2 Kings 17:1-10
1In the twelfth year of Judah’s King Ahaz, Hoshea a son of Elah became king over Israel in Samaria and reigned nine years. 2He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, but not like the kings of Israel who preceded him. b 3 Shalmaneser c king of Assyria attacked him, d and Hoshea became his vassal and paid him tribute money. 4But the king of Assyria discovered Hoshea’s conspiracy. He had sent envoys to So king of Egypt e and had not paid tribute money to the king of Assyria as in previous years. ▼▼Lit as year by year
Therefore the king of Assyria arrested him and put him in prison. 5Then the king of Assyria invaded the whole land, marched up to Samaria, and besieged it for three years. g The Fall of Samaria
6 In the ninth year of Hoshea, h the king of Assyria captured Samaria. He deported i the Israelites to Assyria and settled them in Halah and by the Habor, Gozan’s river, and in the cities of the Medes. jWhy Israel Fell
7 This disaster happened because the people of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God who had brought them out of the land of Egypt from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt k and because they had worshiped ▼▼Lit feared
other gods. m 8They had lived according to the customs of the nations that the Lord had dispossessed before the Israelites n and the customs the kings of Israel had introduced. o 9The Israelites secretly did what was not right ▼▼Or Israelites spoke untrue words
against the Lord their God. They built ▼▼high place(s): An ancient place of worship most often associated with pagan religions, usually built on an elevated location
high places in all their towns from watchtower r to fortified city. 10They set up for themselves sacred pillars s and ▼▼Asherah(s): A Canaanite fertility goddess, who was the mother of the god Baal; also the wooden poles associated with the worship of her
Asherah poles u on every high hill and under every green tree. v
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