Hoshea the Last King of Israel 1 UDB Elah's son Hoshea began to rule Israel after King Ahaz had ruled Judah for twelve years. Hoshea ruled in Samaria for nine years. BSB BSB: In the twelfth year of the reign of Ahaz over Judah, Hoshea son of Elah became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria nine years.
2 UDB He did many things that Yahweh said were evil, but he did not do as many evil things as the kings of Israel had done who had ruled Israel before he did. BSB BSB: And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, but not like the kings of Israel who preceded him.
3 UDB The army of King Shalmaneser of Assyria attacked and defeated the army of King Hoshea. As a result, the Israelites were forced to pay much tribute to Assyria each year. BSB BSB: Shalmaneser king of Assyria attacked him, and Hoshea became his vassal and paid him tribute.
4 UDB But several years later, Hoshea secretly planned to rebel against the rulers of Assyria. He sent messengers to So king of Egypt, asking if his army could help the Israelites fight against Assyria. Hoshea also stopped paying the tribute that he had been paying Assyria every year. But the king of Assyria found out about those things, so he told his officers to put Hoshea in prison. BSB BSB: But the king of Assyria discovered that Hoshea had conspired to send envoys to King So of Egypt, and that he had not paid tribute to the king of Assyria as in previous years. Therefore the king of Assyria arrested Hoshea and put him in prison.
Israel Carried Captive to Assyria 5 UDB Then he brought the army of Assyria to Israel, and they attacked everywhere in that land. His army besieged the city of Samaria for three years. BSB BSB: Then the king of Assyria invaded the whole land, marched up to Samaria, and besieged it for three years.
7 UDB Those things happened because the Israelite people had sinned against Yahweh their God. He had rescued their ancestors from the power of the king of Egypt and brought them safely out of Egypt, but later they began to worship other gods. BSB BSB: All this happened because the people of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They had worshiped other gods
8 UDB They imitated the things that the pagan peoples around them practiced. Those were the very peoples that Yahweh had driven out as the Israelites occupied their land. The people of Israel also did the evil things that most of the kings of Israel showed them. BSB BSB: and walked in the customs of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites, as well as in the practices introduced by the kings of Israel.
9 UDB The Israelite people also secretly did many things that were not pleasing to Yahweh their God. They built places to worship their idols on the hills around all of their cities, including small towns and big cities with walls around them. BSB BSB: The Israelites secretly did things against the LORD their God that were not right. From watchtower to fortified city, they built high places in all their cities.
10 UDB 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. BSB BSB: They set up for themselves sacred pillars and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree.
11 UDB The Israelites burned incense in every place where they worshiped those gods, just as the peoples who lived there previously had done—the groups that Yahweh had driven out from the land. The Israelites did many wicked things that caused Yahweh to become angry. BSB BSB: They burned incense on all the high places like the nations that the LORD had driven out before them. They did wicked things, provoking the LORD to anger.
12 UDB Yahweh warned them many times that they should not worship idols, but they did it anyway. BSB BSB: They served idols, although the LORD had told them, “You shall not do this thing.”
13 UDB Yahweh frequently sent his prophets and seers to warn the people of Israel and the people of Judah. The message that Yahweh gave them was, "Stop doing all the evil things you have been doing. Obey my commands and my laws, the laws that I told your ancestors to obey and that I told the prophets who served me to tell to you again." BSB BSB: Yet through all His prophets and seers, the LORD warned Israel and Judah, saying, “Turn from your wicked ways and keep My commandments and statutes, according to the entire Law that I commanded your fathers and delivered to you through My servants the prophets.”
14 UDB But the Israelite people would not pay attention. They were stubborn, just as their ancestors were. Just as their ancestors did, they refused to trust in Yahweh their God. BSB BSB: But they would not listen, and they stiffened their necks like their fathers, who did not believe the LORD their God.
15 UDB They rejected Yahweh's laws and the covenant 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 behavior of the peoples that lived near them, they disobeyed that command. BSB BSB: They rejected His statutes and the covenant He had made with their fathers, as well as the decrees He had given them. They pursued worthless idols and became worthless themselves, going after the surrounding nations that the LORD had commanded them not to imitate.
16 UDB The Israelite 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. BSB BSB: They abandoned all the commandments of the LORD their God and made for themselves two cast idols of calves and an Asherah pole. They bowed down to all the host of heaven and served Baal.
17 UDB 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 to do all kinds of evil things that caused Yahweh to become angry. BSB BSB: They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire and practiced divination and soothsaying. They devoted themselves to doing evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger.
18 UDB So because Yahweh was very angry with the Israelite 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. BSB BSB: So the LORD was very angry with Israel, and He removed them from His presence. Only the tribe of Judah remained,
19 UDB But even the people of Judah did not obey the commands of Yahweh their God. They imitated the evil customs that the Israelites had introduced. BSB BSB: and even Judah did not keep the commandments of the LORD their God, but lived according to the customs Israel had introduced.
20 UDB 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. BSB BSB: So the LORD rejected all the descendants of Israel. He afflicted them and delivered them into the hands of plunderers, until He had banished them from His presence.
21 UDB Earlier, when Yahweh had forced the ten tribes of Israel away from the rule of David's descendants, those tribes had chosen Jeroboam son of Nebat to be their king. Then Jeroboam enticed the people of Israel to stop worshiping Yahweh and to worship idols instead. He induced them to commit great sins. BSB BSB: When the LORD had torn Israel away from the house of David, they made Jeroboam son of Nebat king, and Jeroboam led Israel away from following the LORD and caused them to commit a great sin.
