1 IN the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea the son of Elah to reign in Samaria over Israel nine years.
2 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, but not as the kings of Israel that were before him.
3 Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria; and Hoshea became his servant, and gave him presents.
4 And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea: for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and brought no present to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year: therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison.
5 Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the 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 into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
7 For so it was, that the children of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods,
8 And walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the Lord cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made.
9 And the children of Israel did secretly those things that were not right against the Lord their God, and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city.
10 And they set them up images and groves in every high hill, and under every green tree:
11 And there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the heathen whom the Lord carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the Lord to anger:
12 For they served idols, whereof the Lord had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing.
13 Yet the Lord testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets.
14 Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the Lord their God.
15 And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the Lord had charged them, that they should not do like them.
16 And they left all the commandments of the Lord their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, 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 divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger.
18 Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only.
19 Also Judah kept not the commandments of the Lord their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made.
20 And the Lord rejected all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of spoilers, until he had cast them out of his sight.
21 For he rent Israel from the house of David; and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king: and Jeroboam drave Israel from following the Lord, and made them sin a great sin.
22 For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they departed not from them;
23 Until the Lord removed Israel out of his sight, as he had said by all his servants the prophets. So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day.
24 And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel: and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof.
25 And so it was at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not the Lord: therefore the Lord sent lions among them, which slew some of them.
26 Wherefore they spake to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations which thou hast removed, and placed in the cities of Samaria, know not the manner of the God of the land: therefore he hath sent lions among them, and, behold, they slay them, because they know not the manner of the God of the land.
27 Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Carry thither one of the priests whom ye brought from thence; and let them go and dwell there, and let him teach them the manner of the God of the land.
28 Then one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Beth-el, and taught them how they should fear the Lord.
29 Howbeit every nation made gods of their own, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities wherein they dwelt.
30 And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima,
31 And the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burnt their children in fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.
32 So they feared the Lord, and made unto themselves of the lowest of them priests of the high places, which sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places.
33 They feared the Lord, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations whom they carried away from thence.
34 Unto this day they do after the former manners: they fear not the Lord, neither do they after their statutes, or after their ordinances, or after the law and commandment which the Lord commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel;
35 With whom the Lord had made a covenant, and charged them, saying, Ye shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them:
36 But the Lord, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and a stretched out arm, him shall ye fear, and him shall ye worship, and to him shall ye do sacrifice.
37 And the statutes, and the ordinances, and the law, and the commandment, which he wrote for you, ye shall observe to do for evermore; and ye shall not fear other gods.
38 And the covenant that I have made with you ye shall not forget; neither shall ye fear other gods.
39 But the Lord your God ye shall fear; and he shall deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies.
40 Howbeit they did not hearken, but they did after their former manner.
41 So these nations feared the Lord, and served their graven images, both their children, and their children’s children: as did their fathers, so do they unto this day.

1In the twelfth yeere of Ahaz, king of Iudah, began Hoshea the sonne of Elah to reigne in Samaria, ouer Israel nine yeeres.

2And hee did that which was euill in the sight of the Lord, but not as the kings of Israel that were before him.

3 Against him came vp Shalmaneser king of Assyria, and Hoshea became his seruant, and gaue him presents.

4An the king of Assyria found conspiracie in Hoshea: for hee had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and brought no present to the king of Assyria, as he had done yeere by yeere: therefore the king of Assyria shut him vp, and bound him in prison.

5 Then the king of Assyria came vp thorowout all the land, and went vp to Samaria, and besieged it three yeres.

6 In the ninth yeere of Hoshea, the king of Assyria tooke Samaria, and caried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah, and in Habor by the riuer of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

7For so it was, that the children of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, which had brought them vp out of the land of Egypt, from vnder the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods,

8And walked in the statutes of the heathen, (whom the Lord cast out from before the children of Israel) and of the kings of Israel, which they had made.

9And the children of Israel did secretly those things that were not right, against the Lord their God: and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen, to the fenced city.

10And they set them vp images, and groues in euery high hill, and vnder euery greene tree.

11And there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the heathen whom the Lord caried away before them, and wrought wicked things to prouoke the Lord to anger.

12For they serued idoles, whereof the Lord had said vnto them, Yee shall not doe this thing.

13Yet the Lord testified against Israel, and against Iudah, by all the Prophets, and by all the Seers, saying, Turne ye from your euill wayes, and keepe my commandements, and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my seruants the Prophets.

14Notwithstanding, they would not heare, but hardened their neckes, like to the necke of their fathers, that did not beleeue in the Lord their God.

