2 Kings 17

Modern

Literal

Hoshea the Last King of Israel

¹In the twelfth year of the reign of Ahaz over Judah, Hoshea son of Elah became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria nine years.

¹In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea son of Elah became king in Samaria over Israel nine years.

²And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, but not like the kings of Israel who preceded him.

²And he did evil in the eyes of YHWH, but not as the kings of Israel who were before his face.

³Shalmaneser king of Assyria attacked him, and Hoshea became his vassal and paid him tribute.

³Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against him; and Hoshea became to him a vassal and returned to him tribute.

⁴But the king of Assyria discovered that Hoshea had conspired to send envoys to King So^a of Egypt, and that he had not paid tribute to the king of Assyria as in previous years. Therefore the king of Assyria arrested Hoshea and put him in prison.

⁴And the king of Assyria uncovered in Hoshea a conspiracy, in that he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and he did not bring up tribute to the king of Assyria as year by year. And the king of Assyria shut him up and bound him in the house of imprisonment.

Israel Carried Captive to Assyria

⁵Then the king of Assyria invaded the whole land, marched up to Samaria, and besieged it for three years.

⁵And the king of Assyria went throughout all the land, and he went up to Samaria and besieged it three years.

⁶In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and carried away the Israelites to Assyria, where he settled them in Halah, in Gozan by the Habor River, and in the cities of the Medes.

⁶In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria, and he carried away Israel to Assyria and settled them in Halah, and by the Habor River in Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

⁷All this happened because the people of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They had worshiped other gods

⁷And it came to pass that the sons of Israel had sinned against YHWH their God who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And they had feared other gods,

⁸and walked in the customs of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites, as well as in the practices introduced by the kings of Israel.

⁸and they had walked in the statutes of the nations whom YHWH had cast out from before the sons of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made.

⁹The Israelites secretly did things against the LORD their God that were not right. From watchtower to fortified city, they built high places in all their cities.

⁹And the sons of Israel secretly did things that were not right against YHWH their God, and they built for themselves high places in all their cities, from a tower of the watchers to a fortified city.

¹⁰They set up for themselves sacred pillars and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree.

¹⁰And they set up for themselves pillars and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree.

¹¹They burned incense on all the high places like the nations that the LORD had driven out before them. They did wicked things, provoking the LORD to anger.

¹¹And they burned incense there on all the high places, like the nations whom YHWH had carried away before them, and they did wicked things to provoke YHWH.

¹²They served idols, although the LORD had told them, “You shall not do this thing.”^a

¹²For they served the idols of which YHWH had said to them, “You shall not do this thing.”

¹³Yet through all His prophets and seers, the LORD warned Israel and Judah, saying, “Turn from your wicked ways and keep My commandments and statutes, according to the entire Law that I commanded your fathers and delivered to you through My servants the prophets.”

¹³And YHWH testified against Israel and against Judah by all His prophets and every seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways and keep My commandments and My statutes, according to all of the Law that I commanded your fathers, and that I sent to you by My servants the prophets.”

¹⁴But they would not listen, and they stiffened their necks like their fathers, who did not believe the LORD their God.

¹⁴And they would not listen, and they stiffened their necks like the necks of their fathers who did not remain steadfast in YHWH their God.

¹⁵They rejected His statutes and the covenant He had made with their fathers, as well as the decrees He had given them. They pursued worthless idols and became worthless themselves, going after the surrounding nations that the LORD had commanded them not to imitate.

¹⁵And they rejected His statutes, and His covenant that He had made with their fathers, and His testimonies that He had testified against them. And they followed after the idols, and they became empty and went after the nations who were all around them, whom YHWH had commanded them that they should not do like them.

¹⁶They abandoned all the commandments of the LORD their God and made for themselves two cast idols of calves and an Asherah pole. They bowed down to all the host of heaven and served Baal.

¹⁶And they left all the commandments of YHWH their God, and they made for themselves a molten image and two calves, and they made an Asherah pole and bowed low to all the host of the heavens, and they served the Baal.

¹⁷They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire^a and practiced divination and soothsaying. They devoted themselves to doing evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger.

¹⁷And their sons and daughters they caused to pass through the fire, and they practiced divination and soothsaying and sold themselves to do evil in the eyes of YHWH, to provoke Him.

¹⁸So the LORD was very angry with Israel, and He removed them from His presence. Only the tribe of Judah remained,

¹⁸And YHWH was very angry with Israel, and He turned them aside from His presence. There was none left but the tribe of Judah by itself.

¹⁹and even Judah did not keep the commandments of the LORD their God, but lived according to the customs Israel had introduced.

¹⁹Even Judah did not keep the commandments of YHWH their God, and they walked in the statutes of Israel that they made.

²⁰So the LORD rejected all the descendants of Israel. He afflicted them and delivered them into the hands of plunderers, until He had banished them from His presence.

²⁰And YHWH rejected all the seed of Israel, and He afflicted them and delivered them into the hand of plunderers, until that He had cast them away from his face.

