¹⁵ “Be careful not to make a treaty^(A) with those who live in the land; for when they prostitute^(B) themselves to their gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you and you will eat their sacrifices.^{(C) 16} And when you choose some of their daughters as wives^(D) for your sons and those daughters prostitute themselves to their gods,^(E) they will lead your sons to do the same.

¹¹ Then the Israelites did evil^(A) in the eyes of the Lord^(B) and served the Baals.^{(C) 12} They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods^(D) of the peoples around them.^(E) They aroused^(F) the Lord’s anger^{(G) 13} because they forsook^(H) him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths.^{(I) 14} In his anger^(J) against Israel the Lord gave them into the hands^(K) of raiders who plundered^(L) them. He sold them^(M) into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist.^{(N) 15} Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the Lord was against them^(O) to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them. They were in great distress.^(P)

¹⁶ Then the Lord raised up judges,^[a](Q) who saved^(R) them out of the hands of these raiders. ¹⁷ Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted^(S) themselves to other gods^(T) and worshiped them.^(U) They quickly turned^(V) from the ways of their ancestors, who had been obedient to the Lord’s commands.^{(W) 18} Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved^(X) them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the Lord relented^(Y) because of their groaning^(Z) under those who oppressed and afflicted^(AA) them. ¹⁹ But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt^(AB) than those of their ancestors,^(AC) following other gods and serving and worshiping them.^(AD) They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn^(AE) ways.

²⁰ Therefore the Lord was very angry^(AF) with Israel and said, “Because this nation has violated the covenant^(AG) I ordained for their ancestors and has not listened to me, ²¹ I will no longer drive out^(AH) before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. ²² I will use them to test^(AI) Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the Lord and walk in it as their ancestors did.” ²³ The Lord had allowed those nations to remain; he did not drive them out at once by giving them into the hands of Joshua.^(AJ)

²⁷ Gideon made the gold into an ephod,^(A) which he placed in Ophrah,^(B) his town. All Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare^(C) to Gideon and his family.^(D)

³³ No sooner had Gideon died than the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals.^(A) They set up Baal-Berith^(B) as their god^(C)

Solomon’s Wives

11 King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women^(A) besides Pharaoh’s daughter—Moabites, Ammonites,^(B) Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. ² They were from nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry^(C) with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. ³ He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines,^(D) and his wives led him astray.^{(E) 4} As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods,^(F) and his heart was not fully devoted^(G) to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been. ⁵ He followed Ashtoreth^(H) the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molek^(I) the detestable god of the Ammonites. ⁶ So Solomon did evil^(J) in the eyes of the Lord; he did not follow the Lord completely, as David his father had done.

⁷ On a hill east^(K) of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh^(L) the detestable god of Moab, and for Molek^(M) the detestable god of the Ammonites. ⁸ He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods.

⁹ The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared^(N) to him twice. ¹⁰ Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods,^(O) Solomon did not keep the Lord’s command.^(P)

Israel Exiled Because of Sin

⁷ All this took place because the Israelites had sinned^(A) against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of Egypt^(B) from under the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They worshiped other gods ⁸ and followed the practices of the nations^(C) the Lord had driven out before them, as well as the practices that the kings of Israel had introduced. ⁹ The Israelites secretly did things against the Lord their God that were not right. From watchtower to fortified city^(D) they built themselves high places in all their towns. ¹⁰ They set up sacred stones^(E) and Asherah poles^(F) on every high hill and under every spreading tree.^{(G) 11} At every high place they burned incense, as the nations whom the Lord had driven out before them had done. They did wicked things that aroused the Lord’s anger. ¹² They worshiped idols,^(H) though the Lord had said, “You shall not do this.”^{[a] 13} The Lord warned^(I) Israel and Judah through all his prophets and seers:^(J) “Turn from your evil ways.^(K) Observe my commands and decrees, in accordance with the entire Law that I commanded your ancestors to obey and that I delivered to you through my servants the prophets.”^(L)

¹⁴ But they would not listen and were as stiff-necked^(M) as their ancestors, who did not trust in the Lord their God. ¹⁵ They rejected his decrees and the covenant^(N) he had made with their ancestors and the statutes he had warned them to keep. They followed worthless idols^(O) and themselves became worthless.^(P) They imitated the nations^(Q) around them although the Lord had ordered them, “Do not do as they do.”

