Holy Bible
(King James Version)
Second
Kings: Chapter 17
1. IN the twelfth year of
Ahaz king of Judah began Ho-she-a 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 Shal-man-e-ser king of Assyria; and Ho-she-a
became his servant, and gave him presents.
4. And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Ho-she-a: 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 Ho-she-a 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, 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 Phar-aoh 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 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 Ba-al.
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
Jer-o-bo-am 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 Jer-o-bo-am
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 Cu-thah,
and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Se-phar-va-im, 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-be-noth, and the men of Cuth
made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made A-shi-ma.
31. And the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Se-phar-vites burnt
their children in fire to A-dram-me-lech and A-nam-me-lech, the gods of
Se-phar-va-im.
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 they unto this day.
May 13 Daily reading schedule..
go to chapter 18
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