1. In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea the son of Elah to reign in Samaria over Israel nine years.
2. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, but not as the kings of Israel that were before him.
3. Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria; and Hoshea became his servant, and gave him presents.
4. And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea: for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and brought no present to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year: therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison.
5. Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years.
6. In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and took Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
7. For so it was, that the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods,
8. And 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.
9. 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 groves in every high hill, and under every green tree:
11. And there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the heathen whom the LORD took away before them; and did wicked things to provoke the LORD to anger:
12. For they served idols, of which the LORD had said to them, You 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. Nevertheless they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like the neck of their fathers, that 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 that were round about them, concerning whom the LORD had instructed them, that they should not do like them.
16. And they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made themselves molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, 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 did not keep the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they established.
20. And the LORD rejected all the people of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of plunderers, until he had cast them out of his sight.
21. For he tore 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 did not depart 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 taken away out of their own land to Assyria until this day.
24. And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel: and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof.
25. And so it was at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they did not fear the LORD: therefore the LORD sent lions among them, which killed some of them.
26. Therefore they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations which you have removed, and placed in the cities of Samaria, know not the manner of the God of the land: therefore he has sent lions among them, and, behold, they slay them, because they know not the manner of the God of the land.
27. Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Bring to there one of the priests whom you brought from there; and let them go and dwell there, and let him teach them the manner of the God of the land.
28. Then one of the priests whom they had taken away from Samaria came and dwelt in Bethel, and taught them how they should fear the LORD.
29. However every nation made gods of their own, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities in which they dwelt.
30. And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima,
31. And the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burnt their children in fire to Adram-melech and Anam-melech, the gods of Sepharvaim.
32. So they feared the LORD, and made for themselves of the lowest of them priests of the high places, which sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places.
33. They feared the LORD, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations whom they took away from there.
34. To this day they do according to the former manners: they do not fear the LORD, neither do they according to their statutes, or according to their ordinances, or according to the law and commandment which the LORD commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel;
35. With whom the LORD had made a covenant, and instructed them, saying, You shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them:
36. But the LORD, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and a stretched out arm, him shall you fear, and him shall you worship, and to him shall you do sacrifice.
37. And the statutes, and the ordinances, and the law, and the commandment, which he wrote for you, you shall observe to do for evermore; and you shall not fear other gods.
38. And the covenant that I have made with you you shall not forget; neither shall you fear other gods.
39. But the LORD your God you shall fear; and he shall deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies.
40. However they did not listen, but they did after their former manner.
41. So these nations feared the LORD, and served their sculptured images, both their children, and their children's children: as did their fathers, so do they until this day.