Hoshea the Last King of Israel

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 eyes of YHWH, but not as the kings of Israel who were before his face.

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

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 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.

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 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.

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. 10And they set up for themselves pillars and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree. 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. 12For they served the idols of which YHWH had said to them, “You⁺ shall not do this thing.”†

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.”

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. 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.

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. 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.

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

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

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.

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. 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.”

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.”

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.

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. 30And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima, 31and the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.

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 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 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.

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. 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 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. 38And the covenant that I have made with you⁺, you⁺ shall not forget. And you⁺ shall not fear other gods. 39For but YHWH your⁺ God you⁺ shall fear, and He will snatch you⁺ up from the hand of all your⁺ enemies.”

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