(KJV) 2 Kings 17¹

<< 2 Kings 16

2 Kings 18 >>

⥃Hoshea the Last King of Israel

[1] In the twelfth² year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea³ the son of Elah to reign in Samaria over Israel nine years.⁴ [2] And he did [that which was] evil in the sight of the Lord, but not as the kings⁵ of Israel that were before him.

[3] [¶]Against him came up Shalmaneser⁶ king of Assyria⁷; and Hoshea⁸ became his servant, and gave⁹ him presents¹⁰. [4] And the king of Assyria found conspiracy¹¹ in Hoshea: for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt¹², and brought¹³ no present to the king of Assyria, as [he had done] year by year: therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him¹⁴ in prison.¹⁵

⥃Israel Carried Captive to Assyria

[5] [¶]Then the king¹⁶ of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years¹⁷.¹⁸

[6] [¶]In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria¹⁹ took Samaria, and carried²⁰ Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah²¹ and in Habor [by] the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes²².²³ [7] For [so] it was, that the children of Israel had sinned²⁴ against the Lord²⁵ their God, which had²⁶ brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared²⁷ other gods, [8] And walked²⁸ in the statutes of the heathen, whom the Lord cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel²⁹, which they had made. [9] And the children of Israel did secretly³⁰ [those] things that [were] not right against the Lord their God, and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower³¹ of the watchmen to the fenced city. [10] And they set³² them up images³³ and groves³⁴ in every³⁵ high hill, and under every green tree: [11] And there they burnt³⁶ incense in all the high places, as [did] the heathen whom the Lord carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke³⁷ the Lord to anger: [12] For they served idols, whereof³⁸ the Lord had said unto them, Ye shall not³⁹ do this thing. [13] Yet the Lord testified⁴⁰ against Israel, and against⁴¹ Judah, by all⁴² the prophets, [and by] all the seers⁴³, saying, Turn ye⁴⁴ from your evil ways, and keep⁴⁵ 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 hardened⁴⁶ their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe⁴⁷ in the Lord their God. [15] And they rejected⁴⁸ his statutes, and his covenant⁴⁹ that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies⁵⁰ which he testified against them; and they followed vanity⁵¹, and became vain⁵², and went after the heathen that [were] round about them, [concerning] whom⁵³ 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 made them molten images⁵⁴, [even] two calves, and made a grove⁵⁵, and worshipped⁵⁶ all the host of heaven, and served Baal⁵⁷. [17] And they caused⁵⁸⁵⁹ their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold⁶⁰ themselves to do evil in the sight⁶¹ of the Lord, to provoke him to anger. [18] Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed⁶² them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe⁶³ of Judah only. [19] Also Judah⁶⁴ kept not the commandments of the Lord their God, but walked⁶⁵ in the statutes of Israel which they made. [20] And the Lord rejected⁶⁶ all the seed⁶⁷ of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered⁶⁸ them into the hand of spoilers, until he had cast⁶⁹ them out of his sight. [21] For he rent⁷⁰ Israel from the house of David; and they made⁷¹ Jeroboam the son of Nebat king: and Jeroboam drave⁷² Israel from following the Lord, and made them sin a great sin⁷³. [22] For the children of Israel walked in all the sins⁷⁴ of Jeroboam which he did; they departed not from them; [23] Until the Lord⁷⁵ removed Israel out of his sight, as he had said⁷⁶ by all his servants the prophets. So was Israel⁷⁷ carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day.

⥃Samaria Resettled

[24] And the king⁷⁸ of Assyria brought [men] from Babylon⁷⁹, and from Cuthah, and from Ava⁸⁰, and from Hamath⁸¹, 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 thereof⁸².⁸³ [25] And [so] it was at the beginning of their dwelling there, [that] they feared⁸⁴ not the Lord: therefore the Lord sent⁸⁵ lions among them, which slew [some] of them. [26] Wherefore they spake to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations which thou hast removed, and placed⁸⁶ in the cities of Samaria, know not⁸⁷ 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. [27] Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Carry thither one of the priests⁸⁸ 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 Beth–el⁸⁹, and taught them⁹⁰ how they should fear the Lord. [29] Howbeit every nation made gods⁹¹ of their own, and put [them] in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities wherein they dwelt. [30] And the men of Babylon⁹² made Succoth–benoth⁹³, and the men of Cuth⁹⁴ made Nergal⁹⁵, and the men of Hamath made Ashima⁹⁶, [31] And the Avites⁹⁷ made Nibhaz⁹⁸ and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burnt their children⁹⁹ in fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. [32] So they feared the Lord, and made unto themselves¹⁰⁰ of the lowest of them priests of the high places, which sacrificed for them in the houses¹⁰¹ of the high places. [33] They feared¹⁰² the Lord, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations whom they carried¹⁰³ away from thence. [34] Unto this day they do after the former manners: they fear not¹⁰⁴ 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, whom he named Israel¹⁰⁵; [35] With whom¹⁰⁶ the Lord had made a covenant, and charged them¹⁰⁷, saying, Ye shall not fear other gods¹⁰⁸, 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 stretched¹⁰⁹ out arm, him shall ye fear¹¹⁰, and him shall ye worship, and to him shall ye do sacrifice. [37] And the statutes¹¹¹, and the ordinances, and the law, and the commandment, which he wrote for you¹¹², ye shall observe to do for evermore; and ye shall not¹¹³ fear other gods. [38] And the covenant that I have made with you ye shall not forget¹¹⁴; neither shall ye fear other gods. [39] But the Lord¹¹⁵ your God ye shall fear; and he shall deliver¹¹⁶ you out of the hand of all your enemies. [40] Howbeit they did not¹¹⁷ hearken, but they did¹¹⁸ after their former manner. [41] So these nations¹¹⁹ feared the Lord, and served their graven images, both their children, and their children’s children: as did their fathers, so do they unto this day¹²⁰.

<< 2 Kings 16

2 Kings 18 >>