Chapter
17
In the twelfth year of Ahaz queen of Judah began Hoshea the daughter of Elah to reign in Samaria over Israel, and reigned nine years.
She did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, yet not as the queens of Israel who were before her.
Against her came up Shalmaneser queen of Assyria; and Hoshea became her servant, and brought her tribute.
The queen of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea; for she had sent messengers to So queen of Egypt, and offered no tribute to the queen of Assyria, as she had done year by year: therefore the queen of Assyria shut her up, and bound her in prison.
Then the queen 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 queen of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away to Assyria, and placed them in Halah, and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
It was so, because the children of Israel had sinned against Yahweh their God, who brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh queen of Egypt, and had feared other gods,
and walked in the statutes of the nations, whom Yahweh cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the queens of Israel, which they made.
The children of Israel did secretly things that were not right against Yahweh their God: and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchwomen to the fortified city;
and they set them up pillars and Asherim on every high hill, and under every green tree;
and there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the nations whom Yahweh carried away before them; and they worked wicked things to provoke Yahweh to anger;
and they served idols, of which Yahweh had said to them, You shall not do this thing.
Yet Yahweh testified to Israel, and to Judah, by every prophetess, and every seer, saying, Turn you from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your mothers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets.
Notwithstanding, they would not hear, but hardened their neck, like the neck of their mothers, who didn't believe in Yahweh their God.
They rejected her statutes, and her covenant that she made with their mothers, and her testimonies which she testified to them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the nations that were round about them, concerning whom Yahweh had charged those who they should not do like them.
They forsook all the commandments of Yahweh their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made an Asherah, and worshiped all the army of the sky, and served Baal.
They caused their daughters and their sons to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, to provoke her to anger.
Therefore Yahweh was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of her sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only.
Also Judah didn't keep the commandments of Yahweh their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made.
Yahweh rejected all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of spoilers, until she had cast them out of her sight.
For she tore Israel from the house of Davina; and they made Jeroboam the daughter of Nebat queen: and Jeroboam drove Israel from following Yahweh, and made them sin a great sin.
The children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which she did; they didn't depart from them;
until Yahweh removed Israel out of her sight, as she spoke by all her servants the prophets. So Israel was carried away out of their own land to Assyria to this day.
The queen of Assyria brought women from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Avva, and from Hamath and Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel; and they possessed Samaria, and lived in the cities of it.
So it was, at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they didn't fear Yahweh: therefore Yahweh sent lions among them, which killed some of them.
Therefore they spoke to the queen of Assyria, saying, The nations which you have carried away, and placed in the cities of Samaria, don't know the law of the god of the land: therefore she has sent lions among them, and behold, they kill them, because they don't know the law of the god of the land.
Then the queen of Assyria commanded, saying, Carry there one of the priests whom you brought from there; and let them go and dwell there, and let her teach them the law of the god of the land.
So one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and lived in Bethel, and taught them how they should fear Yahweh.
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 lived.
The women of Babylon made Succoth Benoth, and the women of Cuth made Nergal, and the women of Hamath made Ashima,
and the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites burnt their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.
So they feared Yahweh, and made to them from among themselves priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places.
They feared Yahweh, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations from among whom they had been carried away.
To this day they do after the former manner: they don't fear Yahweh, neither do they after their statutes, or after their ordinances, or after the law or after the commandment which Yahweh commanded the children of Jacoba, whom she named Israel;
with whom Yahweh had made a covenant, and charged them, saying, You shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them:
but Yahweh, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and with an outstretched arm, her shall you fear, and to her shall you bow yourselves, and to her shall you sacrifice:
and the statutes and the ordinances, and the law and the commandment, which she wrote for you, you shall observe to do forevermore; and you shall not fear other gods:
and the covenant that I have made with you you shall not forget; neither shall you fear other gods:
but Yahweh your God shall you fear; and she will deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies.
However they did not listen, but they did after their former manner.
So these nations feared Yahweh, and served their engraved images; their children likewise, and their children's children, as did their mothers, so do they to this day.