The Fall of Samaria
1In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea son of Elah began to reign in Samaria over Israel — nine years. 2In Yahweh’s eyes he did what was evil, though not like the kings of Israel who came before him. 3Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against him; Hoshea became his vassal and paid him tribute. 4But the king of Assyria discovered a conspiracy in Hoshea: he had sent envoys to So, king of Egypt, and had stopped paying tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year after year. So the king of Assyria seized him and put him in prison. 5The king of Assyria invaded the whole land, marched against Samaria, and besieged it for three years. 6In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and deported Israel to Assyria; he settled them in Halah, in Gozan on the Habor River, and in the towns of the Medes.
Why Israel Fell
7This happened because the Israelites had sinned against Yahweh 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. 8They followed the customs of the nations Yahweh had driven out before the Israelites, and the customs the kings of Israel had introduced. 9The Israelites secretly did things against Yahweh their God that were not right; they built high places for themselves in all their towns, from the watchtower to the fortified city. 10They set up sacred pillars and Asherah poles for themselves on every high hill and under every green tree. 11There they burned incense on all the high places, as the nations Yahweh had exiled before them had done, and they did wicked things that provoked Yahweh. 12They served idols, though Yahweh had told them, “You must not do this.” 13Yahweh warned Israel and Judah through every prophet and every seer: “Turn back from your evil ways and keep my commandments and statutes, in accordance with the whole law I commanded your fathers and sent to you through my servants the prophets.” 14But they would not listen; they stiffened their necks, like the necks of their fathers, who had not trusted in Yahweh their God. 15They rejected his statutes and the covenant he had made with their fathers, and the warnings he had given them. They went after worthless idols and became worthless themselves, following the nations around them, though Yahweh had commanded them not to act like those nations. 16They abandoned all the commandments of Yahweh their God; they made cast images for themselves — two calves — and an Asherah pole; they bowed down to the whole host of heaven and served Baal. 17They made their sons and daughters pass through the fire, practiced divination and omens, and sold themselves to do what was evil in Yahweh’s eyes, provoking him. 18So Yahweh grew furious with Israel and removed them from his presence; only the tribe of Judah was left. 19Even Judah did not keep the commandments of Yahweh their God; they too followed the customs Israel had introduced. 20So Yahweh rejected the whole offspring of Israel; he afflicted them and gave them into the hands of plunderers, until he had cast them out of his presence. 21For he had torn Israel away from the house of David, and they had made Jeroboam son of Nebat king; Jeroboam drove Israel away from following Yahweh and led them into great sin. 22The Israelites walked in every sin Jeroboam had committed; they never turned away from them, 23until Yahweh removed Israel from his presence, just as he had said through all his servants the prophets. So Israel was exiled from its own land to Assyria, as it is to this day.
The Peoples Who Settled Samaria
24The 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. 25When they first settled there, they did not fear Yahweh, so Yahweh sent lions among them, and the lions killed some of them. 26So they said to the king of Assyria, “The nations you deported and settled in the towns of Samaria do not know the custom of the god of the land; he has sent lions among them, and the lions 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 deported from there; let him go and live there and teach them the custom of the god of the land.” 28So one of the priests who had been deported from Samaria came and settled in Bethel, and he taught them how to fear Yahweh. 29But every nation went on making its own gods, and they set them up in the shrines of the high places the Samaritans had built — each nation in the towns where they lived. 30The men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth; the men of Cuthah made Nergal; 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. 32They feared Yahweh, yet they also appointed priests of the high places from among themselves, who served for them in the shrines of the high places. 33They feared Yahweh, and they served their own gods too, according to the custom of the nations from which they had been deported. 34To this day they go on acting by their former customs. They do not truly fear Yahweh, and they do not follow the statutes, ordinances, law, or commandment that Yahweh commanded the descendants of Jacob, whom he named Israel. 35Yahweh had made a covenant with them and commanded them: “You must not fear other gods, bow down to them, serve them, or sacrifice to them. 36Instead, fear Yahweh, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and an outstretched arm; bow down to him, and sacrifice to him. 37The statutes, the ordinances, the law, and the commandment he wrote for you — observe them faithfully, always, and do not fear other gods. 38Do not forget the covenant I made with you, and do not fear other gods. 39Fear Yahweh your God alone, and he will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.” 40But they would not listen; they went on acting by their former custom. 41So these nations feared Yahweh, and yet they served their carved images. Their children and grandchildren still do as their fathers did, to this day.