15And they reiected his Statutes, and his Couenant that hee made with their fathers, and his Testimonies which he testified against them, and they followed vanitie, and became vaine, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the Lord had charged them, that they should not doe like them.

16And they left all the Commandements of the Lord their God, and made them molten images, euen two calues, and made a groue, and worshipped all the hoste of heauen, and serued Baal.

17And they caused their sonnes and their daughters to passe through the fire, and vsed diuination, and inchantments, and sold themselues to doe euill in the sight of the Lord, to prouoke him to anger.

18Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel, and remoued them out of his sight, there was none left, but the tribe of Iudah onely.

19Also Iudah kept not the Commandements of the Lord their God, but walked in the Statutes of Israel which they made.

20And the Lord reiected all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and deliuered them into the hand of spoilers, vntill he had cast them out of his sight.

21For he rent Israel from the house of Dauid, and they made Ieroboam the sonne of Nebat king, and Ieroboam draue Israel from following the Lord, and made them sinne a great sinne.

22For the children of Israel walked in al the sinnes of Ieroboam which he did, they departed not from them:

23Untill the Lord remoued Israel out of his sight, as hee had said by all his seruants the Prophets: so was Israel caried away out of their owne land to Assyria, vnto this day.

24 And the King of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Aua, and from Hamath, and from Sepharuaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria, in stead of the children of Israel; and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof.

25And so it was at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not the Lord; therefore the Lord sent Lions among them, which slew some of them.

26Wherefore they spake to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations which thou hast remoued, and placed in the cities of Samaria, know not the maner of the God of the land: therfore he hath sent Lions among them, and beholde, they slay them, because they know not the maner of the God of the land.

27Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Carie thither one of the priests whom ye brought from thence, and let them goe and dwell there, and let him teach them the maner of the God of the land.

28Then one of the priests whom they had caried away from Samaria, came and dwelt in Bethel, and taught them howe they should feare the Lord.

29Howbeit, euery nation made gods of their owne, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritanes had made, euery nation in their cities wherein they dwelt:

30And the men of Babylon made Succoth-Benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima:

31And the Auites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharuites burnt their children in fire to Adrammelech, and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharuaim.

32So they feared the Lord, and made vnto themselues of the lowest of them priests of the high places, which sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places.

33They feared the Lord, and serued their owne gods, after the maner of the nations whom they caried away from thence.

34Unto this day they doe after the former maners: they feare not the Lord, neither doe they after their Statutes, or after their Ordinances, or after the Law and Commaundement which the Lord commaunded the children of Iacob, whom hee named Israel,

35With whom the Lord had made a Couenant, and charged them, saying, Yee shall not feare other gods, nor bow your selues to them, nor serue them, nor sacrifice to them:

36But the Lord, who brought you vp out of the land of Egypt, with great power, and a stretched out arme, him shall ye feare, and him shall ye worship, and to him shall ye doe sacrifice.

37And the Statutes, and the Ordinances, and the Law, and the Commandement which he wrote for you, ye shall obserue to doe for euermore, and ye shall not feare other gods:

38And the Couenant that I haue made with you, ye shall no forget, neither shall ye feare other gods.

39But the Lord your God yee shall feare, and he shall deliuer you out of the hand of all your enemies.

40Howbeit, they did not hearken, but they did after their former maner.

41So these nations feared the Lord, and serued their grauen images, both their children, and their childrens children: as did their fathers, so doe they vnto this day.

I == 2nd Kings 15:30

 

 

 

III == 2nd Kings 18:9

 

 

 

 

 

V == 2nd Kings 18:9

 

 

VI == Lev 26:32-33 ; Deut 28:36 , 64 ; 29:27-28 ; 2nd Kings 18:10-11 ; 1st Chr 5:26 ; Hos 13:16

 

 

 

 

VIII == Lev 18:3 ; Deut 18:9 ; 2nd Kings 16:3

 

IX == 2nd Kings 18:8

 

 

X == Ex 34:13 ; Deut 12:2 ; 16:21 ; 1st Kings 14:23 ; 2nd Kings 16:4 ; Isa 57:5 ; Mic 5:14

 

XII == Ex 20:3-4 ; Lev 26:1 ; Deut 4:19 ; 5:7-8

XIII == 1st Sam 9:9 ; Jer 18:11 ; 25:5 ; 35:15

 

 

 

 

 

XIV == Deut 31:27 ; Prov 29:1

 

XV == Deut 12:30-31 ; 29:25 ; 32:21 ; 1st Kings 16:13 ; Ps 115:8 ; Rom 1:21 ; 1st Cor 8:4

