2 Kings 17:5-23
Christian Standard Bible
5 The king of Assyria invaded the whole land, marched up to Samaria, and besieged it for three years.(A)
The Fall of Samaria
6 In the ninth year of Hoshea,(B) the king of Assyria captured Samaria. He deported(C) the Israelites to Assyria and settled them in Halah, along the Habor (Gozan’s river), and in the cities of the Medes.(D)
Why Israel Fell
7 This disaster happened because the people of Israel sinned against the Lord their God who had brought them out of the land of Egypt from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt(E) and because they worshiped[a] other gods.(F) 8 They lived according to the customs of the nations that the Lord had dispossessed before the Israelites(G) and according to what the kings of Israel did.(H) 9 The Israelites secretly did things[b] against the Lord their God that were not right. They built high places in all their towns from watchtower(I) to fortified city. 10 They set up for themselves sacred pillars(J) and Asherah poles(K) on every high hill and under every green tree.(L) 11 They burned incense there on all the high places just like the nations that the Lord had driven out before them had done. They did evil things, angering the Lord. 12 They served idols, although the Lord had told them, “You must not do this.”(M) 13 Still, the Lord warned(N) Israel and Judah through every prophet and every seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways and keep my commands and statutes according to the whole law I commanded your ancestors and sent to you through my servants the prophets.”(O)
14 But they would not listen. Instead they became obstinate like[c] their ancestors who did not believe the Lord their God.(P) 15 They rejected his statutes and his covenant he had made with their ancestors(Q) and the warnings he had given them. They followed worthless idols and became worthless themselves,(R) following the surrounding nations the Lord had commanded them not to imitate.(S)
16 They abandoned all the commands of the Lord their God. They made cast images(T) for themselves, two calves, and an Asherah pole.(U) They bowed in worship to all the stars in the sky(V) and served Baal.(W) 17 They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire[d](X) and practiced divination and interpreted omens.(Y) They devoted themselves to do what was evil in the Lord’s sight and angered him.(Z)
18 Therefore, the Lord was very angry with Israel, and he removed them from his presence.(AA) Only the tribe of Judah remained.(AB) 19 Even Judah did not keep the commands of the Lord their God(AC) but lived according to the customs Israel had practiced.(AD) 20 So the Lord rejected all the descendants of Israel, punished them, and handed them over to plunderers until he had banished them from his presence.(AE)
Summary of Israel’s History
21 When the Lord tore(AF) Israel from the house of David, Israel made Jeroboam son of Nebat king.(AG) Then Jeroboam led Israel away from following the Lord and caused them to commit grave sin. 22 The Israelites persisted in all the sins that Jeroboam committed and did not turn away from them.(AH) 23 Finally, the Lord removed Israel from his presence just as he had declared through all his servants the prophets. So Israel has been exiled to Assyria from their homeland to this very day.(AI)
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2 Kings 17:5-23
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Israel Carried Captive to Assyria
5 Then the king of Assyria invaded all the land and came to Samaria; for three years he besieged it. 6 In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria captured Samaria; he carried the Israelites away to Assyria. He placed them in Halah, on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.(A)
7 This occurred because the people of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They had worshiped other gods(B) 8 and walked in the customs of the nations whom the Lord had driven out before the people of Israel and in the customs that the kings of Israel had introduced.[a](C) 9 The people of Israel did[b] things that were not right against the Lord their God. They built for themselves high places at all their towns, from watchtower to fortified city;(D) 10 they set up for themselves pillars and sacred poles[c] on every high hill and under every green tree;(E) 11 there they made offerings on all the high places, as the nations did whom the Lord had carried away before them. They did wicked things, provoking the Lord to anger; 12 they served idols, of which the Lord had said to them, “You shall not do this.”(F) 13 Yet the Lord warned Israel and Judah by every prophet and every seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways and keep my commandments and my statutes, in accordance with all the law that I commanded your ancestors and that I sent to you by my servants the prophets.”(G) 14 They would not listen but were stubborn, as their ancestors had been, who did not believe in the Lord their God.(H) 15 They despised his statutes and his covenant that he had made with their ancestors and the warnings that he had given them. They went after false idols and became false; they followed the nations that were around them, concerning whom the Lord had commanded them that they should not do as they did.(I) 16 They rejected all the commandments of the Lord their God and made for themselves cast images of two calves; they made a sacred pole,[d] worshiped all the host of heaven, and served Baal.(J) 17 They made their sons and their daughters pass through fire, used divination and augury, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger.(K) 18 Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them out of his sight; none was left but the tribe of Judah alone.(L)
19 Judah also did not keep the commandments of the Lord their God but walked in the customs that Israel had introduced. 20 The Lord rejected all the descendants of Israel; he punished them and gave them into the hand of plunderers, until he had banished them from his presence.(M)
21 When he had torn Israel from the house of David, they made Jeroboam son of Nebat king. Jeroboam drove Israel from following the Lord and made them commit great sin.(N) 22 The people of Israel continued in all the sins that Jeroboam committed; they did not depart from them 23 until the Lord removed Israel out of his sight, as he had foretold through all his servants the prophets. So Israel was exiled from their own land to Assyria until this day.
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New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.