Daily Bread

Hoshea Last King of Israel^(A)

17 In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea^(B) son of Elah became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned nine years. ² He did evil^(C) in the eyes of the Lord, but not like the kings of Israel who preceded him.

³ Shalmaneser^(D) king of Assyria came up to attack Hoshea, who had been Shalmaneser’s vassal and had paid him tribute.^{(E) 4} But the king of Assyria discovered that Hoshea was a traitor, for he had sent envoys to So^[a] king of Egypt,^(F) 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.^{(G) 5} The king of Assyria invaded the entire land, marched against Samaria and laid siege^(H) to it for three years. ⁶ In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria^(I) captured Samaria^(J) and deported^(K) the Israelites to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, in Gozan^(L) on the Habor River and in the towns of the Medes.

Israel Exiled Because of Sin

⁷ All this took place because the Israelites had sinned^(M) against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of Egypt^(N) from under the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They worshiped other gods ⁸ and followed the practices of the nations^(O) the Lord had driven out before them, as well as the practices that the kings of Israel had introduced. ⁹ The Israelites secretly did things against the Lord their God that were not right. From watchtower to fortified city^(P) they built themselves high places in all their towns. ¹⁰ They set up sacred stones^(Q) and Asherah poles^(R) on every high hill and under every spreading tree.^{(S) 11} At 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. ¹² They worshiped idols,^(T) though the Lord had said, “You shall not do this.”^{[b] 13} The Lord warned^(U) Israel and Judah through all his prophets and seers:^(V) “Turn from your evil ways.^(W) 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.”^(X)

¹⁴ But they would not listen and were as stiff-necked^(Y) as their ancestors, who did not trust in the Lord their God. ¹⁵ They rejected his decrees and the covenant^(Z) he had made with their ancestors and the statutes he had warned them to keep. They followed worthless idols^(AA) and themselves became worthless.^(AB) They imitated the nations^(AC) around them although the Lord had ordered them, “Do not do as they do.”

¹⁶ They forsook all the commands of the Lord their God and made for themselves two idols cast in the shape of calves,^(AD) and an Asherah^(AE) pole. They bowed down to all the starry hosts,^(AF) and they worshiped Baal.^{(AG) 17} They sacrificed^(AH) their sons and daughters in the fire. They practiced divination and sought omens^(AI) and sold^(AJ) themselves to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger.

¹⁸ So the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them from his presence.^(AK) Only the tribe of Judah was left, ¹⁹ and even Judah did not keep the commands of the Lord their God. They followed the practices Israel had introduced.^{(AL) 20} Therefore the Lord rejected all the people of Israel; he afflicted them and gave them into the hands of plunderers,^(AM) until he thrust them from his presence.^(AN)

²¹ When he tore^(AO) Israel away from the house of David, they made Jeroboam son of Nebat their king.^(AP) Jeroboam enticed Israel away from following the Lord and caused them to commit a great sin.^{(AQ) 22} The Israelites persisted in all the sins of Jeroboam and did not turn away from them ²³ until the Lord removed them from his presence,^(AR) as he had warned^(AS) through all his servants the prophets. So the people of Israel were taken from their homeland^(AT) into exile in Assyria, and they are still there.