2 Kings 17:24-41 Because the king of Assyria brought captives from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sephar-vaim and settled them in the cities of Samaria to replace the Israelites, the settlers possessed Samaria and lived in its cities.

VIN⁽ⁱ⁾ ²⁴ Because the king of Assyria brought captives from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sephar-vaim and settled them in the cities of Samaria to replace the Israelites, the settlers possessed Samaria and lived in its cities. ²⁵ When they first lived there they did not respect the LORD. So the LORD sent lions among them, causing some of them to die. ²⁶ So they said to the king of Assyria, "The nations whom you deported and settled in the cities of Samaria do not know the customs of the God of the land, so he sent lions among them, and now they are killing them because they do not know the customs of the God of the land." ²⁷ Then the king of Assyria gave orders, saying: "Send one of the priests you took from there. Let him live there and teach the people the way of the god of the land." ²⁸ And one of the priests whom they exiled from Samaria came and lived in Bethel, and he taught them how they should fear the LORD. ²⁹ However each nation made gods of their own and put them in the houses of the high places which those of Samaria had made, each nation in their city in which they dwelt. ³⁰ The men of Babylon made Succoth Benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima, ³¹ the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites burnt their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. ³² And they were fearing the lord, and they made for themselves priests of the high places; and they offered for themselves in the houses of the high places. ³³ They feared the LORD, and served their own gods, according to the custom of the nations from where they exiled them. ³⁴ To this day they do after their former customs: they fear not the LORD, neither do they after their statutes or after their ordinances, nor after the law and commandment that the LORD commanded the sons of Jacob, whom he named Israel. ³⁵ And the LORD made a covenant with them, and commanded them, saying, You 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 with an outstretched arm, him you will fear and to him you will bow yourselves and to him you will sacrifice. ³⁷ Furthermore, you shall be careful to observe forever the statutes, ordinances, law, and the commandment that he wrote for you. And you are not to fear other gods. ³⁸ You shall not forget the covenant that I have made with you. You shall not fear other gods. ³⁹ but you will fear the LORD your God and he will deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies. ⁴⁰ But they did not listen, but did according to their former custom. ⁴¹ Yet these nations feared the Lord and at the same time served their graven images. And even to this day their children and their children's children do as their fathers did.