22 UDB And the Israelite people continued to do the evil things that Jeroboam introduced. They did not turn away from those sins, BSB BSB: The Israelites persisted in all the sins that Jeroboam had committed and did not turn away from them.
23 UDB so finally Yahweh got rid of them. That was just what his prophets had warned would happen. The Israelite people were taken away to the land of Assyria, and they are still there. BSB BSB: Finally, the LORD removed Israel from His presence, as He had declared through all His servants the prophets. So Israel was exiled from their homeland into Assyria, where they are to this day.
Samaria Resettled 24 UDB The king of Assyria ordered his soldiers to take groups of people from the cities of Babylon, Kuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim to the region of Samaria and to resettle them in the cities there, to take the place of the Israelites who lived there previously. Those people took control over Samaria and lived in the cities of Samaria. BSB BSB: Then the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and settled them in the towns of Samaria to replace the Israelites. They took possession of Samaria and lived in its towns.
25 UDB 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. BSB BSB: Now when the settlers first lived there, they did not worship the LORD, so He sent lions among them, which killed some of them.
26 UDB Then those people sent a message to the king of Assyria. They wrote, "We people who have resettled in the towns of Samaria do not know how to worship the God that the Israelites worshiped in this land. So he has sent lions among us to kill us because we have not worshiped him correctly." BSB BSB: So they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, “The peoples that you have removed and placed in the cities of Samaria do not know the requirements of the God of the land. Because of this, He has sent lions among them, which are indeed killing them off.”
27 UDB When the king of Assyria read this letter, he commanded his officers, "Send one of the priests whom you brought here from Samaria to go back there. Tell him to teach the people who are now living there how to worship correctly the God whom the Israelites worshiped in that land." BSB BSB: Then the king of Assyria commanded: “Send back one of the priests you carried off from Samaria, and have him go back to live there and teach the requirements of the God of the land.”
28 UDB So the officers did that. They sent one of the Israelite priests back to Samaria. That priest went to live in the city of Bethel, and he taught the people there how to worship Yahweh. BSB BSB: Thus one of the priests they had carried away came and lived in Bethel, and he began to teach them how they should worship the LORD.
29 UDB But all those people continued to make their own idols. They took their idols and placed them in the houses that the Samaritan people had built upon the hills all around. Each group of people made their own gods that they worshiped, and each of the gods had a name. BSB BSB: Nevertheless, the people of each nation continued to make their own gods in the cities where they had settled, and they set them up in the shrines that the people of Samaria had made on the high places.
30 UDB The people from Babylon made idols to represent their god Sukkoth Benoth. The people from Kuthah made idols to represent their god Nergal. The people from Hamath made idols to represent their god Ashima. BSB BSB: The men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashima,
31 UDB The people from Avva made idols to represent their gods Nibhaz and Tartak. The people from Sepharvaim sacrificed their own children. They completely burned them on altars to be offerings to their gods Adrammelek and Anammelek. BSB BSB: the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech the gods of Sepharvaim.
32 UDB Those people also worshiped Yahweh, but they also appointed from among their own groups many people to be priests at the places where idols were worshiped on the hills, and those priests would offer sacrifices for them upon the high places. BSB BSB: So the new residents worshiped the LORD, but they also appointed for themselves priests of all sorts to serve in the shrines of the high places.
33 UDB So they revered Yahweh, but they also worshiped their own gods just as their people living in their home countries did. BSB BSB: They worshiped the LORD, but they also served their own gods according to the customs of the nations from which they had been carried away.
34 UDB These people in Samaria still keep their old customs. They really do not worship Yahweh, and they do not obey all the laws and decrees that Yahweh gave to the descendants of Jacob, to whom he gave the new name Israel. BSB BSB: To this day they are still practicing their former customs. None of them worship the LORD or observe the statutes, ordinances, laws, and commandments that the LORD gave the descendants of Jacob, whom He named Israel.
35 UDB Yahweh had previously made a covenant with the ancestors of Israel, 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. BSB BSB: For the LORD had made a covenant with the Israelites and commanded them, “Do not worship other gods or bow down to them; do not serve them or sacrifice to them.
36 UDB He had said to them, "You must have a sincere respect for me, Yahweh, the one who brought you out of Egypt with my very great power. I am the one whom you must bow down to honor, and I am the one to whom you must offer sacrifices. BSB BSB: Instead, worship the LORD, who brought you out of the land of Egypt with great power and an outstretched arm. You are to bow down to Him and offer sacrifices to Him.
37 UDB You must always obey the laws and decrees that I told Moses to write for you. You must not worship other gods. BSB BSB: And you must always be careful to observe the statutes, ordinances, laws, and commandments He wrote for you. Do not worship other gods.
38 UDB And you must not forget the covenant that I made with your ancestors. You must not fear or respect other gods. BSB BSB: Do not forget the covenant I have made with you. Do not worship other gods,
39 UDB Instead, you must have a sincere respect for me, Yahweh your God. If you do that, I will rescue you from the power of all of your enemies." BSB BSB: but worship the LORD your God, and He will deliver you from the hands of all your enemies.”
40 UDB But the Israelites refused to pay attention to what Yahweh said. Instead, they continued to live by their old customs. BSB BSB: But they would not listen, and they persisted in their former customs.
41 UDB So those people worshiped Yahweh, but they also worshiped their idols. And their descendants still do the same thing. BSB BSB: So these nations worshiped the LORD but also served their idols, and to this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their fathers did.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.