2 Kings 17

Great^{(i) 1} In the .xii. yeare of Ahaz kynge of Iuda, beganne Hosea the sonne of Ela to raigne in Samaria vpon Israel .ix. yeare, ² and dyd that which was euell in the syght of the Lorde, but not as the kynges of Israel that were before him. ³ And Salmanasar kyng of Assyria came vp agaynst him, and Hosea became hys seruaunt, and gaue hym presentes. ⁴ And the kynge of Assyria founde treason in Hosea: for he had sent messengers to So, kynge of Egypte, and brought no presente vnto the kynge of Assyria, from yeare to yeare: and therfore the kynge of Assyria toke hym: and put hym in pryson. ⁵ And then the kynge of Assyria came vp thorowout all the lande, & gat vp against Samaria, and beseged it thre yeare. ⁶ In the nynth yeare of Hosea, the kynge of Assyria toke Samaria, and caryed Israel awaye vnto Assyria, and put them in Hala, in Habor by the ryuer of Goza, and in the cyties of the Medes. ⁷ For it came to passe, that the chyldren of Israel synned agaynst the Lorde theyr God, which had brought them out of the lande of Egypt, from vnder the hande of Pharao kynge of Egypte: and feared other Gods. ⁸ And they walked in the ceremonyes of the hethen, whom the Lorde cast out before the chyldren of Israel, & in the ceremonies which the kynges of Israel had made. ⁹ And the children of Israel went about to hyde those thinges that were not well, from the Lorde theyr God. And they buylt them Hyllaulters in all theyr cyties, bothe in the towres where they kept watch, and also in the stronge townes. ¹⁰ And they made them ymages and groues in euery hye hyll, and vnder euery thyck tre. ¹¹ And there they burnt incense in all the Hyllaulters, as dyd the hethen (whom the Lorde caryed awaye before them) and wrought wycked thynges to angre the Lorde withall: ¹² For they serued most vyle Idoles, wherof the Lorde had sayde vnto them. Ye shall do no soche thynge. ¹³ And the Lorde testifyed in Israel, and in Iuda by all the prophetes and by all the sears, sayinge. Turne from youre wycked wayes and kepe my commaundementes and my statutes, accordinge to all the lawe which I commaunded youre fathers, and which I sent to you by my seruauntes the prophetes. ¹⁴ Notwithstandynge they wolde not heare but rather hardened theyr neckes, lyke to the stubburnesse of their fathers that dyd not beleue in the Lorde their God. ¹⁵ For they refused hys statutes, and hys appoyntment that he made with theyr fathers, & the witnesses (wherwith he witnessed vnto them) & they folowed vanyte, and became vayne, and went after the hethen that were rounde aboute them: concernynge whom, the Lorde had charged them, that they shuld not do lyke them. ¹⁶ But they left the commaundementes of the Lord theyr God and made them Images of metall euen two calues: and made Idole groues, & worshypped all the Hoste of heauen, and serued Baall. ¹⁷ And they sacrifyced theyr sonnes & theyr daughters in fyre, and vsed witchcraft and enchauntementes euen sellynge them selues to worke wyckednesse in the syght of the Lorde, and to angre hym. ¹⁸ And the Lorde was exceadinge wroth wt Israel and put them out of hys syght that there was lefte but the trybe of Iuda onely. ¹⁹ Neuertheles, Iuda also kept not the commaundementes of the Lorde theyr God, but walked in the ceremonies of Israel, which they made ²⁰ And the Lorde cast vp all the seed of Israel, and vexed them, and delyuered them into the handes of spoylers, vntyll he had cast them out of hys syght. ²¹ For Israel deuyded them selues from the house of Dauid, & made them a kinge, euen Ieroboam the sonne of Nebat. And Ieroboam drewe Israel awaye (that they shulde not folowe the Lorde) and made them synne a greate synne: ²² For the chyldren of Israel walcked in all the synnes of Ieroboam which he dyd, and departed not therfrom, ²³ vntyll the Lorde put Israel awaye out of hys syght, as he had sayde by all hys seruauntes the prophetes. And so was Israel caryed awaye out of theyr awne lande to Assyria euen vnto thys daye. ²⁴ And the kynge of Assyria brought men from Babylon, from Cutha, from Aua, from Hanath, and from Sepharuaim, and put them in the cyties of Samaria, in steade of the chyldren of Israel. And they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cyties therof. ²⁵ And it fortuned, that at the begynnynge of theyr dwellinge there, they feared not the Lorde. And the Lorde sent lyons amonge them, which slue them. ²⁶ Wherfore, men sayde to the kynge of Assyria. The nacyons which thou hast translated, & put in the cyties of Samaria, knowe not the lawe of the God of the lande, therfore he hath sent lyons vpon them: and beholde they slaye them, because they knowe not the maner of worshyppyng of the God of the lande. ²⁷ Then the kynge of Assyria commaunded sayenge: carye thether one or twayne of the Preastes, whom ye brought thence, and let them go, and dwell there, and teache them the fassyon howe to serue the God of the contreye. ²⁸ And then one of the Preastes which they had caryed thence came, and dwelt in Bethel, and taught them howe they shulde feare the Lorde. ²⁹ Howbeit euery nacyon made them Gods of theyr awne and put them in the houses of the Hyllaulters which the Samaritans had made, euery nacion in their cyties wherin they dwelt. ³⁰ The men of Babilon made Socoth Benoth: and the men of Cuth made Nergal: and the men of Hamath made Asima. ³¹ The Auites made Nibbaz, and Tharthak. And the Sepharuites burnt theyr chyldren in fyre for Adramelech and Anamelech, the Gods of Sepharuaim. ³² And so they feared the Lorde, and made them Preastes of the Hyllaulters, which sacrifyced for them in the houses of the Hyllaulters. ³³ And so they feared the Lorde, and serued theyr awne Gods after the maner of the people, whom they caryed thence. ³⁴ And vnto this daye they do after the olde maner: and nether feare God, nether do after theyr ordinaunces and customes, and after the lawe and commaundement which the Lorde commaunded the chyldren of Iacob, whom he called Israel. ³⁵ And the Lorde made an appoyntement wyth them, and charged them, sayenge: feare none other Goddes, nor bowe youre selues to them, nor serue them nor sacrifyce to them: ³⁶ but feare the Lord which brought you out of the lande of Egypte with greate power and a stretched out arme: hym feare, and to hym bowe, and to hym do sacrifyce. ³⁷ The statutes, ordinaunces, lawe and commaundement which he wrote for you, se that ye be diligent to do for euermore, & feare not any other goddes. ³⁸ And the appoyntement that I haue made with you, se ye forget not and feare none other goddes: ³⁹ but the Lorde youre God ye shall feare, and he shall deliuer you out of the handes of all youre enemyes. ⁴⁰ Howbeit, they dyd not herken, but dyd after theyr olde custome. ⁴¹ And so these nacions feared the Lorde, and serued theyr ymages also: lyke as dyd theyr chyldren and theyr chyldrens chyldren. Euen as dyd theyr fathers, so do they vnto thys daye.