‏ 2 Kings 17

1In the twelfth year of Achaz king of Juda began Osee the son of Ela to reign in Samariaover Israel nine years. 2And he did evil in the eyes of the Lord, only not as the kings of Israel that were beforehim. 3Against him came up Salamanassar king of the Assyrians; and Osee became his servant, andrendered him tribute. 4And the king of the Assyrians found iniquity in Osee, in that he sent messengers to Segorking of Egypt, and brought not a tribute to the king of the Assyrians in that year: and the king of theAssyrians besieged him, and bound him in the prison-house. 5And the king of the Assyrians went up against all the land, and went up to Samaria, andbesieged itfor three years. 6In the ninth year of Osee the king of the Assyrians took Samaria, and carried Israel awayto the Assyrians, and settled them in Alae, and in Abor,near the rivers of Gozan, andin the mountains of the Medes. 7For it came to pass that the children of Israelhad transgressed against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt,from under the hand of Pharao king of Egypt, and they feared other gods, 8and walked in the statutes of the nations which the Lord cast out before the face of thechildren of Israel, and of the kings of Israel as many as didsuch things, 9andin those of the children of Israel as many as secretly practised customs, not asthey should have done, against the Lord their God: 10and they built for themselves high places in all their cities, from the tower of thewatchmen to the fortified city. And they made for themselves pillars and groves on every high hill, andunder every shady tree. 11And burned incense there on all high places, as the nationsdid whom the Lord removed from before them, and dealt with familiar spirits, and they carvedimages to provoke the Lord to anger. 12And they served the idols, of which the Lord said to them, You⌃ shall not do this thingagainst the Lord. 13And the Lord testified against Israel and against Juda, even by the hand of all his prophets,and of every seer, saying, Turn you⌃ from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my ordinances,and all the law which I commanded your fathers,and all that I sent to them by the hand of my servants the prophets. 14But they hearkened not, and made their neck harder than the neck of their fathers. 15And they kept not any of his testimonies which he charged them; and they walked aftervanities, and became vain, and after the nations round about them, concerning which the Lord had chargedthem not to do accordingly. 16They forsook the commandments of the Lord their God, and made themselves graven images,even two heifers, and they made groves, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. 17And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divinationsand auspices, and sold themselves to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him. 18And the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight; and therewas only left the tribe of Juda quite alone. 19Nay even Juda kept not the commandments of the Lord their God, but they walked accordingto the customs of Israel which they practised, and rejected the Lord. 20And the Lord was angry with the whole seed of Israel, and troubled them, and gave theminto the hand of them that spoiled them, until he cast them out of his presence. 21Forasmuch as Israel revolted from the house of David, and they made Jeroboam the sonof Nabat king: and Jeroboam drew off Israel from following the Lord, and led them to sin a great sin. 22And the children of Israel walked in all the sin of Jeroboam which he committed; theydeparted not from it, 23until the Lord removed Israel from his presence, as the Lord spoke by all his servantsthe prophets; and Israel was removed from off their land to the Assyrians until this day. 24And the king of Assyria brought from Babylon the men of Chutha,and men from Aia, and from Aemath, and Seppharvaim, and they were settled in the cities ofSamaria in the place of the children of Israel: and they inherited Samaria, and were settled in its cities. 25And it was so at the beginning of their establishment therethat they feared not the Lord, and the Lord sent lions among them, and they killed some ofthem. 26And they spoke to the king of the Assyrians, saying, The nations whom you have removedand substituted in the cities of Samariafor the Israelites, know not the manner of the God of the land: and he has sent the lions againstthem, and, behold, they are slaying them, because they know not the manner of the God of the land. 27And the king of the Assyrians commanded, saying, Bring someIsraelites thence, and let them go and dwell there, and they shall teach them the manner ofthe God of the land. 28And they brought one of the priests whom they had removed from Samaria, and he settledin Baethel, and taught them how they should fear the Lord. 29But the nations made each their own gods, and put them in the house of the high placeswhich the Samaritanshad made, each nation in the cities in which they lived. 30And the men of Babylon made Socchoth Benith, and the men of Chuth made Ergel, and themen of Haemath made Asimath. 31And the Evites made Eblazer and Tharthac, and theinhabitant of Seppharvaimdid evil when they burnt their sons in the fire to Adramelech and Anemelech, the gods of Seppharvaim. 32And they feared the Lord, yet they established their abominations in the houses of thehigh places which they made in Samaria, each nation in the city in which they lived: and they feared theLord, and they made for themselves priests of the high places, and sacrificed for themselves in the houseof the high places. 33And they feared the Lord, and served their gods according to the manner of the nations,whencetheir lords brought them. 34Until this day they did according to their manner: they fearthe Lord, and they do according to their customs, and according to their manner, and accordingto the law, and according to the commandment which the Lord commanded the sons of Jacob, whose name hemade Israel. 35And the Lord made a covenant with them, and charged them, saying, You⌃ shall not fearother gods, neither shall you⌃ worship them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them: 36but only to the Lord, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great strengthand with a high arm: him shall you⌃ fear, and him shall you⌃ worship; to him shall you⌃ sacrifice. 37You⌃ shall observe continually the ordinances, and the judgments, and the law, and thecommandments which he wrote for you to do; and you⌃ shall not fear other gods. 38Neither shall you⌃ forget the covenant which he made with you: and you⌃ shall not fearother gods. 39But you⌃ shall fear the Lord your God, and he shall deliver you from all your enemies. 40Neither shall you⌃ comply with their practice, which they follow. 41So these nations feared the Lord, and served their graven images: yes, their sons andtheir son's sons do until this day even as their fathers did.

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