In the twelfth year of Aḥaz king of Yehudah, Hoshea son of Ela began to rule over Yisra'el in Shomron; he ruled nine years.

He did evil in the eyes of יהוה, but not like the kings of Yisra'el who were before him.

Shalmaneser king of Assyria went up against him. Hoshea became his servant and paid him tribute.

But the king of Assyria found treachery in Hoshea, for he had sent messengers to So king of Mitsrayim, and Hoshea no longer paid tribute to the king of Assyria, year after year. So the king of Assyria arrested him and imprisoned him.

Then the king of Assyria invaded all the land. He went up to Shomron and besieged it for three years.

In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Shomron. He exiled Yisra'el to Assyria and settled them in Ḥalaḥ, on the Ḥavor River, in Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

This happened because the children of Yisra'el had sinned against יהוה their Elohim, who had brought them up from the land of Mitsrayim, from the power of Pharaoh king of Mitsrayim. They had feared other elohim.

They walked in the customs of the nations whom יהוה had driven out before the children of Yisra'el, and in the customs which the kings of Yisra'el had adopted.

The children of Yisra'el had done things that were not right against יהוה their Elohim. They built for themselves high places in all their towns, from a watchtower to a fortified city.

They set up for themselves pillars and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree.

There they burned incense on all the high places, like the nations whom יהוה had removed from their presence. They did wicked things to provoke יהוה.

They served idols, concerning which יהוה had told them, 'You shall not do this thing.'

Yet יהוה warned Yisra'el and Yehudah through every prophet and every seer, saying, 'Turn from your evil ways and keep my commandments, my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by the hand of my servants the prophets.'

But they did not listen. They were stubborn, just like their fathers who did not believe in יהוה their Elohim.

They rejected his statutes and his covenant which he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them. They followed futility and became futile, and followed the nations that were around them, concerning whom יהוה had commanded them not to do like them.

They abandoned all the commandments of יהוה their Elohim. They made for themselves a molten image, two calves, and made an Asherah pole. They bowed down to all the host of heaven and served the Ba'al.

They made their sons and daughters pass through fire. They practiced divination and used sorcery. They sold themselves to do evil in the eyes of יהוה, to provoke him.

Therefore יהוה was very angry with Yisra'el and removed them from his presence. Only the tribe of Yehudah remained.

Even Yehudah did not keep the commandments of יהוה their Elohim. They walked in the customs which Yisra'el had practiced.

So יהוה rejected all the descendants of Yisra'el and afflicted them. He gave them into the hands of plunderers until he cast them away from his presence.

For he tore Yisra'el away from the house of David and they made Yaravam son of Nevat king. Yaravam alienated Yisra'el from following יהוה and made them commit a great sin.

The children of Yisra'el walked in all the sins of Yaravam, which he committed. They did not turn away from them.

Until יהוה removed Yisra'el from his presence, as he had spoken through all his servants the prophets. And Yisra'el was exiled from their land to Assyria, until this day.

The king of Assyria brought people from Babel, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim, and settled them in the cities of Shomron in place of the children of Yisra'el. They took possession of Shomron and lived in its cities.

When they first settled there, they did not fear יהוה. So יהוה sent lions among them, and they killed some of them.

So they said to the king of Assyria, 'The nations you deported and resettled in the cities of Shomron do not know the law of the elohim of the land. He has sent lions among them, and they are killing them because they do not know the law of the elohim of the land.'

Then the king of Assyria commanded, 'Send back one of the priests whom you deported from there. Let him go and live there and teach them the law of the elohim of the land.'

So one of the priests whom they had deported from Shomron came and lived in Bethel. He taught them how they should fear יהוה.

But each nation made its own elohim and placed them in the shrines on the high places that the Shomronites had made. Each nation made them in the cities where they lived.

The men of Babel made Sukkoth-benoth. The men of Cuth made Nergal. The men of Hamath made Ashima.

The Avvites made Nibḥaz and Tartak. The Sepharvites burned their children with fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the elohim of Sepharvaim.

They feared יהוה, but they also appointed from among themselves priests of the high places. They served them in the shrines on the high places.

They feared יהוה, but they also served their own elohim according to the customs of the nations from which they had been deported.

To this day they practice their former customs. They do not fear יהוה, nor do they practice their statutes, their ordinances, the law, or the commandment which יהוה commanded the children of Ya'aqov, whose name he called Yisra'el.

יהוה had made a covenant with them and commanded them, saying, 'You shall not fear other elohim, nor bow down to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them.'

But you shall fear only יהוה, who brought you up from the land of Mitsrayim with great power and an outstretched arm. You shall bow down to him and sacrifice to him.

You shall diligently keep the statutes, the ordinances, the law, and the commandment which he wrote for you. You shall not fear other elohim.

And the covenant that I made with you, you shall not forget, nor shall you fear other elohim.

But you shall fear יהוה your Elohim, and he will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.

But they did not listen. They continued to practice their former customs.

These nations feared יהוה, but they also served their idols. Their children and their children's children do the same thing today as their fathers did.