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

In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea the son of Elah to reign in Samaria over Israel nine years.

2 He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, but not like the kings of Israel who came before him.

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

3 Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, came up against him, and Hoshea became his vassal and paid him tribute.

Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria; and Hoshea became his servant, and gave him presents.

4 But the king of Assyria discovered that Hoshea was conspiring against him, for Hoshea had sent messengers to So, king of Egypt, and had not paid tribute to the king of Assyria as he had done year by year. Therefore, the king of Assyria detained him and bound him in prison.

And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea: for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and brought no present 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.

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

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

6 In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and deported the Israelites to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, along the Habor River, and in the cities of Media.

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

7 This happened because the Israelites 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 worshiped other gods.

For so it was, that the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods,

8 They followed the practices of the nations whom the Lord had driven out before the Israelites, as well as the practices of the kings of Israel that they themselves had introduced.

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

9 The Israelites secretly did things against the Lord their God that were not right. They built high places in all their towns, from watchtower to fortified city.

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

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

And they set them up images and groves in every high hill, and under every green tree:

11 There, on all the high places, they burned incense as the nations whom the Lord had driven out before them had done. They did wicked things that provoked the Lord to anger.

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

12 They served idols, about which the Lord had said to them, 'You shall not do this thing.'

For they served idols, whereof the LORD had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing.

13 Yet the Lord warned Israel and Judah through all His prophets and seers, saying, 'Turn back from your evil ways and keep My commandments and statutes according to the entire law I commanded your fathers to follow, and which I sent to you through My servants the prophets.'

Yet the LORD testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep 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 But they would not listen. Instead, they hardened their necks like their fathers who did not believe in the Lord their God.

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

15 They despised His statutes, His covenant that He made with their fathers, and His warnings He gave them. They followed worthless idols and became worthless themselves. They imitated the nations around them, though the Lord had commanded them not to do so.

And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the LORD had charged them, that they should not do like them.

16 They abandoned all the commandments of the Lord their God. They made for themselves two cast idols in the form of calves, made an Asherah pole, worshiped all the host of heaven, and served Baal.

And they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal.

17 They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire, practiced divination and sorcery, and sold themselves to do what was evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking Him to anger.

And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.

18 So the Lord became very angry with Israel and removed them from His presence. Only the tribe of Judah was left.

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

19 But even Judah did not keep the commandments of the Lord their God. They followed the practices of Israel as the Israelites had done.

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

20 Therefore the Lord rejected all the descendants of Israel, afflicted them, and handed them over to plunderers until He had cast them out of His presence.

And the LORD rejected all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of spoilers, until he had cast them out of his sight.

21 For when Israel was torn from the house of David, they made Jeroboam son of Nebat king. Jeroboam drove Israel away from following the Lord and led them into great sin.

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

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

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

23 Finally, the Lord removed Israel from His presence as He had declared through all His servants the prophets. So the Israelites were exiled from their own land to Assyria, and they remain there to this day.

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

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

And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, 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 thereof.

25 When they first lived there, they did not fear the Lord. So the Lord sent lions among them, which killed some of the people.

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

26 It was said to the king of Assyria, 'The nations you have resettled in the towns of Samaria do not know the customs of the God of the land. He has sent lions among them, which are killing them because the people do not know His customs.'

Wherefore they spake to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations which thou hast removed, and placed in the cities of Samaria, know not 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 gave this order: 'Send back one of the priests you took captive from Samaria. Let him live there and teach the people the customs of the God of the land.'

Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Carry thither one of the priests 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 So one of the priests who had been taken captive from Samaria came back and lived in Bethel. He taught them how they should fear the Lord.

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

29 But each nation made its own gods and set them up in the shrines of the high places that the Samaritans had made—each nation in the towns where they lived.

Howbeit every nation made gods 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 The men from Babylon made Sukkoth Benoth, the men from Cuthah made Nergal, and the men from Hamath made Ashima.

And the men of Babylon made Succothbenoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima,

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

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

32 They feared the Lord, but they also appointed for themselves all sorts of priests for the high places, who made sacrifices for them in the shrines of the high places.

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

33 They feared the Lord, but they also served their own gods according to the practices of the nations from which they had been deported.

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

34 To this day they continue to practice their former customs. They neither fear the Lord nor follow the statutes, ordinances, laws, and commandments that the Lord gave the descendants of Jacob, whom He named Israel.

Unto this day they do after the former manners: they fear not 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 Israel;

35 The Lord made a covenant with them and commanded them, saying, 'Do not fear other gods, do not bow down to them, do not serve them, and do not sacrifice to them.'

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

36 But fear only the Lord, who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and an outstretched arm. Worship Him and sacrifice to Him alone.

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

37 And you shall always observe and follow the statutes, ordinances, the law, and the commandment that He wrote for you. Do not fear other gods.

And the statutes, and the ordinances, and the law, and the commandment, which he wrote for you, ye shall observe to do for evermore; and ye shall not fear other gods.

38 Do not forget the covenant that I made with you, and do not fear other gods.

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

39 Rather, fear the Lord your God, and He will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.

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

40 But they would not listen. Instead, they continued to act according to their former customs.

Howbeit they did not hearken, but they did after their former manner.

41 So these nations feared the Lord, but they also served their carved images. Their children and grandchildren continued to do as their fathers did, even to this day.

So these nations 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 day.