何细亚做以色列王
1犹大王亚哈斯执政第十二年，以拉的儿子何细亚在撒玛利亚登基做以色列王，执政九年。 2他做耶和华视为恶的事，不过没有他之前的以色列诸王那么败坏。 3亚述王撒缦以色攻打以色列，何细亚纳贡称臣。 4然而，何细亚差遣使者向埃及王梭求援，不再像往年那样向亚述王进贡。亚述王发现后，把他抓起来囚在狱中。 5亚述王攻打以色列全境，并围困撒玛利亚三年。 6何细亚执政第九年，撒玛利亚沦陷。亚述王把以色列人掳到亚述，安置在哈腊、歌散的哈博河一带以及玛代人的各城。
以色列人的罪恶史
7以色列人之所以有如此下场，是因为他们的上帝耶和华领他们出埃及，从埃及王法老手中救出他们，他们却犯罪得罪祂。他们祭拜别的神明， 8效法耶和华在他们面前赶走的外族人的风俗和以色列诸王奉行的习俗。 9以色列人暗中做不义之事，冒犯他们的上帝耶和华。从瞭望塔到坚城，他们在各地建丘坛， 10在各高岗上、绿树下立神柱和亚舍拉神像， 11在各丘坛烧香，如同耶和华在他们面前赶走的外族人一样。他们邪恶的行为激怒了耶和华。 12尽管耶和华警告他们不可祭拜偶像，他们仍然执迷不悟。
13耶和华借着祂的众先知和先见警告以色列人和犹大人说：“你们要离开恶道，遵守我的诫命和律例，即我吩咐你们祖先遵守并借着我的仆人——众先知传给你们的律法。” 14但他们充耳不闻，像他们祖先一样顽固不化，不信靠他们的上帝耶和华， 15拒绝遵守祂的律例和祂与他们祖先所立的约，无视祂的警告。他们随从虚无的偶像，自己也变得虚无。他们违背耶和华的命令，去效法周围的外族人。 16他们把他们的上帝耶和华的诫命抛诸脑后，铸造了两个金牛犊，还造了亚舍拉神像。他们祭拜巴力和天上的万象， 17把自己的儿女烧死献作祭物。他们占卜，行邪术，出卖自己去做耶和华视为恶的事，惹祂发怒。
18因此，耶和华非常愤怒，从祂面前赶走以色列人，只留下犹大一个支派。 19但犹大人也不遵守他们的上帝耶和华的诫命，反而效法以色列人的恶行。 20于是，耶和华弃绝了以色列全族，使他们饱尝痛苦，任人宰割，直至把他们从自己眼前赶走。 21祂使以色列从大卫家分裂出来，以色列人便拥立尼八的儿子耶罗波安为王。耶罗波安诱使以色列人远离耶和华，使他们犯了大罪。 22以色列人沉溺于耶罗波安所犯的一切罪中，始终不肯回头， 23直到耶和华把他们从自己眼前赶走，正如祂借自己的仆人——众先知对他们的警告。这样，以色列人被掳到亚述，至今仍住在那里。
外族人移居撒玛利亚
24亚述王把巴比伦、古他、亚瓦、哈马、西法瓦音等地的一些居民迁移到撒玛利亚各城，代替以色列人。 25刚迁居到那里的时候，他们不敬拜耶和华，所以耶和华差遣狮子闯入他们当中，咬死了一些人。 26有人禀告亚述王说：“你迁移到撒玛利亚各城的那些人不知道当地神明的规矩，所以神明就差遣狮子闯入他们当中，咬死了一些人。” 27亚述王便下令：“派一位被掳来的祭司回去，让他住在那里，把当地神明的规矩教导给他们。” 28于是，有一位从撒玛利亚被掳走的祭司回去住在伯特利，教导他们怎样敬拜耶和华。
29可是，这些从各地迁来的民族都在所住的各城为自己制造神像，供奉在撒玛利亚人在高岗上建造的神庙中。 30巴比伦人造疏割·比讷神像，古他人造匿甲神像，哈马人造亚示玛神像， 31亚瓦人造匿哈和他珥他神像，西法瓦音人焚烧儿女向他们的神明亚得米勒和亚拿米勒献祭。 32他们也敬拜耶和华，却委任各种人做祭司，在高岗上的神庙为他们献祭。 33他们就这样既敬拜耶和华，又各按各的风俗供奉自己的神明。
34直到现在，他们仍然执迷不悟，不敬畏耶和华，也不遵行耶和华赐给雅各子孙的律例、典章、法度和诫命。耶和华曾给雅各取名叫以色列， 35与他的子孙立约，吩咐他们：“不可祭拜其他神明，不可跪拜和供奉他们，也不可向他们献祭。 36耶和华伸出大能的臂膀把你们领出埃及，你们要敬拜祂，要向祂跪拜、献祭。 37你们要永远谨遵祂所定的律例、典章、法度和诫命，不可祭拜其他神明。 38不可忘记我与你们立的约，不可祭拜其他神明。 39我是你们的上帝耶和华，你们要敬拜我，我必从一切仇敌手中救你们。” 40但是他们没有听从，依然仿效先前的风俗。 41那些移民到撒玛利亚各城的外族人既敬拜耶和华，又供奉自己的偶像。直到今日，他们的子孙仍是这样。
Hoshea last king of Israel
1In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea son of Elah became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned for nine years. 2He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, but not like the kings of Israel who preceded him.
3Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up to attack Hoshea, who had been Shalmaneser’s vassal and had paid him tribute. 4But the king of Assyria discovered that Hoshea was a traitor, for he had sent envoys to So17:4 So is probably an abbreviation for Osorkon. king of Egypt, and he no longer paid tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year. Therefore Shalmaneser seized him and put him in prison. 5The king of Assyria invaded the entire land, marched against Samaria and laid siege to it for three years. 6In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and deported the Israelites to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, in Gozan on the River Habor and in the towns of the Medes.
Israel exiled because of sin
7All this took place because the Israelites had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of Egypt from under the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They worshipped other gods 8and followed the practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before them, as well as the practices that the kings of Israel had introduced. 9The Israelites secretly did things against the Lord their God that were not right. From watchtower to fortified city they built themselves high places in all their towns. 10They set up sacred stones and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every spreading tree. 11At every high place they burned incense, as the nations whom the Lord had driven out before them had done. They did wicked things that aroused the Lord’s anger. 12They worshipped idols, though the Lord had said, ‘You shall not do this.’17:12 Exodus 20:4,5 13The Lord warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and seers: ‘Turn from your evil ways. Observe my commands and decrees, in accordance with the entire Law that I commanded your ancestors to obey and that I delivered to you through my servants the prophets.’
14But they would not listen and were as stiff-necked as their ancestors, who did not trust in the Lord their God. 15They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their ancestors and the statutes he had warned them to keep. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless. They imitated the nations around them although the Lord had ordered them, ‘Do not do as they do.’
16They forsook all the commands of the Lord their God and made for themselves two idols cast in the shape of calves, and an Asherah pole. They bowed down to all the starry hosts, and they worshipped Baal. 17They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire. They practised divination and sought omens and sold themselves to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger.
18So the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them from his presence. Only the tribe of Judah was left, 19and even Judah did not keep the commands of the Lord their God. They followed the practices Israel had introduced. 20Therefore the Lord rejected all the people of Israel; he afflicted them and gave them into the hands of plunderers, until he thrust them from his presence.
21When he tore Israel away from the house of David, they made Jeroboam son of Nebat their king. Jeroboam enticed Israel away from following the Lord and caused them to commit a great sin. 22The Israelites persisted in all the sins of Jeroboam and did not turn away from them 23until the Lord removed them from his presence, as he had warned through all his servants the prophets. So the people of Israel were taken from their homeland into exile in Assyria, and they are still there.
Samaria resettled
24The king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Kuthah, Avva, Hamath and Sepharvaim and settled them in the towns of Samaria to replace the Israelites. They took over Samaria and lived in its towns. 25When they first lived there, they did not worship the Lord; so he sent lions among them and they killed some of the people. 26It was reported to the king of Assyria: ‘The people you deported and resettled in the towns of Samaria do not know what the god of that country requires. He has sent lions among them, which are killing them off, because the people do not know what he requires.’
27Then the king of Assyria gave this order: ‘Make one of the priests you took captive from Samaria go back to live there and teach the people what the god of the land requires.’ 28So one of the priests who had been exiled from Samaria came to live in Bethel and taught them how to worship the Lord.
29Nevertheless, each national group made its own gods in the several towns where they settled, and set them up in the shrines the people of Samaria had made at the high places. 30The people from Babylon made Sukkoth Benoth, those from Kuthah made Nergal, and those from Hamath made Ashima; 31the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire as sacrifices to Adrammelek and Anammelek, the gods of Sepharvaim. 32They worshipped the Lord, but they also appointed all sorts of their own people to officiate for them as priests in the shrines at the high places. 33They worshipped the Lord, but they also served their own gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they had been brought.
34To this day they persist in their former practices. They neither worship the Lord nor adhere to the decrees and regulations, the laws and commands that the Lord gave the descendants of Jacob, whom he named Israel. 35When the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites, he commanded them: ‘Do not worship any other gods or bow down to them, serve them or sacrifice to them. 36But the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt with mighty power and outstretched arm, is the one you must worship. To him you shall bow down and to him offer sacrifices. 37You must always be careful to keep the decrees and regulations, the laws and commands he wrote for you. Do not worship other gods. 38Do not forget the covenant I have made with you, and do not worship other gods. 39Rather, worship the Lord your God; it is he who will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.’
40They would not listen, however, but persisted in their former practices. 41Even while these people were worshipping the Lord, they were serving their idols. To this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their ancestors did.
