Dual Panel1In the twelfth <06240> <08147> year <08141> of King <04428> Ahaz’s <0271> reign over Judah <03063>, Hoshea <01954> son <01121> of Elah <0425> became king <04427> over <05921> Israel <03478>. He reigned in Samaria <08111> for nine <08672> years <08141>.
2He did <06213> evil <07451> in the sight <05869> of the Lord <03068>, but <07535> not <03808> to the same degree as the Israelite <03478> kings <04428> who <0834> preceded <06440> him.
3King <04428> Shalmaneser <08022> of Assyria <0804> threatened <05927> <05921> him; Hoshea <01954> became <01961> his subject <05650> and paid <07725> him tribute <04503>.
4The king <04428> of Assyria <0804> discovered <04672> that Hoshea <01954> was planning a revolt <07195>. Hoshea had <0834> sent <07971> messengers <04397> to <0413> King <04428> So <05471> of Egypt <04714> and had not <03808> sent <05927> his annual <08141> <08141> tribute <04503> to the king <04428> of Assyria <0804>. So the king <04428> of Assyria <0804> arrested <06113> him and imprisoned <03608> <01004> <0631> him.
5The king <04428> of Assyria <0804> marched through <05927> the whole <03605> land <0776>. He attacked <05927> Samaria <08111> and besieged <06696> it for <05921> three <07969> years <08141>.
6In the ninth <08671> year <08141> of Hoshea’s <01954> reign, the king <04428> of Assyria <0804> captured <03920> Samaria <08111> and deported <01540> the people of Israel <03478> to Assyria <0804>. He settled <03427> them in Halah <02477>, along the Habor <02249> (the river <05104> of Gozan <01470>), and in the cities <05892> of the Medes <04074>.
7This happened <01961> because <03588> the Israelites <03478> <01121> sinned <02398> against the Lord <03068> their God <0430>, who brought <05927> them up <05927> from the land <0776> of Egypt <04714> and freed them from <08478> the power <03027> of Pharaoh <06547> king <04428> of Egypt <04714>. They worshiped <03372> other <0312> gods <0430>;
8they observed <01980> the practices <02708> of the nations <01471> whom <0834> the Lord <03068> had driven out <03423> from before <06440> Israel <03478> <01121>, and followed <06213> the example of the kings <04428> of Israel <03478>.
9The Israelites <03478> <01121> said <02644> things <01697> about <05921> the Lord <03068> their God <0430> that <0834> were not <03808> right <03651>. They built <01129> high places <01116> in all <03605> their cities <05892>, from the watchtower <05341> <04026> to <05704> the fortress <04013> <05892>.
10They set up <05324> sacred pillars <04676> and Asherah poles <0842> on <05921> every <03605> high <01364> hill <01389> and under <08478> every <03605> green <07488> tree <06086>.
11They burned incense <06999> on all <03605> the high places <01116> just like the nations <01471> whom <0834> the Lord <03068> had driven away <01540> from before <06440> them. Their evil <07451> practices <01697> made <06213> the Lord <03068> angry <03707>.
12They worshiped <05647> the disgusting idols <01544> in blatant disregard <06213> <03808> of the Lord’s <03068> command <0559>.
13The Lord <03068> solemnly warned <05749> Israel <03478> and Judah <03063> through <03027> all <03605> his prophets <05030> and all <03605> the seers <02374>, “Turn back <07725> from your evil <07451> ways <01870>; obey <08104> my commandments <04687> and rules <02708> that <0834> are recorded in the law <08451>. I ordered <06680> your ancestors <01> to keep this law and sent <07971> my servants <05650> the prophets <05030> to remind you of its demands.”
14But they did not <03808> pay attention <08085> and were as stubborn <07185> as their ancestors <01>, who <0834> had not <03808> trusted <0539> the Lord <03068> their God <0430>.
15They rejected <03988> his rules <02706>, the covenant <01285> he had made <03772> with <0854> their ancestors <01>, and the laws <05715> he had commanded <05749> them to obey. They paid allegiance <01980> to <0310> worthless idols <01892>, and so became worthless <01891> to the Lord. They copied <0310> the practices of the surrounding <05439> nations <01471> in blatant disregard of <0834> the Lord’s <03068> command <06680>.
16They abandoned <05800> all <03605> the commandments <04687> of the Lord <03068> their God <0430>; they made <06213> two <08147> metal <04541> calves <05695> and an Asherah pole <0842>, bowed down <07812> to all <03605> the stars <06635> in the sky <08064>, and worshiped <05647> Baal <01168>.
17They passed <05674> their sons <01121> and daughters <01323> through the fire <0784>, and practiced <07080> divination <07081> and omen <05172> reading. They committed <04376> themselves to doing <06213> evil <07451> in the sight <05869> of the Lord <03068> and made him angry <03707>.
18So the Lord <03068> was furious <03966> <0599> with Israel <03478> and rejected <05493> them; only <07535> the tribe <07626> of Judah <03063> was left <07604>.
19Judah <03063> also <01571> failed <03808> to keep <08104> the commandments <04687> of the Lord <03068> their God <0430>; they followed <01980> Israel’s <03478> example <02708>.
20So the Lord <03068> rejected <03988> all <03605> of Israel’s <03478> descendants <02233>; he humiliated <06031> them and handed <03027> <05414> them over <03027> <05414> to robbers <08154>, until <05704> he had thrown <07993> them from his presence <06440>.
