2 Kings 17
1 Elah’s son Hoshea began to rule Israel after King Ahaz had ruled Judah for twelve years. Hoshea ruled in Samaria for nine years.
In year two plus ten of Ahaz [the] king of Judah he became king Hoshea [the] son of Elah in Samaria over Israel nine years.
2 He did many things that Yahweh considered to be evil, but he did not do as many evil things as the previous kings of Israel had done.
And he did the evil in [the] eyes of Yahweh only not like [the] kings of Israel who they were before him.
3 [The army of] King Shalmaneser of Assyria attacked and defeated [the army of] King Hoshea. As a result, the Israelis were forced to pay a lot of tribute/taxes to Assyria each year.
On him he came up Shalmaneser [the] king of Assyria and he became of him Hoshea subject and he returned to him tribute.
4 But several years later, Hoshea secretly planned to rebel against the rulers of Assyria. He sent messengers to So/Osorkon, the king of Egypt, [asking if his army could help the Israelis fight against the army of Assyria]. Hoshea also stopped paying the tribute/taxes that he had been paying to Assyria every year. But the king of Assyria found out about those things, so he told his officers to put Hoshea in prison.
And he found [the] king of Assyria in Hoshea treason that he had sent messengers to So [the] king of Egypt and not he had brought up tribute to [the] king of Assyria as a year in a year and he arrested him [the] king of Assyria and he confined him [the] house of imprisonment.
5 Then he [brought the army of] Assyria to Israel, and they attacked everywhere in that land. His army surrounded Samaria [city] for three years.
And he came up [the] king of Assyria in all the land and he came up Samaria and he laid siege on it three years.
6 Finally, after King Hoshea had been ruling Israel for nine years, the army of Assyria [MTY] [forcefully entered] the city [and] captured [the people]. They took the Israeli people to Assyria and forced some of them to live in Halah [town]. They forced others to live near the Habor River in Gozan district. They forced others to live in the towns where the Mede people-group lived.
In [the] year ninth of Hoshea he captured [the] king of Assyria Samaria and he took into exile Israel Assyria towards and he caused to dwell them in Halah and on [the] Habor [the] river of Gozan and [the] cities of Media.
7 Those things happened because the Israeli people had sinned against Yahweh their God. He had rescued their [ancestors] from the power [MTY] of the king of Egypt and brought them [safely] out of Egypt, but later they began to worship other gods.
And it was that they had sinned [the] people of Israel to Yahweh God their who had brought up them from [the] land of Egypt from under [the] hand of Pharaoh [the] king of Egypt and they had feared gods other.
8 They imitated the things that the heathen/pagan people-groups did. Those were the groups that Yahweh had expelled as the Israelis occupied their land. The Israeli people also did the evil things that the kings of Israel (introduced/showed to them).
And they had walked in [the] customs of the nations which he had dispossessed Yahweh from before [the] people of Israel and [the] kings of Israel which they had done.
9 The Israeli people also secretly did many things that were not pleasing to Yahweh their God. They built shrines [to worship idols] in all their cities, including small towns and big cities with walls around them.
And they did secretly [the] people of Israel things which [were] not right on Yahweh God their and they built for themselves high places in all cities their from a tower of watchmen unto a city of fortification.
10 They set up stone pillars [to honor gods], and poles [to worship the goddess] Asherah at the top of every high hill and under every [big] tree.
And they erected for themselves sacred pillars and Asherah poles on every hill high and under every tree luxuriant.
11 The Israelis burned incense in every place where they worshiped those gods, just like the people-groups who lived there previously had done—the groups that Yahweh had expelled from the land. The Israelis did many wicked things that caused Yahweh to become angry.
And they made smoke there at all [the] high places like the nations which he had taken into exile Yahweh from before them and they did things evil to provoke to anger Yahweh.
12 Yahweh warned them many times that they should not worship idols, but they did it anyway.
And they served the idols which he had said Yahweh to them not you must do the thing this.
13 Yahweh frequently sent his prophets and (seers/those who saw visions from Yahweh) to warn the people of Israel and the people of Judah. The message that Yahweh gave them was, “Turn away from all your evil behavior. Obey my commands and my laws, the laws that I told your ancestors [to obey] and which I told the prophets who served me to tell to you [again].”
And he warned Yahweh Israel and Judah by [the] hand of every ([the] prophets *QK) every seer saying turn back from ways your evil and keep commandments my statutes my according to all the law which I commanded ancestors your and which I sent to you by [the] hand of servants my the prophets.
