2 Kings 17:1-13 ▼

1 IN the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea the son of Elah began to reign in Samaria over Israel, and reigned nine years.

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

3 Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria; and Hoshea became his servant and brought him tribute.

4 And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea; for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and did not bring up tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had been doing year by year; therefore the king of Assyria shut him up and bound him in prison.

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

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

7 For so it was, that the children 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 worshipped other gods,

8 And walked in the statutes of the nations whom the LORD had destroyed from before the children of Israel,

9 And the children of Israel had spoken words that were not right against the LORD their God, both they and their kings; and they built them temples of idols in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fortified city.

10 And they set up for themselves statues and idols on every high hill and under every green tree;

11 And there they burned incense on all the high places, as did the nations whom the LORD destroyed from before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the LORD to anger:

12 For they served idols, of which the LORD had said to them, You shall not do this thing.

13 Yet the LORD testified against Israel and against Judah by all his servants the prophets and by all the seers, saying, Repent from your evil ways and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers and according to that which I sent to them by my servants the prophets.