²¹When the LORD had torn Israel away from the house of David, they made Jeroboam son of Nebat king, and Jeroboam led Israel away from following the LORD and caused them to commit a great sin.

²¹For He tore Israel from the house of David, and they made king Jeroboam son of Nebat. And Jeroboam drove away Israel from following YHWH, and he made them sin a great sin.

²²The Israelites persisted in all the sins that Jeroboam had committed and did not turn away from them.

²²For the sons of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam that he did. They did not depart from them

²³Finally, the LORD removed Israel from His presence, as He had declared through all His servants the prophets. So Israel was exiled from their homeland into Assyria, where they are to this day.

²³until that YHWH turned aside Israel from His presence, as He had said by all His servants the prophets. And Israel was carried away from their own land to Assyria, to this day.

Samaria Resettled

²⁴Then the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and settled them in the towns of Samaria to replace the Israelites. They took possession of Samaria and lived in its towns.

²⁴And the king of Assyria brought in those from Babylon and Cuthah and Ava and Hamath and Sepharvaim, and he caused them to dwell in the cities of Samaria instead of the sons of Israel. And they took possession of Samaria and dwelt in its cities.

²⁵Now when the settlers first lived there, they did not worship the LORD, so He sent lions among them, which killed some of them.

²⁵And it was at the beginning of their dwelling there that they did not fear YHWH, and YHWH sent among them the lions, and they were killing among them.

²⁶So they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, “The peoples that you have removed and placed in the cities of Samaria do not know the requirements of the God of the land. Because of this, He has sent lions among them, which are indeed killing them off.”

²⁶And they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, “The nations whom you have carried away and placed in the cities of Samaria do not know the custom of the God of the land, and he has sent among them the lions. And behold, they are killing them because they do not know the custom of the God of the land.”

²⁷Then the king of Assyria commanded: “Send back one of the priests you carried off from Samaria, and have him go back to live there and teach the requirements of the God of the land.”

²⁷And the king of Assyria commanded, saying, “Send there one of the priests whom you carried away from there, and let him go and dwell there, and let him teach them the custom of the God of the land.”

²⁸Thus one of the priests they had carried away came and lived in Bethel, and he began to teach them how they should worship the LORD.

²⁸And one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came, and he dwelt in Bethel and taught them how they should fear YHWH.

²⁹Nevertheless, the people of each nation continued to make their own gods in the cities where they had settled, and they set them up in the shrines that the people of Samaria had made on the high places.

²⁹And they were making, each nation its gods, and they set them up in the shrines of the high places that the Samaritans had made—each nation in the cities where they dwelt there.

³⁰The men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashima,

³⁰And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima,

³¹the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech the gods of Sepharvaim.

³¹and the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.

³²So the new residents worshiped the LORD, but they also appointed for themselves priests of all sorts to serve in the shrines of the high places.

³²And they feared YHWH, and they made for themselves from every class priests of the high places, and they were acting for them in the shrines of the high places.

³³They worshiped the LORD, but they also served their own gods according to the customs of the nations from which they had been carried away.

³³They were fearing YHWH, and they were serving their own gods according to the custom of the nations that they were carried away from there.

³⁴To this day they are still practicing their former customs. None of them worship the LORD or observe the statutes, ordinances, laws, and commandments that the LORD gave the descendants of Jacob, whom He named Israel.

³⁴To this day they continue practicing the former customs; they do not fear YHWH, and they do not follow according to their statutes, or according to their ordinances, or according to the law and the commandment that YHWH had commanded the sons of Jacob, whom He named Israel.

³⁵For the LORD had made a covenant with the Israelites and commanded them, “Do not worship other gods or bow down to them; do not serve them or sacrifice to them.

³⁵And YHWH had cut a covenant with them and commanded them, saying, “You shall not fear other gods, and not bow low to them, and not serve them, and not sacrifice to them.

³⁶Instead, worship the LORD, who brought you out of the land of Egypt with great power and an outstretched arm. You are to bow down to Him and offer sacrifices to Him.

³⁶For but YHWH, who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and an outstretched arm, Him you shall fear, and Him you shall worship, and to Him you shall offer sacrifices.

³⁷And you must always be careful to observe the statutes, ordinances, laws, and commandments He wrote for you. Do not worship other gods.

³⁷And the statutes and the ordinances and the law and the commandment that He wrote for you, you shall be careful to observe, all the days. And you shall not fear other gods.

³⁸Do not forget the covenant I have made with you. Do not worship other gods,

³⁸And the covenant that I have made with you, you shall not forget. And you shall not fear other gods.

³⁹but worship the LORD your God, and He will deliver you from the hands of all your enemies.”

³⁹For but YHWH your God you shall fear, and He will snatch you up from the hand of all your enemies.”

⁴⁰But they would not listen, and they persisted in their former customs.

⁴⁰But they did not obey, for they acted according to their former custom.

⁴¹So these nations worshiped the LORD but also served their idols, and to this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their fathers did.

⁴¹And it came to pass that these nations feared YHWH, and their carved images they were serving—also their sons and the sons of their sons. As their fathers did, they are doing even to this day.