14 But the Israeli people would not pay attention. They were stubborn [IDM] just like their ancestors were. Just like their ancestors did, they refused to believe in Yahweh their God.
And not they listened and they stiffened neck their like [the] neck of ancestors their who not they trusted in Yahweh God their.
15 They rejected Yahweh’s laws and the agreement that he had made with their ancestors. They ignored Yahweh’s warnings. They worshiped worthless idols and as a result they themselves became worthless. Although Yahweh had commanded them not to imitate the evil behavior of the people-groups that lived near them, they disobeyed that command.
And they rejected statutes his and covenant his which he had made with ancestors their and testimonies his which he warned them and they walked after vanity and they became vain and after the nations which [were] around them which he had commanded Yahweh them to not to do like them.
16 The Israeli people disobeyed all of Yahweh’s commands. They made two metal calves [to worship]. They set up two poles [to worship the goddess] Asherah, and they worshiped [the god] Baal, and the sun, the moon, and the stars.
And they forsook all [the] commandments of Yahweh God their and they made for themselves a molten image (two *Qk) calves and they made an Asherah pole and they bowed down to all [the] host of the heavens and they served Baal.
17 They also burned their own sons and daughters to be sacrifices [to those gods]. They went to fortune-tellers and they practiced sorcery. They continually chose [MET] to do [all kinds of] evil things that caused Yahweh to become angry.
And they made pass sons their and daughters their in the fire and they divined divinations and they practiced divination and they sold themselves to do the evil in [the] eyes of Yahweh to provoke to anger him.
18 So, because Yahweh was very angry with the Israeli people, he allowed [their enemies] to take them away [from their country]. Only the people of the tribe of Judah were left [in the land].
And he was angry Yahweh very with Israel and he removed them from on face his not anyone was left only [the] tribe of Judah to only it.
19 But even the people of Judah did not obey the commands of Yahweh their God. They imitated the evil customs that the Israelis had introduced.
Also Judah not it kept [the] commandments of Yahweh God their and they walked in [the] customs of Israel which they had done.
20 So Yahweh rejected all the people of Israel and of Judah. He punished them by allowing the armies of other nations to defeat them [and take them away]. He got rid of all of them.
And he rejected Yahweh all [the] offspring of Israel and he afflicted them and he gave them in [the] hand of plunderers until that he threw them from before him.
21 Earlier, when Yahweh allowed the people of Israel to separate/break away from the area [MTY] that King David [had estabished], they chose Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, to be their king. Then Jeroboam enticed the people of Israel to stop worshiping Yahweh [and to worship idols instead]. He led them to commit great sins.
If he tore Israel from with [the] house of David and they made king Jeroboam [the] son of Nebat (and he enticed away *QK) Jeroboam Israel from after Yahweh and he caused to sin them a sin great.
22 And the Israeli people continued to do the evil things that Jeroboam introduced. They did not turn away from those sins,
And they walked [the] people of Israel in all [the] sins of Jeroboam which he did not they turned aside from it.
23 until finally Yahweh got rid of them. That was just what his prophets had warned would happen. The Israeli people were taken away to the land of Assyria, and they still remain there.
Until that he removed Yahweh Israel from on face his just as he had spoken by [the] hand of all servants his the prophets and it went into exile Israel from on land its Assyria towards until the day this.
24 The king of Assyria [ordered his soldiers to] take [groups of] people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim [cities] to [the] Samaria [region], and to resettle them in the towns there, to take the place of the Israelis [who lived there previously]. Those people took control over [the whole] Samaria [region] and lived in the towns there.
And he brought [people] [the] king of Assyria from Babylon and from Cuthah and from Avva and from Hamath and Sepharvaim and he caused [them] to dwell in [the] cities of Samaria in place of [the] people of Israel and they took possession of Samaria and they dwelt in cities its.
25 But those people [who came from other countries] did not worship Yahweh when they first arrived in Samaria. So Yahweh sent lions to kill some of them.
And it was at [the] beginning of dwelling they there not they feared Yahweh and he sent Yahweh among them lions and they were killing in them.
26 Then those people sent a message to the king of Assyria. They wrote, “We people who have resettled in the towns in Samaria do not know how to worship the God [that the Israelis worshiped] in this land. So he has sent lions among us to kill us, because we have not worshiped him correctly.”
