2 Kings 17:5-23 5 The king of As·syr′i·a invaded the entire land, and he came to Sa·mar′i·a and laid siege to it for three years. 6 In the ninth year of Ho·she′a, the king of As·syr′i·a captured Sa·mar′i·a.+ He then led the people of Israel into exile+ in As·syr′i·a and made them dwell in Ha′lah and in Ha′bor at the river Go′zan+ and in the cities of the Medes.+ 7 This happened because the people of Israel had sinned against Jehovah their God, who brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the control of Phar′aoh king of Egypt.+ They worshipped* other gods,+ 8 they followed the customs of the nations that Jehovah had driven out from before the Israelites, and they followed the customs that the kings of Israel had established. 9 The Israelites were pursuing the things that were not right according to Jehovah their God. They kept building high places in all their cities,+ from watchtower to fortified city.* 10 They kept setting up for themselves sacred pillars and sacred poles*+ on every high hill and under every luxuriant tree;+ 11 and on all the high places they would make sacrificial smoke just as the nations did that Jehovah had driven into exile from before them.+ They kept doing wicked things to offend Jehovah. 12 They continued to serve disgusting idols,*+ about which Jehovah had told them: “You must not do this!”+ 13 Jehovah kept warning Israel and Judah through all his prophets and every visionary,+ saying: “Turn back from your wicked ways!+ Keep my commandments and my statutes according to all the law that I commanded your forefathers and that I sent to you through my servants the prophets.” 14 But they did not listen, and they remained just as stubborn as* their forefathers who had not shown faith in Jehovah their God.+ 15 They continued rejecting his regulations and his covenant+ that he had made with their forefathers and his reminders that he had given to warn them,+ and they kept following worthless idols+ and became worthless themselves,+ imitating the nations all around them that Jehovah had commanded them not to imitate.+ 16 They kept leaving all the commandments of Jehovah their God, and they made metal statues* of two calves+ and a sacred pole,*+ and they bowed down to all the army of the heavens+ and served Ba′al.+ 17 They also made their sons and their daughters pass through the fire,+ they practiced divination+ and looked for omens, and they kept devoting* themselves to do what was bad in the eyes of Jehovah, to offend him. 18 So Jehovah was very angry with Israel, so that he removed them from his sight.+ He did not let any remain but the tribe of Judah alone. 19 Even Judah did not keep the commandments of Jehovah their God;+ they also walked in the customs that Israel followed.+ 20 Jehovah rejected all the descendants of Israel and humiliated them and gave them into the hand of plunderers, until he had cast them away from before him. 21 He ripped Israel away from the house of David, and they made Jer·o·bo′am the son of Ne′bat king.+ But Jer·o·bo′am caused Israel to stray from following Jehovah, and he caused them to commit a great sin. 22 And the people of Israel kept walking in all the sins that Jer·o·bo′am had committed.+ They did not depart from them 23 until Jehovah removed Israel from his sight, just as he had declared through all his servants the prophets.+ So Israel was taken into exile from its land to As·syr′i·a,+ where they remain to this day.
Posted on: Fri, 15 Aug 2014 08:45:19 +0000
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