 

 

XVI == Ex 32:8 ; 1st Kings 12:28 ; 14:15 , 23 ; 15:13 ; 16:31 , 33 ; 22:53 ; 2nd Kings 11:18

XVII == Lev 18:21 ; Deut 18:10 ; 1st Kings 21:20 ; 2nd Kings 16:3 ; Ezek 23:37

XVIII == 1st Kings 11:13 , 32

 

XIX == Jer 3:8

 

 

XX == 2nd Kings 13:3 ; 15:29

 

 

XXI == 1st Kings 11:11 , 31 ; 12:20 , 28

 

 

 

 

XXIII == 1st Kings 14:16 ; 2nd Kings 17:6

 

XXIV == 2nd Kings 17:30 ; 18:34 ; Ezra 4:2 , 10

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XXX == 2nd Kings 17:24

 

XXXI == Lev 18:21 ; Deut 12:31 ; Ezra 4:9

 

 

XXXII == 1st Kings 12:31

 

 

XXXIII == Zeph 1:5

 

 

 

XXXIV == Gen 32:28 ; 35:10 ; 1st Kings 11:31

 

XXXV == Ex 20:5 ; Judg 6:10

 

 

XXXVI == Ex 6:6 ; Deut 10:20

 

 

XXXVII == Deut 5:32

 

 

 

XXXVIII == Deut 4:23

 

 

 

 

XLI == 2nd Kings 17:32-33

 

 

 

1 In the twelfth year of Ahaz, king of Judah, Hoshea, son of Elah, began his nine-year reign over Israel in Samaria.

2 He did evil in the sight of the LORD, yet not to the extent of the kings of Israel before him.

3 Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, advanced against him, and Hoshea became his vassal and paid him tribute.

4 But the king of Assyria found Hoshea guilty of conspiracy for sending envoys to the king of Egypt at Sais, and for failure to pay the annual tribute to his Assyrian overlord.

5 For this, the king of Assyria arrested and imprisoned Hoshea; he then occupied the whole land and attacked Samaria, which he besieged for three years.

6 In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria, and deported the Israelites to Assyria, settling them in Halah, at the Habor, a river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

7 This came about because the Israelites sinned against the LORD, their God, who had brought them up from the land of Egypt, from under the domination of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and because they venerated other gods.

8 They followed the rites of the nations whom the LORD had cleared out of the way of the Israelites (and the kings of Israel whom they set up).

9 They adopted unlawful practices toward the LORD, their God. They built high places in all their settlements, the watchtowers as well as the walled cities.

10 They set up pillars and sacred poles for themselves on every high hill and under every leafy tree.

11 There, on all the high places, they burned incense like the nations whom the LORD had sent into exile at their coming. They did evil things that provoked the LORD,

12 and served idols, although the LORD had told them, "You must not do this."

13 And though the LORD warned Israel and Judah by every prophet and seer, "Give up your evil ways and keep my commandments and statutes, in accordance with the entire law which I enjoined on your fathers and which I sent you by my servants the prophets,"

14 they did not listen, but were as stiff-necked as their fathers, who had not believed in the LORD, their God.

15 They rejected his statutes, the covenant which he had made with their fathers, and the warnings which he had given them. The vanity they pursued, they themselves became: they followed the surrounding nations whom the LORD had commanded them not to imitate.

16 They disregarded all the commandments of the LORD, their God, and made for themselves two molten calves; they also made a sacred pole and worshiped all the host of heaven, and served Baal.

17 They immolated their sons and daughters by fire, practiced fortune-telling and divination, and sold themselves into evil doing in the LORD'S sight, provoking him

18 till, in his great anger against Israel, the LORD put them away out of his sight. Only the tribe of Judah was left.

19 Even the people of Judah, however, did not keep the commandments of the LORD, their God, but followed the rites practiced by Israel.

20 So the LORD rejected the whole race of Israel. He afflicted them and delivered them over to plunderers, finally casting them out from before him.

21 When he tore Israel away from the house of David, they made Jeroboam, son of Nebat, king; he drove the Israelites away from the LORD, causing them to commit a great sin.

22 The Israelites imitated Jeroboam in all the sins he committed, nor would they desist from them.

23 Finally, the LORD put Israel away out of his sight as he had foretold through all his servants, the prophets; and Israel went into exile from their native soil to Assyria, an exile lasting to the present.

24 The king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim, and settled them in the cities of Samaria in place of the Israelites. They took possession of Samaria and dwelt in its cities.

25 When they first settled there, they did not venerate the LORD, so he sent lions among them that killed some of their number.

