2 Kings
2 Kings 17
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2 Kings 17 — Scripture text (King James Version)
In the twelfth year of king of began the son of to reign in over nine years. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, but not as the kings of that were before him. Against him came up king of ; and became his servant, and gave him presents. And the king of found conspiracy in : for he had sent messengers to So king of , and brought no present to the king of , as he had done year by year: therefore the king of shut him up, and bound him in prison. Then the king of came up throughout all the land, and went up to , and besieged it three years. In the ninth year of the king of took , and carried away into , and placed them in and in by the river of , and in the cities of the . For so it was, that the children of had sinned against the LORD their God, which had brought them up out of the land of , from under the hand of king of , and had feared other gods, And walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of , and of the kings of , which they had made. And the children of 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. And they set them up images and groves in every high hill, and under every green tree: 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: For they served idols, whereof the LORD had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing. Yet the LORD testified against , and against , 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 which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets. 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. And they rejected his statutes, and his 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. 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 . 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. Therefore the LORD was very angry with , and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of only. Also kept not the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the statutes of which they made. And the LORD rejected all the seed of , and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of spoilers, until he had cast them out of his sight. For he rent from the house of ; and they made the son of king: and drave from following the LORD, and made them sin a great sin. For the children of walked in all the sins of which he did; they departed not from them; Until the LORD removed out of his sight, as he had said by all his servants the prophets. So was carried away out of their own land to unto this day. And the king of brought men from , and from , and from , and from , and from , and placed them in the cities of instead of the children of : and they possessed , and dwelt in the cities thereof. 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. Wherefore they spake to the king of , saying, The nations which thou hast removed, and placed in the cities of , 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. Then the king of 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. Then one of the priests whom they had carried away from came and dwelt in , and taught them how they should fear the LORD. Howbeit every nation made gods of their own, and them in the houses of the high places which the had made, every nation in their cities wherein they dwelt. And the men of made -benoth, and the men of made , and the men of made , And the made and , and the burnt their children in fire to and , the gods of . 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. They feared the LORD, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations whom they carried away from thence. 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 and commandment which the LORD commanded the children of , whom he named ; With whom the LORD had made a , and charged them saying, Ye shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them: But the LORD, who brought you up out of the land of with great power and a stretched out arm, him shall ye fear, and him shall ye worship, and to him shall ye do sacrifice. And the statutes, and the ordinances, and , and the commandment, which he wrote for you, ye shall observe to do for evermore; and ye shall not fear other gods. And the that I have made with you ye shall not forget; neither shall ye fear other gods. But the LORD your God ye shall fear; and he shall deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies. Howbeit they did not hearken, but they did after their former manner. 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.