Israel Carried Captive to Assyria(A)

Now (B)the king of Assyria went throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria and besieged it for three years. (C)In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria and (D)carried Israel away to Assyria, (E)and placed them in Halah and by the Habor, the River of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

For (F)so it was that the children 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; and they had (G)feared other gods, and (H)had walked in the statutes of the nations whom the Lord had cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made. Also the children of Israel secretly did against the Lord their God things that were not right, and they built for themselves [a]high places in all their cities, (I)from watchtower to fortified city. 10 (J)They set up for themselves sacred pillars and (K)wooden images[b] (L)on every high hill and under every green tree. 11 There they burned incense on all the high places, like the nations whom the Lord had carried away before them; and they did wicked things to provoke the Lord to anger, 12 for they served idols, (M)of which the Lord had said to them, (N)“You shall not do this thing.”

13 Yet the Lord testified against Israel and against Judah, by all of His (O)prophets, (P)every seer, saying, (Q)“Turn from your evil ways, and keep My commandments and My statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by My servants the prophets.” 14 Nevertheless they would not hear, but (R)stiffened their necks, like the necks of their fathers, who (S)did not believe in the Lord their God. 15 And they (T)rejected His statutes (U)and His covenant that He had made with their fathers, and His testimonies which He had testified against them; they followed (V)idols, (W)became idolaters, and went after the nations who were all around them, concerning whom the Lord had charged them that they should (X)not do like them. 16 So they left all the commandments of the Lord their God, (Y)made for themselves a molded image and two calves, (Z)made a wooden image and worshiped all the (AA)host of heaven, (AB)and served Baal. 17 (AC)And they caused their sons and daughters to pass through the fire, (AD)practiced witchcraft and soothsaying, and (AE)sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger. 18 Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them from His sight; there was none left (AF)but the tribe of Judah alone.

19 Also (AG)Judah did not keep the commandments of the Lord their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made. 20 And the Lord rejected all the descendants of Israel, afflicted them, and (AH)delivered them into the hand of plunderers, until He had cast them from His (AI)sight. 21 For (AJ)He tore Israel from the house of David, and (AK)they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king. Then Jeroboam drove Israel from following the Lord, and made them commit a great sin. 22 For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they did not depart from them, 23 until the Lord removed Israel out of His sight, (AL)as He had said by all His servants the prophets. (AM)So Israel was carried away from their own land to Assyria, as it is to this day.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 17:9 Places for pagan worship
  2. 2 Kings 17:10 Heb. Asherim, Canaanite deities

Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria and besieged it three years.

In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the River of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

For so it was that the children 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, and had feared other gods.

And they walked in the statutes of the heathen whom the Lord cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made.

And the children of Israel did secretly those things that were not right against the Lord their God, and they built themselves high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fortified city.

10 And they set up for themselves images and Asherah poles in every high hill and under every green tree;

11 and there they burned incense in all the high places, as did the heathen whom the Lord carried away before them, and wrought wicked things to provoke the Lord to anger.

12 For they served idols, whereof the Lord had said unto them, “Ye shall not do this thing.”

13 Yet the Lord testified against Israel and against Judah by all the prophets and by all the seers, saying, “Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep My commandments and My statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by My servants the prophets.”

14 Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks like the neck of their fathers, who did not believe in the Lord their God.

15 And they rejected His statutes and His covenant that He made with their fathers, and His testimonies which He testified against them; and they followed vanity and became vain, and went after the heathen who were round about them, concerning whom the Lord had charged them that they should not do like them.

16 And they left all the commandments of the Lord their God and made them molten images, even two calves, and made an Asherah pole, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served Baal.

17 And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord to provoke Him to anger.

18 Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of His sight. There was none left but the tribe of Judah only.

19 Also Judah kept not the commandments of the Lord their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made.

20 And the Lord rejected all the seed of Israel and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of despoilers until He had cast them out of His sight.

21 For He rent Israel from the house of David, and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king. And Jeroboam drove Israel from following the Lord, and made them sin a great sin.

22 For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they departed not from them,

23 until the Lord removed Israel out of His sight, as He had said by all His servants the prophets. So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day.

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