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2 Kings 17
New American 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 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.

Cities of Israel Filled with Strangers

24 (AU)Then the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, [u](AV)Avva, (AW)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 (AX)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 [v]exile, and have [w]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 (AY)in the houses of the high places which the people of Samaria had made, every nation in their cities in which they lived. 30 (AZ)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 were burning their children in the fire to (BB)Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of (BC)Sepharvaim. 32 (BD)They also feared the Lord and [x](BE)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 [y]follow their statutes, their ordinances, the Law, or the commandments which the Lord commanded the sons of Jacob, (BF)whom He named Israel. 35 The Lord made a covenant with them and commanded them, saying, “(BG)You shall not fear other gods, nor (BH)bow down to them, nor (BI)serve them, nor sacrifice to them. 36 But the Lord, (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 bow down, and to Him you shall sacrifice. 37 And the statutes, the ordinances, the Law, and the commandment which He wrote for you, (BM)you shall take care to do always; and you shall not fear other gods. 38 The covenant that I have made with you, (BN)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 (BO)So while these nations feared the Lord, they also served their [z]idols; their children likewise and their grandchildren, just as their fathers did, they do to this day.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 17:7 Or revered, and so throughout the ch
  2. 2 Kings 17:8 Lit walked in
  3. 2 Kings 17:8 Lit statutes
  4. 2 Kings 17:8 Lit made
  5. 2 Kings 17:9 Or ascribed words to
  6. 2 Kings 17:10 I.e., wooden symbols of a female deity (Asherah)
  7. 2 Kings 17:13 Lit by the hand of
  8. 2 Kings 17:13 Lit by the hand of
  9. 2 Kings 17:14 Lit like the neck of
  10. 2 Kings 17:15 Lit warned
  11. 2 Kings 17:15 Lit the non-existent
  12. 2 Kings 17:16 I.e., a wooden symbol of a female deity
  13. 2 Kings 17:16 Lit host
  14. 2 Kings 17:18 Lit face
  15. 2 Kings 17:19 Lit walked in
  16. 2 Kings 17:19 Lit statutes
  17. 2 Kings 17:19 Lit of Israel which they
  18. 2 Kings 17:19 Lit made
  19. 2 Kings 17:20 Lit seed
  20. 2 Kings 17:20 Lit from His face
  21. 2 Kings 17:24 In 2 Kin 18:34; 19:13; Is 37:13, Ivvah
  22. 2 Kings 17:27 Lit exile from there
  23. 2 Kings 17:27 Lit them
  24. 2 Kings 17:32 Lit made for themselves
  25. 2 Kings 17:34 Lit do according to
  26. 2 Kings 17:41 Or carved images
Close ISV

2 Kings 17
International Standard Version

Israel Falls to Assyria during Hoshea’s Reign

17 During the twelfth year of the reign of[a] King Ahaz of Judah, Elah’s son Hoshea became king over Israel for nine years in Samaria. 2 He practiced what the Lord considered to be evil,[b] though not like the kings of Israel who had preceded him. 3 King Shalmaneser of Assyria attacked him, and Hoshea became his servant and paid tribute to him. 4 But the king of Assyria uncovered a conspiracy involving Hoshea, who had sent envoys to King So of Egypt and stopped offering tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done annually. As a result, the king of Assyria placed him under arrest and sent him to prison. 5 After this, the king of Assyria invaded the entire land, approached Samaria, and began a three year siege. 6 As a result, during the ninth year of the reign of[c] Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and took the Israelis off to Assyria, placing them in Halah, along the Habor River in Gozan, and in cities ruled by the Medes.

The Idolatry of the Northern Kingdom

7 This happened because the Israelis had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up from the land of Egypt and from the domination[d] of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, because[e] they were fearing other gods, 8 and because they were following[f] the rules of the nations whom the Lord had expelled before the Israelis and that the kings of Israel had practiced.

9 The Israelis practiced secret things that were not right, offending the Lord their God. In addition, they built high places for use by all their towns, watchtowers, and fortified cities. 10 They set up pillars and Asherim on every high hill and in the shade of every green tree, 11 where they made offerings on all the high places, as did the nations whom the Lord had expelled before them. They also practiced other[g] wickedness, provoking the Lord to become angry, 12 and they served idols, a practice that the Lord had warned them, “You are not to do this.”

13 Nevertheless, the Lord had warned both Israel and Judah by means[h] of every prophet and seer: “Turn away from your evil practices[i] and keep my commandments and statutes according to the entire Law that I gave your ancestors and that I sent to you through my servants, the prophets.” 14 But they would not listen. Instead, they were stubborn,[j] just like their ancestors had been, who did not believe in the Lord their God. 15 They rejected the Lord’s[k] statutes, the covenant that he had made with their ancestors, and his warnings that he gave them. They pursued meaninglessness—and became meaningless themselves—as they followed the lifestyles of the nations that surrounded them, a practice that the Lord had warned them not to do.

16 They abandoned all of the commands given by[l] the Lord their God, crafted for themselves cast images of two calves, constructed an Asherah, worshipped all of the stars in heaven, and served Baal. 17 They passed their sons and daughters through fire, practiced divination, cast spells, and sold themselves to practice what the Lord considered to be evil, thereby[m] provoking him. 18 As a result, the Lord was angry with Israel and removed them from his presence. No one was left except for the tribe of Judah.

