Self-interpreting Bible

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2 Kings 17

1Hoshea's wicked reign. 3Becoming tributary to Shalmaneser, and afterward conspiring with the king of Egypt against him, he is shut up in prison. 5Shalmaneser after a three years' siege taketh Samaria, and carrieth Israel away captive for their wickedness, as the prophets had predicted. 24The strange nations, which were transplanted into the land of Israel, are plagued with lions; they send for one of the captive priests to teach them the worship of God, which they mix with their own idolatry.

1 IN the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah began aHoshea 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, bbut not as the kings of Israel that were before him.

3 ¶Against him came up Shalmaneser cking of Assyria; and Hoshea became his servant, and 1gave him 2presents.

4 And the king of Assyria found dconspiracy in Hoshea: for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and brought no 3present to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year: therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and ebound him in prison.

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

6 ¶In gthe ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and hcarried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of iGozan, and in the cities of jthe Medes.

7 For so it was, kthat the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, which had lbrought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods,

8 And mwalked 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 nsecretly those things that were not right against the LORD their God, and they built them high places in all their cities, ofrom the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city.

10 And they pset them up 4images 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 carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the LORD to anger:

    12 For they served idols, qwhereof the LORD had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing.

    13 Yet the LORD rtestified against Israel, and against Judah, 5by sall the prophets, and by all tthe 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 uhardened their necks, like to 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 vtestified against them; and wthey followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that 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 xmade them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped yall the host of heaven, and served zBaal.

    17 And athey caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used b*divination and cenchantments, and dsold 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 eout of his sight: there was none left but fthe tribe of Judah only.

    19 Also gJudah 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 hspoilers, until he had cast them out of his sight.

    21 For he irent Israel from the house of David; and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king: and Jeroboam *drave Israel from following the LORD, and jmade them sin a great sin.

    22 For the children of kIsrael 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 lall his servants the prophets. So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day.

    24 ¶And the king of Assyria brought men mfrom Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from nHamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead oof 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 pthey feared not the LORD: therefore the LORD sent qlions among them, which slew some of them.

    26 Wherefore they spake to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations which thou hast removed, and placed in the cities of Samaria, know not the *manner of the God of the land: therefore he hath sent lions among them, and, behold, they slay them, because they know not the *manner of the God of the land.

    • *: manner-custom, habit. , manner-custom, habit.

    27 Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Carry thither one of the rpriests whom ye brought from thence; 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 carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in sBeth-el, and taught them how they should fear the LORD.

    29 Howbeit every nation tmade gods of their own, and put them in uthe houses of the high places which the vSamaritans had made, every nation in their cities wherein they dwelt.

    30 And wthe 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 xAdrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.

    32 So they yfeared the LORD, and made unto themselves of the zlowest of them priests of the high places, which sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places.

    33 They afeared the LORD, and served their own gods, after the *manner of the nations 6whom they carried away from thence.

    • a: Zep. 1:5
    • *: manner-custom, habit.
    • 6: Or, who carried them away from thence.

    34 Unto this day they do after bthe former *manners: they fear not the LORD, neither do they after their statutes, or after their ordinances, or after the law and commandment which the LORD commanded the children of Jacob, cwhom he named Israel;

    35 With whom the LORD had dmade a covenant, and charged them, saying, Ye shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them:

    36 But the LORD, ewho brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and a stretched out arm, him fshall ye fear, and him shall ye worship, and to him shall ye do sacrifice.

    37 And gthe statutes, and the ordinances, and the law, and the commandment, which he wrote for you, ye shall observe to do for evermore; and hye shall not fear other gods.

    38 And the covenant that I have made with you iye shall not forget; neither shall ye fear other gods.

    39 But the LORD your God ye shall fear; and he shall deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies.

      40 Howbeit jthey did not hearken, but they did after their former *manner.

      41 So these nations kfeared the LORD, and served their graven images, both their children, and their children's children: as did their fathers, so do they unto this day.