2 Kings 17:24-41

New International Reader's Version

Assyria Makes Other People Live in Samaria

²⁴ The king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Kuthah, Avva, Hamath and Sepharvaim. He made all of them live in the towns of Samaria. They took the place of the people of Israel. They lived in all the towns of Samaria. ²⁵ When they first lived there, they didn’t worship the Lord. So he sent lions among them. And the lions killed some of the people. ²⁶ A report was given to the king of Assyria. He was told, “You forced people to leave their own homes and live in the towns of Samaria. But they don’t know what the god of that country requires. So he has sent lions among them. And the lions are killing the people off. That’s because the people don’t know what that god requires.”

²⁷ Then the king of Assyria gave an order. He said, “Get one of the priests you captured from Samaria. Send him back to live there. Have him teach the people what the god of that land requires.” ²⁸ So a priest went back to live in Bethel. He was one of the priests who had been forced to leave Samaria. He taught the people of Bethel how to worship the Lord.

²⁹ In spite of that, the people from each nation made statues of their own gods. They made them in all the towns where they had been forced to live. They set up those statues in small temples. The people of Samaria had built the temples at the high places. ³⁰ The people from Babylon made statues of the god named Sukkoth Benoth. Those from Kuthah made statues of the god named Nergal. Those from Hamath made statues of the god named Ashima. ³¹ The Avvites made statues of the gods named Nibhaz and Tartak. The Sepharvites sacrificed their children in the fire to the gods named Adrammelek and Anammelek. They were the gods of Sepharvaim. ³² So the people of Samaria worshiped the Lord. But they also appointed all kinds of their own people to be their priests. The priests served in the small temples at the high places. ³³ The people worshiped the Lord. But they also served their own gods. They followed the evil practices of the nations they had been taken from.

³⁴ The people of Samaria are still stubborn. They continue in their old practices to this day. And now they don’t even worship the Lord. They don’t follow his directions and rules. They don’t obey his laws and commands. The Lord had given all these laws to the family of Jacob. He gave the name Israel to Jacob. ³⁵ The Lord made a covenant with the Israelites. At that time he commanded them, “Do not worship any other gods. Do not bow down to them. Do not serve them or sacrifice to them. ³⁶ The Lord is the one you must worship. The Lord brought you up out of Egypt by his great power. He saved you by reaching out his mighty arm. You must bow down only to him. You must offer sacrifices only to him. ³⁷ You must always be careful to follow his directions and rules. You must obey the laws and commands he wrote for you. Do not worship other gods. ³⁸ Do not forget the covenant I made with you. And remember, you must not worship other gods. ³⁹ Instead, worship the Lord your God. He will save you from the powerful hand of all your enemies.”

⁴⁰ But the people wouldn’t listen. Instead, they were stubborn. They continued in their old practices. ⁴¹ They worshiped the Lord. But at the same time, they served the statues of their gods. And to this day their children and grandchildren continue to do what their people before them did.