19 But Judah, too, did not keep the commands of the Lord their God. Instead, they lived the lifestyle[n] that Israel had chosen, 20 so the Lord rejected all of the descendants[o] of Israel, afflicted them, and handed them over to the control of plunderers until he had thrown them away from his presence.[p] 21 He ripped them away from the heritage of David, even as the people[q] appointed Nebat’s son Jeroboam to be king. Jeroboam drove Israel away from following the Lord and made them commit great sin.

22 The Israelis practiced[r] all the sins that Jeroboam had practiced, and never wavered from them 23 until the Lord removed Israel from his presence,[s] just as he had warned through[t] all of his prophets who served him. So Israel was carried off into exile from their own land into Assyria, where they remain to this day.[u]

Assyria Supplants the Northern Kingdom

24 Because the king of Assyria brought captives[v] from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sephar-vaim and settled them in the cities of Samaria to replace the Israelis, the settlers[w] possessed Samaria and lived in its cities. 25 When they first began to live there, the settlers[x] did not fear the Lord, so he sent lions among them, and they killed a few of them. 26 As a result, they reported to the king of Assyria, “Because the nations whom you exiled to live in the cities of Samaria don’t know the law[y] of the god of the land, he has sent lions among them. Look how the lions[z] are killing them, because they don’t know the law of the god of the land!”

27 So the king of Assyria[aa] issued this order: “Take one of the priests whom you carried away and let him go back and live there. Let him teach them the law of the god of the land.” 28 So one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria went to live in Bethel to teach them how they ought to fear the Lord.

Assyrian Settlers Create Lasting Corruption

29 Nevertheless, each nation continued to craft their own gods and install them in the temples on the high places that the people of Samaria had constructed—every nation in their own cities where they continued to live. 30 Settlers[ab] from Babylon built Succoth-benoth, settlers[ac] from Cuth built Nergal, settlers[ad] from Hamath built Ashima, 31 and settlers[ae] from Avva built Nibhaz and Tartak. The residents of Sephar-vaim burned their children in fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sephar-vaim.

32 Because they feared the Lord, they also appointed from among themselves priests for the high places who acted on their behalf in the temples on the high places. 33 While they continued to fear the Lord, they served their own gods, following the custom of the nations whom they had carried away from there. 34 To this very day, they still follow the former customs: they don’t fear the Lord and they don’t live in accordance with the statutes, ordinances, laws, or commandments that the Lord had given to the descendants of Jacob—whom he renamed Israel— 35 and with whom the Lord had made a covenant when he gave these[af] orders to them:

“You are not to fear other gods, bow down to them, serve them, or sacrifice to them. 36 Instead, it is to be the Lord, who brought you up from the land of Egypt, showing great power and public demonstrations of might,[ag] whom you are to fear, worship, and to whom you are to offer sacrifice. 37 Furthermore, you are to be careful to observe forever the statutes, ordinances, law, and the commandment that he wrote for you. And you are not to fear other gods. 38 You are not to forget the covenant that I’ve made with you, and you are not to fear other gods. 39 But you are to fear the Lord, and he will deliver you from the control[ah] of all your enemies.”

40 But they wouldn’t listen. Instead, they did what they had been doing before. 41 These nations feared the Lord and also served their carved images. Their descendants did the same thing, as did their grandchildren. Just as their ancestors had done, they also do the same thing to this day.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 17:1 The Heb. lacks the reign of
  2. 2 Kings 17:2 Lit. sight
  3. 2 Kings 17:6 The Heb. lacks the reign of
  4. 2 Kings 17:7 Lit. hand
  5. 2 Kings 17:7 The Heb. lacks because
  6. 2 Kings 17:8 Lit. were walking in
  7. 2 Kings 17:11 The Heb. lacks other
  8. 2 Kings 17:13 Lit. by the hand
  9. 2 Kings 17:13 Lit. ways
  10. 2 Kings 17:14 Lit. they hardened their necks
  11. 2 Kings 17:15 Lit. rejected his
  12. 2 Kings 17:16 The Heb. lacks given by
  13. 2 Kings 17:17 The Heb. lacks thereby
  14. 2 Kings 17:19 Lit. customs
  15. 2 Kings 17:20 Lit. seed
  16. 2 Kings 17:20 Lit. face
  17. 2 Kings 17:21 Lit. David, and they
  18. 2 Kings 17:22 Lit. Israelis walked in
  19. 2 Kings 17:23 Lit. sight
  20. 2 Kings 17:23 Lit. spoken by the hand of
  21. 2 Kings 17:23 I.e. c. during the late Babylonian captivity or slightly after that time
  22. 2 Kings 17:24 The Heb. lacks captives
  23. 2 Kings 17:24 The Heb. lacks the settlers
  24. 2 Kings 17:25 The Heb. lacks the settlers
  25. 2 Kings 17:26 Or justice
  26. 2 Kings 17:26 Lit. how they
  27. 2 Kings 17:27 This individual is thought to have been Sargon II (c. 721-705 BC).
  28. 2 Kings 17:30 Lit. Men
  29. 2 Kings 17:30 Lit. men
  30. 2 Kings 17:30 Lit. men
  31. 2 Kings 17:31 Lit. men
  32. 2 Kings 17:35 The Heb. lacks these
  33. 2 Kings 17:36 Lit. and with an outstretched arm
  34. 2 Kings 17:39 Lit. hand
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