¶ In the twelfth¹ year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea² the son of Elah to reign in Samaria over Israel nine years.

And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, but not as the kings³ of Israel that were before him.

Against him came up Shalmaneser⁴ king of Assyria; and Hoshea⁶ became his servant, and gave⁷ him presents.

And the king of Assyria found conspiracy⁸ in Hoshea: for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt⁹, and brought¹⁰ no present to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year: therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him¹¹ in prison.

Then the king¹² of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years¹³.

In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria¹⁴ took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah¹⁶ and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes¹⁷.

¶ For so it was, that the children of Israel had sinned¹⁸ against the LORD¹⁹ their God, which had²⁰ brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared²¹ other gods,

And walked²² in the statutes of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel²³, which they had made.

And the children of Israel did secretly²⁴ those things that were not right against the LORD their God, and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower²⁵ of the watchmen to the fenced city.

¶ And they set²⁶ them up images²⁷ and groves in every²⁸ high hill, and under every green tree:

And there they burnt²⁹ incense in all the high places, as did the heathen whom the LORD carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke³⁰ the LORD to anger:

For they served idols, whereof³¹ the LORD had said unto them, Ye shall not³² do this thing.

Yet the LORD testified³³ against Israel, and against³⁴ Judah, by all³⁵ the prophets, and by all the seers³⁶, saying, Turn ye³⁷ from your evil ways, and keep³⁸ 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.

Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened³⁹ their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe⁴⁰ in the LORD their God.

And they rejected⁴¹ his statutes, and his covenant⁴² that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies⁴³ which he testified against them; and they followed vanity⁴⁴, and became vain⁴⁵, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom⁴⁶ the LORD had charged them, that they should not do like them.

And they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made them molten images⁴⁷, even two calves, and made a grove⁴⁸, and worshipped⁴⁹ all the host of heaven, and served Baal⁵⁰.

And they caused⁵¹ their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used⁵² divination and enchantments, and sold⁵³ themselves to do evil in the sight⁵⁴ of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.

Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed⁵⁵ them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe⁵⁶ of Judah only.

Also Judah⁵⁷ kept not the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked⁵⁸ in the statutes of Israel which they made.

¶ And the LORD rejected⁵⁹ all the seed⁶⁰ of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered⁶¹ them into the hand of spoilers, until he had cast⁶² them out of his sight.

For he rent⁶³ Israel from the house of David; and they made⁶⁴ Jeroboam the son of Nebat king: and Jeroboam drave⁶⁵ Israel from following the LORD, and made them sin a great sin⁶⁶.

For the children of Israel walked in all the sins⁶⁷ of Jeroboam which he did; they departed not from them;

Until the LORD⁶⁸ removed Israel out of his sight, as he had said⁶⁹ by all his servants the prophets. So was Israel⁷⁰ carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day.

¶ And the king⁷¹ of Assyria brought men from Babylon⁷², and from Cuthah, and from Ava⁷³, and from Hamath, 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 thereof⁷⁵.

And so it was at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared⁷⁶ not the LORD: therefore the LORD sent⁷⁷ lions among them, which slew some of them.

Wherefore they spake to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations which thou hast removed, and placed⁷⁸ in the cities of Samaria, know not⁷⁹ 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.

Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Carry thither one of the priests⁸⁰ 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.

Then one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Bethel⁸¹, and taught them⁸² how they should fear the LORD.

Howbeit every nation made gods⁸³ 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.

¶ And the men of Babylon⁸⁴ made Succothbenoth, and the men of Cuth⁸⁶ made Nergal⁸⁷, and the men of Hamath made Ashima⁸⁸,

And the Avites⁸⁹ made Nibhaz⁹⁰ and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burnt their children⁹¹ in fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.

So they feared the LORD, and made unto themselves⁹² of the lowest of them priests of the high places, which sacrificed for them in the houses⁹³ of the high places.

They feared⁹⁴ the LORD, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations whom they carried⁹⁵ away from thence.

Unto this day they do after the former manners: they fear not⁹⁶ 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 Israel⁹⁷;

With whom⁹⁸ the LORD had made a covenant, and charged them,⁹⁹ saying, Ye shall not fear other gods¹⁰⁰, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them:

But the LORD, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and a stretched¹⁰¹ out arm, him shall ye fear¹⁰², and him shall ye worship, and to him shall ye do sacrifice.

And the statutes¹⁰³, and the ordinances, and the law, and the commandment, which he wrote for you,¹⁰⁴ ye shall observe to do for evermore; and ye shall not¹⁰⁵ fear other gods.

And the covenant that I have made with you ye shall not forget¹⁰⁶; neither shall ye fear other gods.

But the LORD¹⁰⁷ your God ye shall fear; and he shall deliver¹⁰⁸ you out of the hand of all your enemies.

¶ Howbeit they did not¹⁰⁹ hearken, but they did¹¹⁰ after their former manner.

So these nations¹¹¹ 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 day¹¹².