Read the Bible

¹ In the twelfth year of Achaz king of Juda began Osee the son of Ela to reign in Samaria over Israel nine years. ² And he did evil in the eyes of the Lord, only not as the kings of Israel that were before him. ³ Against him came up Salamanassar king of the Assyrians; and Osee became his servant, and rendered him tribute. ⁴ And the king of the Assyrians found iniquity in Osee, in that he sent messengers to Segor king of Egypt, and brought not a tribute to the king of the Assyrians in that year: and the king of the Assyrians besieged him, and bound him in the prison-house. ⁵ And the king of the Assyrians went up against all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it for three years. ⁶ In the ninth year of Osee the king of the Assyrians took Samaria, and carried Israel away to the Assyrians, and settled them in Alae, and in Abor, near the rivers of Gozan, and in the mountains of the Medes.

⁷ For it came to pass that the children of Israel had transgressed against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharao king of Egypt, and they feared other gods, ⁸ and walked in the statutes of the nations which the Lord cast out before the face of the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel as many as did such things, ⁹ and in those of the children of Israel as many as secretly practised customs, not as they should have done, against the Lord their God: ¹⁰ and they built for themselves high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fortified city. And they made for themselves pillars and groves on every high hill, and under every shady tree. ¹¹ And burned incense there on all high places, as the nations did whom the Lord removed from before them, and dealt with familiar spirits, and they carved images to provoke the Lord to anger. ¹² And they served the idols, of which the Lord said to them, Ye shall not do this thing against the Lord. ¹³ And the Lord testified against Israel and against Juda, even by the hand of all his prophets, and of every seer, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my ordinances, and all the law which I commanded your fathers, and all that I sent to them by the hand of my servants the prophets. ¹⁴ But they hearkened not, and made their neck harder than the neck of their fathers. ¹⁵ And they kept not any of his testimonies which he charged them; and they walked after vanities, and became vain, and after the nations round about them, concerning which the Lord had charged them not to do accordingly. ¹⁶ They forsook the commandments of the Lord their God, and made themselves graven images, even two heifers, and they made groves, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. ¹⁷ And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divinations and auspices, and sold themselves to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him. ¹⁸ And the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight; and there was only left the tribe of Juda quite alone. ¹⁹ Nay even Juda kept not the commandments of the Lord their God, but they walked according to the customs of Israel which they practised, and rejected the Lord. ²⁰ And the Lord was angry with the whole seed of Israel, and troubled them, and gave them into the hand of them that spoiled them, until he cast them out of his presence. ²¹ Forasmuch as Israel revolted from the house of David, and they made Jeroboam the son of Nabat king: and Jeroboam drew off Israel from following the Lord, and led them to sin a great sin. ²² And the children of Israel walked in all the sin of Jeroboam which he committed; they departed not from it, ²³ until the Lord removed Israel from his presence, as the Lord spoke by all his servants the prophets; and Israel was removed from off their land to the Assyrians until this day.

²⁴ And the king of Assyria brought from Babylon the men of Chutha, and men from Aia, and from Æmath, and Seppharvaim, and they were settled in the cities of Samaria in the place of the children of Israel: and they inherited Samaria, and were settled in its cities. ²⁵ And it was so at the beginning of their establishment there that they feared not the Lord, and the Lord sent lions among them, and they slew some of them. ²⁶ And they spoke to the king of the Assyrians, saying, The nations whom thou hast removed and substituted in the cities of Samaria for the Israelites, know not the manner of the God of the land: and he has sent the lions against them, and, behold, they are slaying them, because they know not the manner of the God of the land. ²⁷ And the king of the Assyrians commanded, saying, Bring some Israelites thence, and let them go and dwell there, and they shall teach them the manner of the God of the land. ²⁸ And they brought one of the priests whom they had removed from Samaria, and he settled in Baethel, and taught them how they should fear the Lord. ²⁹ But the nations made each their own gods, and put them in the house of the high places which the Samaritans had made, each nation in the cities in which they dwelt. ³⁰ And the men of Babylon made Socchoth Benith, and the men of Chuth made Ergel, and the men of Haemath made Asimath. ³¹ And the Evites made Eblazer and Tharthac, and the inhabitant of Seppharvaim did evil when they burnt their sons in the fire to Adramelech and Anemelech, the gods of Seppharvaim. ³² And they feared the Lord, yet they established their abominations in the houses of the high places which they made in Samaria, each nation in the city in which they dwelt: and they feared the Lord, and they made for themselves priests of the high places, and sacrificed for themselves in the house of the high places. ³³ And they feared the Lord, and served their gods according to the manner of the nations, whence their lords brought them. ³⁴ Until this day they did according to their manner: they fear the Lord, and they do according to their customs, and according to their manner, and according to the law, and according to the commandment which the Lord commanded the sons of Jacob, whose name he made Israel. ³⁵ And the Lord made a covenant with them, and charged them, saying, Ye shall not fear other gods, neither shall ye worship them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them: ³⁶ but only to the Lord, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great strength and with a high arm: him shall ye fear, and him shall ye worship; to him shall ye sacrifice. ³⁷ Ye shall observe continually the ordinances, and the judgments, and the law, and the commandments which he wrote for you to do; and ye shall not fear other gods. ³⁸ Neither shall ye forget the covenant which he made with you: and ye shall not fear other gods. ³⁹ But ye shall fear the Lord your God, and he shall deliver you from all your enemies. ⁴⁰ Neither shall ye comply with their practice, which they follow. ⁴¹ So these nations feared the Lord, and served their graven images: yea, their sons and their son’s sons do until this day even as their fathers did.