Exile Because of Idolatry

⁷ And this occurred because the people of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, ^(A)who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods ^8 (B)and walked in the customs of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel, ^(C)and in the customs that the kings of Israel had practiced. ⁹ And the people of Israel did secretly against the Lord their God things that were not right. They built for themselves high places in all their towns, ^(D)from watchtower to fortified city. ¹⁰ They set up for themselves ^(E)pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree, ¹¹ and there they made offerings on all the high places, as the nations did whom the Lord carried away before them. And they did wicked things, provoking the Lord to anger, ¹² and they served idols, ^(F)of which the Lord had said to them, “You shall not do this.” ¹³ Yet the Lord ^(G)warned Israel and Judah ^(H)by every prophet ^(I)and every seer, saying, ^(J)“Turn from your evil ways and keep my commandments and my statutes, in accordance with all the Law that I commanded your fathers, and that I sent to you by my servants the prophets.”

¹⁴ But they would not listen, ^(K)but were stubborn, as their fathers had been, who did not believe in the Lord their God.

¹⁸ Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them out of his sight. None was left but ^(A)the tribe of Judah only.