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2 Kings 17:24-41
New English Translation

The King of Assyria Populates Israel with Foreigners

24 The king of Assyria brought foreigners[a] from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and settled them in the cities of Samaria[b] in place of the Israelites. They took possession of Samaria and lived in its cities. 25 When they first moved in,[c] they did not worship[d] the Lord. So the Lord sent lions among them and the lions were killing them. 26 The king of Assyria was told,[e] “The nations whom you deported and settled in the cities of Samaria do not know the requirements of the God of the land, so he has sent lions among them. They are killing the people[f] because they do not know the requirements of the God of the land.” 27 So the king of Assyria ordered, “Take back one of the priests whom you[g] deported from there. He must settle there and teach them the requirements of the God of the land.”[h] 28 So one of the priests whom they had deported from Samaria went back and settled in Bethel. He taught them how to worship[i] the Lord.

29 But each of these nations made[j] its own gods and put them in the shrines on the high places that the people of Samaria[k] had made. Each nation did this in the cities where they lived. 30 The people from Babylon made Sukkoth Benoth,[l] the people from Cuth made Nergal,[m] the people from Hamath made Ashima,[n] 31 the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak,[o] and the Sepharvites burned their sons in the fire as an offering to Adrammelech and Anammelech,[p] the gods of Sepharvaim. 32 At the same time they worshiped[q] the Lord. They appointed some of their own people to serve as priests in the shrines on the high places.[r] 33 They were worshiping[s] the Lord and at the same time serving their own gods in accordance with the practices of the nations from which they had been deported.

34 To this very day they observe their earlier practices. They do not worship[t] the Lord; they do not obey the rules, regulations, law, and commandments that the Lord gave[u] the descendants of Jacob, whom he renamed Israel. 35 The Lord made a covenant with them[v] and instructed them, “You must not worship other gods. Do not bow down to them, serve them, or offer sacrifices to them. 36 Instead you must worship the Lord, who brought you up from the land of Egypt by his great power and military ability;[w] bow down to him and offer sacrifices to him. 37 You must carefully obey at all times the rules, regulations, law, and commandments he wrote down for you. You must not worship other gods. 38 You must never forget the covenant I made with you, and you must not worship other gods. 39 Instead you must worship the Lord your God; then he will rescue you from the power of all your enemies.” 40 But they[x] paid no attention; instead they observed their earlier practices. 41 These nations were worshiping the Lord and at the same time serving their idols; their sons and grandsons are doing just as their fathers have done, to this very day.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 17:24 tn The object is supplied in the translation.
  2. 2 Kings 17:24 sn In vv. 24-29 Samaria stands for the entire northern kingdom of Israel.
  3. 2 Kings 17:25 tn Heb “in the beginning of their living there.”
  4. 2 Kings 17:25 tn Heb “fear.”
  5. 2 Kings 17:26 tn Heb “and they said to the king of Assyria, saying.” The plural subject of the verb is indefinite.
  6. 2 Kings 17:26 tn Heb “Look, they are killing them.”
  7. 2 Kings 17:27 tc The second plural subject may refer to the leaders of the Assyrian army. However, some prefer to read “whom I deported,” changing the verb to a first person singular form with a third masculine plural pronominal suffix. This reading has some support from Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic witnesses.
  8. 2 Kings 17:27 tc Heb “and let them go and let them live there, and let him teach them the requirements of the God of the land.” The two plural verbs seem inconsistent with the preceding and following contexts, where only one priest is sent back to Samaria. The singular has the support of Greek, Syriac, and Latin witnesses.
  9. 2 Kings 17:28 tn Heb “fear.”
  10. 2 Kings 17:29 sn The verb “make” refers to the production of idols. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 210-11.
  11. 2 Kings 17:29 tn Heb “Samaritans.” This refers to the Israelites who had been deported from the land.
  12. 2 Kings 17:30 sn No deity is known by the name Sukkoth Benoth in extant Mesopotamian literature. For speculation as to the identity of this deity, see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 211.
  13. 2 Kings 17:30 sn Nergal was a Mesopotamian god of the underworld.
  14. 2 Kings 17:30 sn This deity is unknown in extra-biblical literature. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 211-12.
  15. 2 Kings 17:31 sn Nibhaz and Tartak were two Elamite deities. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 212.
  16. 2 Kings 17:31 sn Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of the Sepharvaim are unknown in extra-biblical literature. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 212.
  17. 2 Kings 17:32 tn Heb “feared.”
  18. 2 Kings 17:32 tn Heb “and they appointed for themselves from their whole people priests for the high places and they were serving for them in the house[s] of the high places.”
  19. 2 Kings 17:33 tn Heb “fearing.”
  20. 2 Kings 17:34 tn Heb “fear.”
  21. 2 Kings 17:34 tn Heb “commanded.”
  22. 2 Kings 17:35 sn That is, the descendants of Jacob/Israel (see v. 35b).
  23. 2 Kings 17:36 tn Heb “and outstretched arm.”
  24. 2 Kings 17:40 sn This refers to the foreigners whom the king of Assyria settled in the land (see v. 35a).
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2 Kings 17:24-41
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

Assyria Resettles Samaria

24 The king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and placed them in the cities of Samaria in place of the people of Israel; they took possession of Samaria and settled in its cities.(A) 25 When they first settled there, they did not worship the Lord; therefore the Lord sent lions among them that killed some of them. 26 So the king of Assyria was told, “The nations that you have carried away and placed in the cities of Samaria do not know the law of the god of the land; therefore he has sent lions among them; they are killing them because they do not know the law of the god of the land.” 27 Then the king of Assyria commanded, “Send there one of the priests whom you carried away from there; let him[a] go and live there and teach them the law of the god of the land.”(B) 28 So one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and lived in Bethel; he taught them how they should worship the Lord.

29 But every nation still made gods of its own and put them in the shrines of the high places that the people of Samaria had made, every nation in the cities in which they lived; 30 the people of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, the people of Cuth made Nergal, the people of Hamath made Ashima;(C) 31 the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.(D) 32 They also worshiped the Lord and appointed from among themselves all sorts of people as priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the shrines of the high places.(E) 33 So they worshiped the Lord but also served their own gods, after the manner of the nations from among whom they had been carried away.(F) 34 To this day they continue to practice their former customs.

They do not worship the Lord, and they do not follow the statutes or the ordinances or the law or the commandment that the Lord commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel.(G) 35 The Lord had made a covenant with them and commanded them, “You shall not worship other gods or bow yourselves to them or serve them or sacrifice to them,(H) 36 but you shall worship the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt with great power and with an outstretched arm; you shall bow yourselves to him, and to him you shall sacrifice.(I) 37 The statutes and the ordinances and the law and the commandment that he wrote for you, you shall always be careful to observe. You shall not worship other gods;(J) 38 you shall not forget the covenant that I have made with you. You shall not worship other gods,(K) 39 but you shall worship the Lord your God; he will deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies.” 40 They would not listen, however, but continued to practice their former custom.

41 So these nations worshiped the Lord but also served their carved images; to this day their children and their children’s children continue to do as their ancestors did.(L)

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Footnotes

  1. 17.27 Syr Vg: Heb them
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