1In the twelfth year of Ahaz, king of Judah, Hoshea, the son of Elah, reigned in Samaria upon Israel nine years.

2And he did evil before the Lord, but not as the kings of Israel, that were before him.

3Shalmaneser, king of Assyrians, went up against Hoshea, and Hoshea was made servant to him, and yielded tributes to him.

4And when the king of Assyrians had perceived, that Hoshea enforced or endeavoured to rebel, and had sent messengers to So, king of Egypt, that he should not give tributes to the king of Assyrians, as he was wont by all years, the king of Assyrians besieged him, and sent him bound into prison.

5And Shalmaneser went through-[out] all the land, and he went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years.

6Forsooth in the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyrians took Samaria, and translated or brought over Israel into Assyrians; and he put them in Halah, and in Habor, beside the flood [of] Gozan, in the cities of Medes.

7Forsooth it was done, when the sons of Israel had sinned before their Lord God, that led them out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, they worship-ped alien gods;

8and went by the custom of heathen men, which the Lord had wasted in the sight of the sons of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, for they had done in like manner.

9And the sons of Israel offended their Lord God by words not rightful [or right], and they builded to them-selves high things in all their cities, from the tower of keepers unto a strengthened city.

10And they made to them images, and maumet woods, in each high hill, and under each tree full of boughs;

11and they burnt there incense on the altars, by the custom of heathen men, which the Lord had translated or brought over from the face of them. And they did [the] worst words, that is, worst works, and they wrathed the Lord;

12and [they] worshipped [the] unclean-nesses, of which the Lord commanded to them, that they should not do this word.

13And the Lord witnessed in Israel and in Judah, by the hand of all prophets, and [the] seers, and said, Turn ye again from your worst or your full evil ways, and keep my commandments, and [my] ceremonies, by all the law which I commanded to your fathers, and as I sent to you in the hand of my servants the prophets.

14Which heard not, but made hard their noll by the noll of their fathers, that would not obey to their Lord God.

15And they casted away the lawful things of him, and the covenant that he covenanted with their fathers, and the witnessings by which he witnessed to them; and they pursued [or followed] vanities, that is, idols, and did vainly; and pursued [or followed] heathen men, that were about them; of which things the Lord commanded to them, that they should not do as also those heathen men did.

16And they forsook all the command-ments of their Lord God, and they made to them two molten calves, and maumet woods, and worshipped all the knighthood of heaven, that is, sun, and moon, and other planets; and they served Baal,

17and [they] hallowed to him their sons, and their daughters, through fire, and they served to false divining, and to divining by chittering of birds; and they gave themselves to do evil before the Lord, and they wrathed him.

18And the Lord was wroth greatly to Israel; and he took away them from his sight, and none was left, no but the lineage of Judah only.

19But neither Judah himself kept the behests of the Lord his God, but nevertheless he erred, and went in the error of Israel, which it wrought.

20And the Lord casted away all the seed of Israel, and tormented them, and betook them in the hand of raveners; till he had cast away them from his face,

21from that time in which Israel was parted from the house of David, and [they] made to them a king, Jeroboam, the son of Nebat. For Jeroboam separated Israel from the Lord, and made them to do great sin.

22And the sons of Israel went in all the sins of Jeroboam, which he had done; and they departed not from those sins,

23till the Lord did away Israel from his face, as he spake in the hand of all his servants the prophets; and Israel was translated or brought over from his land into Assyrians till into this day.

24Forsooth the king of Assyrians brought people from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and set them in the cities of Samaria for the sons of Israel; and these had in possession Samaria, and they dwelled in the cities thereof.

25And when they began to dwell there, they dreaded not the Lord; and the Lord sent to them lions, the which killed them.

26And it was told to the king of Assyrians, and was said, The folks which thou hast translated or brought over, and madest to dwell in the cities of Samaria, know not the lawful things of [the] God of the land; and the Lord hath sent lions into them, and lo! those [or they] slay them; for they know not the custom of [the] God of the land.

27Soothly the king of Assyrians commanded, and said, Lead ye thither one of the priests, which ye brought as prisoners from thence, that he go, and dwell with them, and teach them the lawful things of God of the land.

28Therefore when one of these priests had come, that were led away as prisoners from Samaria, he dwelled in Bethel, and taught them, how they should worship the Lord.

29And each folk made his god, and they setted [or put] those gods in the high temples, which the men of Samaria had made, folk and folk in their cities, in which they dwelled.

30For men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth; and men of Cuth made Nergal; and men of Hamath made Ashima;

31and Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak; soothly they that were of Sepharvaim burnt their sons in fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.

32And nevertheless they worshipped the Lord; forsooth of the last men, that is, of vile persons, that were not of priests’ kin, by the law of Moses, they made priests of the high things, and setted [or put] them in high temples.

33And when they worshipped God, they served also their gods, by the custom of heathen men, from which they were translated or brought over to Samaria;

34till to this present day they pursue [or follow] the eld [or old] custom; they dreaded not the Lord, neither they keep his ceremonies, and dooms, and law, and commandment, which the Lord commanded to the sons of Jacob, whom he named Israel;

35and the Lord [had] smote a covenant with them, and [had] commanded to them, and said, Do not ye dread alien gods, and honour ye not outwardly them, neither worship ye inwardly them, and make ye not sacrifice to them;

36but your Lord God, that led you out of the land of Egypt in great strength, and in an arm stretched out, dread ye him, and worship ye him, and make ye sacrifice to him.

37Also keep ye the ceremonies, and [the] dooms, and the law, and the commandment, which he wrote to you, that ye do it in all days; and dread ye not alien gods.

38And do not ye forget the covenant, which he/the Lord smote with you, neither worship ye alien gods;

39but dread ye your Lord God, and he shall deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.

40Forsooth they heard not, but did by their former custom.

41Therefore soothly these heathen men dreaded God; but nevertheless they served also their idols, for both their sons and the sons of their sons do so, till into this present day, as their fathers did.