¹⁶ They forsook all the commands of the Lord their God and made for themselves two idols cast in the shape of calves,^(R) and an Asherah^(S) pole. They bowed down to all the starry hosts,^(T) and they worshiped Baal.^{(U) 17} They sacrificed^(V) their sons and daughters in the fire. They practiced divination and sought omens^(W) and sold^(X) themselves to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger.

¹⁸ So the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them from his presence.^(Y) Only the tribe of Judah was left, ¹⁹ and even Judah did not keep the commands of the Lord their God. They followed the practices Israel had introduced.^{(Z) 20} Therefore the Lord rejected all the people of Israel; he afflicted them and gave them into the hands of plunderers,^(AA) until he thrust them from his presence.^(AB)

²¹ When he tore^(AC) Israel away from the house of David, they made Jeroboam son of Nebat their king.^(AD) Jeroboam enticed Israel away from following the Lord and caused them to commit a great sin.^{(AE) 22} The Israelites persisted in all the sins of Jeroboam and did not turn away from them ²³ until the Lord removed them from his presence,^(AF) as he had warned^(AG) through all his servants the prophets. So the people of Israel were taken from their homeland^(AH) into exile in Assyria, and they are still there.

Samaria Resettled

²⁴ The king of Assyria^(AI) brought people from Babylon, Kuthah, Avva, Hamath and Sepharvaim^(AJ) and settled them in the towns of Samaria to replace the Israelites. They took over Samaria and lived in its towns. ²⁵ When they first lived there, they did not worship the Lord; so he sent lions^(AK) among them and they killed some of the people. ²⁶ It was reported to the king of Assyria: “The people you deported and resettled in the towns of Samaria do not know what the god of that country requires. He has sent lions among them, which are killing them off, because the people do not know what he requires.”

²⁷ Then the king of Assyria gave this order: “Have one of the priests you took captive from Samaria go back to live there and teach the people what the god of the land requires.” ²⁸ So one of the priests who had been exiled from Samaria came to live in Bethel and taught them how to worship the Lord.

²⁹ Nevertheless, each national group made its own gods in the several towns^(AL) where they settled, and set them up in the shrines^(AM) the people of Samaria had made at the high places.^{(AN) 30} The people from Babylon made Sukkoth Benoth, those from Kuthah made Nergal, and those from Hamath made Ashima; ³¹ the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire as sacrifices to Adrammelek^(AO) and Anammelek, the gods of Sepharvaim.^{(AP) 32} They worshiped the Lord, but they also appointed all sorts^(AQ) of their own people to officiate for them as priests in the shrines at the high places. ³³ They worshiped the Lord, but they also served their own gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they had been brought.

³⁴ To this day they persist in their former practices. They neither worship the Lord nor adhere to the decrees and regulations, the laws and commands that the Lord gave the descendants of Jacob, whom he named Israel.^{(AR) 35} When the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites, he commanded them: “Do not worship^(AS) any other gods or bow down to them, serve them or sacrifice to them.^{(AT) 36} But the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt with mighty power and outstretched arm,^(AU) is the one you must worship. To him you shall bow down and to him offer sacrifices. ³⁷ You must always be careful^(AV) to keep the decrees^(AW) and regulations, the laws and commands he wrote for you. Do not worship other gods. ³⁸ Do not forget^(AX) the covenant I have made with you, and do not worship other gods. ³⁹ Rather, worship the Lord your God; it is he who will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.”

⁴⁰ They would not listen, however, but persisted in their former practices. ⁴¹ Even while these people were worshiping the Lord,^(AY) they were serving their idols. To this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their ancestors did.

⁹ Then the Lord said to me, “There is a conspiracy^(A) among the people of Judah and those who live in Jerusalem. ¹⁰ They have returned to the sins of their ancestors,^(B) who refused to listen to my words.^(C) They have followed other gods^(D) to serve them.^(E) Both Israel and Judah have broken the covenant^(F) I made with their ancestors.