens, and ^(Z)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 ^(AA)caused them to depart from His ^[f]presence; ^(AB)none was left except the tribe of Judah alone.