| NET Bible | English Standard Version |
| 1In the twelfth year of King Ahaz's reign over Judah, Hoshea son of Elah became king over Israel. He reigned in Samaria for nine years. | 1In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea the son of Elah began to reign in Samaria over Israel, and he reigned nine years. |
| 2He did evil in the sight of the LORD, but not to the same degree as the Israelite kings who preceded him. | 2And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, yet not as the kings of Israel who were before him. |
| 3King Shalmaneser of Assyria threatened him; Hoshea became his subject and paid him tribute. | 3Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria. And Hoshea became his vassal and paid him tribute. |
| 4The king of Assyria discovered that Hoshea was planning a revolt. Hoshea had sent messengers to King So of Egypt and had not sent his annual tribute to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria arrested him and imprisoned him. | 4But the king of Assyria found treachery in Hoshea, for he had sent messengers to So, king of Egypt, and offered no tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year. Therefore the king of Assyria shut him up and bound him in prison. |
| 5The king of Assyria marched through the whole land. He attacked Samaria and besieged it for three years. | 5Then the king of Assyria invaded all the land and came to Samaria, and for three years he besieged it. |
| 6In the ninth year of Hoshea's reign, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and deported the people of Israel to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, along the Habor (the river of Gozan), and in the cities of the Medes. | 6In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria, and he carried the Israelites away to Assyria and placed them in Halah, and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes. |
| 7This happened because the Israelites sinned against the LORD their God, who brought them up from the land of Egypt and freed them from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They worshiped other gods; | 7And this occurred because the people of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods |
| 8they observed the practices of the nations whom the LORD had driven out from before Israel, and followed the example of the kings of Israel. | 8and walked in the customs of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel, and in the customs that the kings of Israel had practiced. |
| 9The Israelites said things about the LORD their God that were not right. They built high places in all their cities, from the watchtower to the fortress. | 9And the people of Israel did secretly against the LORD their God things that were not right. They built for themselves high places in all their towns, from watchtower to fortified city. |
| 10They set up sacred pillars and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree. | 10They set up for themselves pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree, |
| 11They burned incense on all the high places just like the nations whom the LORD had driven away from before them. Their evil practices made the LORD angry. | 11and there they made offerings on all the high places, as the nations did whom the LORD carried away before them. And they did wicked things, provoking the LORD to anger, |
| 12They worshiped the disgusting idols in blatant disregard of the LORD's command. | 12and they served idols, of which the LORD had said to them, “You shall not do this.” |
| 13The LORD solemnly warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and all the seers, "Turn back from your evil ways; obey my commandments and rules that are recorded in the law. I ordered your ancestors to keep this law and sent my servants the prophets to remind you of its demands." | 13Yet the LORD warned Israel and Judah by every prophet and every seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways and keep my commandments and my statutes, in accordance with all the Law that I commanded your fathers, and that I sent to you by my servants the prophets.” |
| 14But they did not pay attention and were as stubborn as their ancestors, who had not trusted the LORD their God. | 14But they would not listen, but were stubborn, as their fathers had been, who did not believe in the LORD their God. |
| 15They rejected his rules, the covenant he had made with their ancestors, and the laws he had commanded them to obey. They paid allegiance to worthless idols, and so became worthless to the LORD. They copied the practices of the surrounding nations in blatant disregard of the LORD's command. | 15They despised his statutes and his covenant that he made with their fathers and the warnings that he gave them. They went after false idols and became false, and they followed the nations that were around them, concerning whom the LORD had commanded them that they should not do like them. |
| 16They abandoned all the commandments of the LORD their God; they made two metal calves and an Asherah pole, bowed down to all the stars in the sky, and worshiped Baal. | 16And they abandoned all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made for themselves metal images of two calves; and they made an Asherah and worshiped all the host of heaven and served Baal. |
| 17They passed their sons and daughters through the fire, and practiced divination and omen reading. They committed themselves to doing evil in the sight of the LORD and made him angry. | 17And they burned their sons and their daughters as offerings and used divination and omens and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger. |
| 18So the LORD was furious with Israel and rejected them; only the tribe of Judah was left. | 18Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them out of his sight. None was left but the tribe of Judah only. |
| 19Judah also failed to keep the commandments of the LORD their God; they followed Israel's example. | 19Judah also did not keep the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the customs that Israel had introduced. |
| 20So the LORD rejected all of Israel's descendants; he humiliated them and handed them over to robbers, until he had thrown them from his presence. | 20And the LORD rejected all the descendants of Israel and afflicted them and gave them into the hand of plunderers, until he had cast them out of his sight. |