21He tore <07167> Israel <03478> away from <05921> David’s <01732> dynasty <01004>, and Jeroboam <03379> son <01121> of Nebat <05028> became <04427> their king <04427>. Jeroboam <03379> drove <05077> Israel <03478> away <05077> from <0310> the Lord <03068> and encouraged them to commit <02398> a serious <01419> sin <02401>.
22The Israelites <03478> followed <01980> in the sinful <02403> ways of Jeroboam <03379> son <01121> of Nebat and did not <03808> repudiate <04480> <05493> them.
23Finally <0834> <05704> the Lord <03068> rejected <05493> Israel <03478> just as <0834> he had warned <01696> he would do through <03027> all <03605> his servants <05650> the prophets <05030>. Israel <03478> was deported <01540> from <05921> its land <0127> to Assyria <0804> and remains there to <05704> this <02088> very day <03117>.
24The king <04428> of Assyria <0804> brought <0935> foreigners from Babylon <0894>, Cuthah <03575>, Avva <05755>, Hamath <02574>, and Sepharvaim <05617> and settled <03427> them in the cities <05892> of Samaria <08111> in place <08478> of the Israelites <03478> <01121>. They took possession <03423> of Samaria <08111> and lived <03427> in its cities <05892>.
25When <01961> they first <08462> moved <03427> in, they did not <03808> worship <03372> the Lord <03068>. So the Lord <03068> sent <07971> lions among them and the lions <0738> were <01961> killing <02026> them.
26The king <04428> of Assyria <0804> was told <0559>, “The nations <01471> whom <0834> you deported <01540> and settled <03427> in the cities <05892> of Samaria <08111> do not <03808> know <03045> the requirements <04941> of the God <0430> of the land <0776>, so he has sent <07971> lions <0738> among them. They are killing <04191> the people because <0834> they do not <0369> know <03045> the requirements <04941> of the God <0430> of the land <0776>.”
27So the king <04428> of Assyria <0804> ordered <06680>, “Take back <01980> one <0259> of the priests <03548> whom <0834> you deported <01540> from there <08033>. He must settle <03427> there <08033> and teach <03384> them the requirements <04941> of the God <0430> of the land <0776>.”
28So one <0259> of the priests <03548> whom <0834> they had deported <01540> from Samaria <08111> went back <0935> and settled <03427> in Bethel <01008>. He taught <03384> them how <0349> to worship <03372> the Lord <03068>.
29But <01961> each <01471> of these nations <01471> made <06213> its own gods <0430> and put <03240> them in the shrines <01004> on the high places <01116> that <0834> the people of Samaria <08118> had made <06213>. Each <01471> nation <01471> did this in the cities <05892> where <0834> they <01992> lived <03427>.
30The people <0376> from Babylon <0894> made <06213> Succoth Benoth <05524>, the people <0376> from Cuth <03575> made <06213> Nergal <05370>, the people <0376> from Hamath <02574> made <06213> Ashima <0807>,
31the Avvites <05757> made <06213> Nibhaz <05026> and Tartak <08662>, and the Sepharvites <05616> burned <08313> their sons <01121> in the fire <0784> as an offering to Adrammelech <0152> and Anammelech <06048>, the gods <0433> of Sepharvaim <05617>.
32At the same time they worshiped <03372> the Lord <03069>. They <01992> appointed <06213> some of their own people to serve as priests <03548> in the shrines <01116> on the high places <01116>.
33They were <01961> worshiping <03372> the Lord <03068> and at the same time <01961> serving <05647> their own gods <0430> in accordance with the practices <04941> of the nations <01471> from which <08033> which <0834> they had been deported <01540>.
34To <05704> this <02088> very day <03117> they <01992> observe <06213> their earlier <07223> practices <04941>. They do not <0369> worship <03372> the Lord <03068>; they do not <0369> obey <06213> the rules <02708>, regulations <04941>, law <08451>, and commandments <04687> that <0834> the Lord <03068> gave <06680> the descendants <01121> of Jacob <03290>, whom <0834> he renamed <08034> <07760> Israel <03478>.
35The Lord <03068> made <03772> an agreement <01285> with <0854> them and instructed <06680> them, “You must not <03808> worship <03372> other <0312> gods <0430>. Do not <03808> bow down <07812> to them, serve <05647> them, or <03808> offer sacrifices <02076> to them.
36Instead you must worship the Lord <03068>, who <0834> brought <05927> you up <05927> from the land <0776> of Egypt <04714> by his great <01419> power <03581> and military ability <05186> <02220>; bow down <07812> to him and offer sacrifices <02076> to him.
37You must carefully <08104> obey <06213> at all <03605> times <03117> the rules <02706>, regulations <04941>, law <08451>, and commandments <04687> he wrote down <03789> for you. You must not <03808> worship <03372> other <0312> gods <0430>.
38You must never <03808> forget <07911> the agreement <01285> I made <03772> with <0854> you, and you must not <03808> worship <03372> other <0312> gods <0430>.
39Instead <0518> <03588> you must worship <03372> the Lord <03068> your God <0430>; then he <01931> will rescue <05337> you from the power <03027> of all <03605> your enemies <0341>.”
40But <03588> they pay <08085> no <03808> attention <08085>; instead <0518> they <01992> observe <06213> their earlier <07223> practices <04941>.
41These <0428> nations <01471> are <01961> worshiping <03372> the Lord <03068> and <01571> at the same time <01961> serving <05647> their idols <06456>; their sons <01121> and grandsons <01121> <01121> do <06213> just as <0834> their <01992> fathers <01> have done <06213>, to <05704> this <02088> very day <03117>.