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The First Book of the Kings, Chapter 17
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1 |
In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea the son of
Elah to reign in Samaria over Israel nine years.
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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.
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3 |
Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria; and Hoshea
became his servant, and gave him presents.
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4 |
And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea: 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.
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5 |
Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and
went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years.
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6 |
In the ninth year of Hoshea 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, and in the cities of the Medes.
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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 Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other
gods,
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8 |
And walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the LORD
cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of
Israel, which they had made.
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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.
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10 |
And they set them up images and groves in every high hill, and
under every green tree:
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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:
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12 |
For they served idols, whereof the LORD had said unto them, Ye shall
not do this thing.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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 Baal.
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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.
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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.
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19 |
Also Judah kept not the commandments of the LORD their God, but
walked in the statutes of Israel which they made.
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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.
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21 |
For he rent Israel from the house of David; and they made
Jeroboam the son of Nebat king: and Jeroboam drave Israel from
following the LORD, and made them sin a great sin.
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22 |
For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam
which he did; they departed not from them;
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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.
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24 |
And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from
Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed
them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel: and
they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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28 |
Then one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria
came and dwelt in Bethel, and taught them how they should fear the
LORD.
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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.
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30 |
And the men of Babylon made Succothbenoth, and the men of Cuth
made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima,
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31 |
And the Avites
made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burnt their children in
fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.
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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.
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33 |
They feared the LORD, and served their own gods, after the
manner of the nations whom they carried away from thence.
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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;
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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:
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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.
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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.
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38 |
And the covenant that I have made with you ye shall not forget;
neither shall ye fear other gods.
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39 |
But the LORD your God ye shall fear; and he shall deliver you
out of the hand of all your enemies.
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40 |
Howbeit they did not hearken, but they did after their former
manner.
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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 do they unto this day.
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