| 21He tore Israel away from David's dynasty, and Jeroboam son of Nebat became their king. Jeroboam drove Israel away from the LORD and encouraged them to commit a serious sin. | 21When he had torn Israel from the house of David, they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king. And Jeroboam drove Israel from following the LORD and made them commit great sin. |
| 22The Israelites followed in the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat and did not repudiate them. | 22The people of Israel walked in all the sins that Jeroboam did. They did not depart from them, |
| 23Finally the LORD rejected Israel just as he had warned he would do through all his servants the prophets. Israel was deported from its land to Assyria and remains there to this very day. | 23until the LORD removed Israel out of his sight, as he had spoken by all his servants the prophets. So Israel was exiled from their own land to Assyria until this day. |
| 24The king of Assyria brought foreigners from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and settled them in the cities of Samaria in place of the Israelites. They took possession of Samaria and lived in its cities. | 24And the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the people of Israel. And they took possession of Samaria and lived in its cities. |
| 25When they first moved in, they did not worship the LORD. So the LORD sent lions among them and the lions were killing them. | 25And at the beginning of their dwelling there, they did not fear the LORD. Therefore the LORD sent lions among them, which killed some of them. |
| 26The king of Assyria was told, "The nations whom you deported and settled in the cities of Samaria do not know the requirements of the God of the land, so he has sent lions among them. They are killing the people because they do not know the requirements of the God of the land." | 26So the king of Assyria was told, “The nations that you have carried away and placed in the cities of Samaria do not know the law of the god of the land. Therefore he has sent lions among them, and behold, they are killing them, because they do not know the law of the god of the land.” |
| 27So the king of Assyria ordered, "Take back one of the priests whom you deported from there. He must settle there and teach them the requirements of the God of the land." | 27Then the king of Assyria commanded, “Send there one of the priests whom you carried away from there, and let him go and dwell there and teach them the law of the god of the land.” |
| 28So one of the priests whom they had deported from Samaria went back and settled in Bethel. He taught them how to worship the LORD. | 28So one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and lived in Bethel and taught them how they should fear the LORD. |
| 29But each of these nations made its own gods and put them in the shrines on the high places that the people of Samaria had made. Each nation did this in the cities where they lived. | 29But every nation still made gods of its own and put them in the shrines of the high places that the Samaritans had made, every nation in the cities in which they lived. |
| 30The people from Babylon made Succoth Benoth, the people from Cuth made Nergal, the people from Hamath made Ashima, | 30The men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashima, |
| 31the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burned their sons in the fire as an offering to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. | 31and the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. |
| 32At the same time they worshiped the LORD. They appointed some of their own people to serve as priests in the shrines on the high places. | 32They also feared the LORD and appointed from among themselves all sorts of people as priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the shrines of the high places. |
| 33They were worshiping the LORD and at the same time serving their own gods in accordance with the practices of the nations from which they had been deported. | 33So they feared the LORD but also served their own gods, after the manner of the nations from among whom they had been carried away. |
| 34To this very day they observe their earlier practices. They do not worship the LORD; they do not obey the rules, regulations, law, and commandments that the LORD gave the descendants of Jacob, whom he renamed Israel. | 34To this day they do according to the former manner. They do not fear the LORD, and they do not follow the statutes or the rules or the law or the commandment that the LORD commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel. |
| 35The LORD made an agreement with them and instructed them, "You must not worship other gods. Do not bow down to them, serve them, or offer sacrifices to them. | 35The LORD made a covenant with them and commanded them, “You shall not fear other gods or bow yourselves to them or serve them or sacrifice to them, |
| 36Instead you must worship the LORD, who brought you up from the land of Egypt by his great power and military ability; bow down to him and offer sacrifices to him. | 36but you shall fear the LORD, who brought you out of the land of Egypt with great power and with an outstretched arm. You shall bow yourselves to him, and to him you shall sacrifice. |
| 37You must carefully obey at all times the rules, regulations, law, and commandments he wrote down for you. You must not worship other gods. | 37And the statutes and the rules and the law and the commandment that he wrote for you, you shall always be careful to do. You shall not fear other gods, |
| 38You must never forget the agreement I made with you, and you must not worship other gods. | 38and you shall not forget the covenant that I have made with you. You shall not fear other gods, |
| 39Instead you must worship the LORD your God; then he will rescue you from the power of all your enemies." | 39but you shall fear the LORD your God, and he will deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies.” |
| 40But they pay no attention; instead they observe their earlier practices. | 40However, they would not listen, but they did according to their former manner. |
| 41These nations are worshiping the LORD and at the same time serving their idols; their sons and grandsons do just as their fathers have done, to this very day. | 41So these nations feared the LORD and also served their carved images. Their children did likewise, and their children’s children—as their fathers did, so they do to this day. |
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