2Kings:17-18

---

Seeker Overlay ON

* In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea the son of Elah to reign in Samaria over Israel nine years . * And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD , but not as the kings of Israel that were before him . * Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria ; and Hoshea became his servant , and gave him presents . * 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 . * Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land , and went up to Samaria , and besieged it three years . * 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 . * 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 , * 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 . * 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 . * 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 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 . * 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 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 . * 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 . * 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 Israel , and removed them out of his sight : there was none left but the tribe of Judah only . * Also Judah kept not the commandments of the LORD their God , but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made . * 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 . * 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 . * For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did ; they departed not from them ; * 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 . * 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 . * 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 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 . * 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 . * 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 . * 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 . * And the men of Babylon made Succothbenoth , and the men of Cuth made Nergal , and the men of Hamath made Ashima , * And the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak , and the Sepharvites burnt their children in fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech , the gods of Sepharvaim . * 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 the law and commandment which the LORD commanded the children of Jacob , whom he named Israel ; * 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 : * 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 . * 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 . * And the covenant 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 . * Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel , that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign . * Twenty and five years old was he when he began to reign ; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem . His mother 's name also was Abi , the daughter of Zachariah . * And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD , according to all that David his father did . * He removed the high places , and brake the images , and cut down the groves , and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made : for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it : and he called it Nehushtan . * He trusted in the LORD God of Israel ; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah , nor any that were before him . * For he clave to the LORD , and departed not from following him , but kept his commandments , which the LORD commanded Moses . * And the LORD was with him ; and he prospered whithersoever he went forth : and he rebelled against the king of Assyria , and served him not . * He smote the Philistines , even unto Gaza , and the borders thereof , from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city . * And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Hezekiah , which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel , that Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria , and besieged it . * And at the end of three years they took it : even in the sixth year of Hezekiah , that is the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel , Samaria was taken . * And the king of Assyria did carry away Israel unto Assyria , and put them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan , and in the cities of the Medes : * Because they obeyed not the voice of the LORD their God , but transgressed his covenant , and all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded , and would not hear them , nor do them . * Now in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah did Sennacherib king of Assyria come up against all the fenced cities of Judah , and took them . * And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish , saying , I have offended ; return from me : that which thou puttest on me will I bear . And the king of Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold . * And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the LORD , and in the treasures of the king 's house . * At that time did Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of the LORD , and from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid , and gave it to the king of Assyria . * And the king of Assyria sent Tartan and Rabsaris and Rabshakeh from Lachish to king Hezekiah with a great host against Jerusalem . And they went up and came to Jerusalem . And when they were come up , they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool , which is in the highway of the fuller 's field . * And when they had called to the king , there came out to them Eliakim the son of Hilkiah , which was over the household , and Shebna the scribe , and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder . * And Rabshakeh said unto them , Speak ye now to Hezekiah , Thus saith the great king , the king of Assyria , What confidence is this wherein thou trustest ? * Thou sayest , (but they are but vain words ,) I have counsel and strength for the war . Now on whom dost thou trust , that thou rebellest against me ? * Now , behold , thou trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed , even upon Egypt , on which if a man lean , it will go into his hand , and pierce it : so is Pharaoh king of Egypt unto all that trust on him . * But if ye say unto me , We trust in the LORD our God : is not that he , whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away , and hath said to Judah and Jerusalem , Ye shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem ? * Now therefore , I pray thee , give pledges to my lord the king of Assyria , and I will deliver thee two thousand horses , if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them . * How then wilt thou turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master 's servants , and put thy trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen ? * Am I now come up without the LORD against this place to destroy it ? The LORD said to me , Go up against this land , and destroy it . * Then said Eliakim the son of Hilkiah , and Shebna , and Joah , unto Rabshakeh , Speak , I pray thee , to thy servants in the Syrian language ; for we understand it : and talk not with us in the Jews ' language in the ears of the people that are on the wall . * But Rabshakeh said unto them , Hath my master sent me to thy master , and to thee , to speak these words ? hath he not sent me to the men which sit on the wall , that they may eat their own dung , and drink their own piss with you ? * Then Rabshakeh stood and cried with a loud voice in the Jews ' language , and spake , saying , Hear the word of the great king , the king of Assyria : * Thus saith the king , Let not Hezekiah deceive you : for he shall not be able to deliver you out of his hand : * Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD , saying , The LORD will surely deliver us , and this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria . * Hearken not to Hezekiah : for thus saith the king of Assyria , Make an agreement with me by a present , and come out to me , and then eat ye every man of his own vine , and every one of his fig tree , and drink ye every one the waters of his cistern : * Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land , a land of corn and wine , a land of bread and vineyards , a land of oil olive and of honey , that ye may live , and not die : and hearken not unto Hezekiah , when he persuadeth you , saying , The LORD will deliver us . * Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered at all his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria ? * Where are the gods of Hamath , and of Arpad ? where are the gods of Sepharvaim , Hena , and Ivah ? have they delivered Samaria out of mine hand ? * Who are they among all the gods of the countries , that have delivered their country out of mine hand , that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of mine hand ? * But the people held their peace , and answered him not a word : for the king 's commandment was , saying , Answer him not . * Then came Eliakim the son of Hilkiah , which was over the household , and Shebna the scribe , and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder , to Hezekiah with their clothes rent , and told him the words of Rabshakeh . * And it came to pass , when king Hezekiah heard it , that he rent his clothes , and covered himself with sackcloth , and went into the house of the LORD .

---