And people said to [the] king of Assyria saying the nations which you took into exile and you caused to dwell in [the] cities of Samaria not they know [the] custom of [the] god of the land and he has sent among them lions and there they [are] killing them since not they [are] knowing [the] custom of [the] god of the land.
27 [When] the king of Assyria [read this letter, he] commanded [his officers], “You brought many priests here from Samaria. Send one of them back there. Tell him to teach the people who are now living there how to worship correctly the God whom the Israelis worshiped in that land.”
And he commanded [the] king of Assyria saying take there towards one from the priests whom you took into exile from there so they may go and they may dwell there so he may teach them [the] custom of [the] god of the land.
28 So [the officers did that]. They sent one of the Israeli priests back to Samaria. That priest went to live in Bethel [city], and he taught the people there how to worship Yahweh.
And he went one from the priests whom they had taken into exile from Samaria and he dwelt in Beth-el and he was teaching them how? will they fear Yahweh.
29 But the people [who returned from Babylon and started to live in Samaria and] continued to make their own idols. They placed them in the shrines that the Israelis had built there. The people of each people-group made idols in the cities in which they were living.
And they were making nation nation own gods its and they placed [them] - in [the] house of the high places which they had made the Samaritans nation nation in own cities their where they [were] dwelling there.
30 The people from Babylon made idols to represent their god Succoth-Benoth. The people from Cuthah made idols to represent their god Nergal. The people from Hamath made idols to represent their god Ashima.
And [the] people of Babylon they made Succoth Benoth and [the] people of Cuthah they made Nergal and [the] people of Hamath they made Ashima.
31 The people of Avva made idols to represent their gods Nibhaz and Tartak. The people from Sepharvaim sacrificed their own children. They completely burned them [in pits where hot fires were kept burning, ] as offerings to their gods Adrammelech and Anammelech.
And the Avvites they made Nibhaz and Tartak and the Sepharvites [were] burning children their in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech ([the] gods of Sepharvaim. *QK)
32 But those people also worshiped Yahweh, and they appointed from among their own groups many people to be priests at the shrines on the tops of the hills, in order that those priests could offer sacrifices for them there.
And they were fearing Yahweh and they appointed for themselves from among themselves priests of [the] high places and they were offering for them in [the] house of the high places.
33 So they revered Yahweh, but they also worshiped their own gods, just as the people living in the countries from which they had been taken to Samaria did.
Yahweh they were fearing and own gods their they were serving according to [the] custom of the nations which they had taken into exile them from there.
34 They still keep their old customs. They really do not worship Yahweh, and they do not obey all the laws and commands that Yahweh gave to the descendants of Jacob, to whom he gave the new name Israel.
Until the day this they [are] doing according to the customs former not they [are] fearing Yahweh and not they [are] doing according to statutes their and according to judgment their and according to the law and according to the commandment which he commanded Yahweh [the] descendants of Jacob whom he made name his Israel.
35 Yahweh had previously made an agreement with their ancestors, commanding them not to worship other gods or bow down to honor them or do other things to please them or offer sacrifices to them.
And he made Yahweh with them a covenant and he commanded them saying not you must fear gods other and not you must bow down to them and not you must serve them and not you must sacrifice to them.
36 He had said to them, “You must have an awesome respect for me, Yahweh, the one who brought you out of Egypt with my very great power [DOU]. I am the one whom you must bow down to honor, and I am the one to whom you must offer sacrifices.
That except Yahweh who he brought up you from [the] land of Egypt with power great and by an arm outstretched him you will fear and to him you will bow down and to him you will sacrifice.
37 You must always obey the laws and commands that I [told Moses to] write for you. You must not worship other gods.
And the statutes and the judgments and the law and the commandment which he wrote for you you will take care! to do all the days and not you must fear gods other.
38 And you must not forget the agreement that I made with your ancestors. You must not revere other gods.
And the covenant which I made with you not you must forget and not you must fear gods other.
39 Instead, you must revere me, Yahweh, your God. If you do that, I will rescue you from the power [MTY] of all your enemies.”
That except Yahweh God your you will fear and he he will deliver you from [the] hand of all enemies your.
40 But the people [from those foreign nations] would not heed what Yahweh said. Instead, they continued to adhere to their old customs.
And not they listened that except according to custom their former they [were] doing.
41 So, they worshiped Yahweh, but they also worshiped their idols. And their descendants still do the same thing.
And they were - the nations these fearing Yahweh and idols their they were serving also children their - and [the] children of children their just as they did fathers their they [are] doing until the day this.