26 A report reached the king of Assyria: "The nations whom you deported and settled in the cities of Samaria do not know how to worship the God of the land, and he has sent lions among them that are killing them, since they do not know how to worship the God of the land."

27 The king of Assyria gave the order, "Send back one of the priests whom I deported, to go there and settle, to teach them how to worship the God of the land."

028 So one of the priests who had been deported from Samaria returned and settled in Bethel, and taught them how to venerate the LORD.

29 But these peoples began to make their own gods in the various cities in which they were living; in the shrines on the high places which the Samarians had made, each people set up gods.

30 Thus the Babylonians made Marduk and his consort; the men of Cuth made Nergal; the men of Hamath made Ashima;

31 the men of Avva made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the men of Sepharvaim immolated their children by fire to their city gods, King Hadad and his consort Anath.

32 They also venerated the LORD, choosing from their number priests for the high places, who officiated for them in the shrines on the high places.

33 But, while venerating the LORD, they served their own gods, following the worship of the nations from among whom they had been deported.

34 To this day they worship according to their ancient rites. (They did not venerate the LORD nor observe the statutes and regulations, the law and commandments, which the LORD enjoined on the descendants of Jacob, whom he had named Israel.

35 When he made a covenant with them, he commanded them: "You must not venerate other gods, nor worship them, nor serve them, nor offer sacrifice to them.

36 The LORD, who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and outstretched arm: him shall you venerate, him shall you worship, and to him shall you sacrifice.

37 You must be careful to observe forever the statutes and regulations, the law and commandment, which he wrote for you, and you must not venerate other gods.

38 The covenant which I made with you, you must not forget; you must not venerate other gods.

39 But the LORD, your God, you must venerate; it is he who will deliver you from the power of all your enemies."

40 They did not listen, however, but continued in their earlier manner.)

41 Thus these nations venerated the LORD, but also served their idols. And their sons and grandsons, to this day, are doing as their fathers did.

v 1,2. This chapter leaves Judah and goes back to Israel. Hoshea assassinated Pekah, 15:30, and continued to do evil, but not as bad as the kings before him. Some Jewish tradition is, he may have even permitted people to go to Jerusalem to worship.

v 3,4. He came under the power of the king of Assyria, Shalmanezer, successor to his father Tiglath-Pileazar 3rd, and gave him tribute. Then he decided to rebel, not pay tribute and call on Egypt for help. Egypt could not or would not help, and the king of Assyria bound him in prison.

v 5,6. The king of Assyria over ran all of Israel, but it took three years of siege to capture the city of Samaria. Then he took captives of Israel and repopulated them throughout Assyria. In a little over two centuries, from 931-722 B C, Israel ceased to exist as a nation. All her kings were wicked, and seven of the 20 were assassinated.

v 7--13. Israel had gone full circle, from deliverance from Egypt to Hoshea calling on Egypt for help. Starting with Jeroboam 1, Israel had followed all the practices of the gods of the heathen of the land. They built innumerable places to worship these false gods and serve idols. Some of the things they had done in secret, but the Lord knew. God even sent many prophets to warn the people to turn from sin and back to God.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

v 14-17. Israel did not listen to the prophets but continued to harden their necks, (hearts) rejected all of God’s commandments, worshiped the two gold calves, made by Jeroboam, Baal, and astrologers. They practiced all kinds of divination and sorcery, and even offered their children as sacrifices to placate  these false gods.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

v 18--23. The Lord was very angry with all of Israel and removed them from the land except Judah, and Judah also had been disobedient. God forcibly removed Israel out of the land by the spoilers He permitted to come in, because they had continued in the sins which Jeroboam had introduced into the land. So Israel was deported to Assyria, as God had been warning through His prophets.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

V24-28. The  king by this time was probably Sargon 2, because Shalmanezer died about the time of the end of the siege of Samaria. Assyria repopulated the land with influential people captured from other lands, but they did not fear the Lord, so the Lord sent lions among them. The people recognized or believed by superstition of gods, that the lion trouble was because they did not know the God of the land. The king of Assyria ordered that one of the captured priests be returned to teach the people the manner of the God of the land. So one of the priests came to Bethel, where he taught them how they should fear the Lord.

 

v 29-33. The people simply added the Lord to their other gods and continued to worship them in the many high places and burned children for sacrifice. They said they feared God, but they made common people to be priests in the high places and went on serving their own gods as before.

 

v 34-41. These verses loosely reiterate commands to serve the Lord only, and emphasizes that these people just added the Lord to the list of gods they served. Of the 20 kings of Israel, I believe only one died a natural death.