² they came to Zerubbabel and the heads of the fathers’ houses, and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we seek your God as you do; and we have sacrificed to Him ^(A)since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.”

³⁷ Now it came to pass, as he was worshiping in the temple of Nisroch his god, that his sons ^(A)Adrammelech and Sharezer ^(B)struck him down with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. Then ^(C)Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place.

Assyria Resettles Samaria

^24 (A)Then the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, ^(B)Ava, Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel; and they took possession of Samaria and dwelt in its cities.

²⁷ Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, “Send there one of the priests whom you brought from there; let him go and dwell there, and let him teach them the rituals of the God of the land.” ²⁸ Then one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Bethel, and taught them how they should fear the Lord.

²⁹ However every nation continued to make gods of its own, and put them ^(A)in the shrines on the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in the cities where they dwelt. ³⁰ The men of ^(B)Babylon made Succoth Benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashima, ^31 (C)and the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites ^(D)burned their children in fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. ³² So they feared the Lord, ^(E)and from every class they appointed for themselves priests of the ^[a]high places, who sacrificed for them in the shrines of the high places. ^33 (F)They feared the Lord, yet served their own gods—according to the rituals of the nations from among whom they were carried away.

Destructive Doctrines

2 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be ^(A)false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. ² And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.

^8 (A)Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: ^(B)men of corrupt minds, ^(C)disapproved concerning the faith;

⁴ And this occurred because of ^(A)false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by stealth to spy out our ^(B)liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, ^(C)that they might bring us into bondage),

¹³ For such ^(A)are false apostles, ^(B)deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. ¹⁴ And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into ^(C)an angel of light. ¹⁵ Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, ^(D)whose end will be according to their works.