24
The king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Avva, and from Hamath and Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel; and they possessed Samaria, and lived in the cities of it.
25
So it was, at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they didn`t fear Yahweh: therefore Yahweh sent lions among them, which killed some of them.
26
Therefore they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations which you have carried away, and placed in the cities of Samaria, don`t know the law of the god of the land: therefore he has sent lions among them, and, behold, they kill them, because they don`t know the law of the god of the land.
27
Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Carry there one of the priests whom you brought from there; and let them go and dwell there, and let him teach them the law of the god of the land.
28
So one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and lived in Bethel, and taught them how they should fear Yahweh.
29
However 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 in which they lived.
30
The men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima,
31
and the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites burnt their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.
32
So they feared Yahweh, and made to them from among themselves priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places.
33
They feared Yahweh, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations from among whom they had been carried away.
34
To this day they do after the former manner: they don`t fear Yahweh, neither do they after their statutes, or after their ordinances, or after the law or after the commandment which Yahweh commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel;
35
with whom Yahweh had made a covenant, and charged them, saying, You shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them:
36
but Yahweh, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and with an outstretched arm, him shall you fear, and to him shall you bow yourselves, and to him shall you sacrifice:
37
and the statutes and the ordinances, and the law and the commandment, which he wrote for you, you shall observe to do forevermore; and you shall not fear other gods:
38
and the covenant that I have made with you you shall not forget; neither shall you fear other gods:
39
but Yahweh your God shall you fear; and he will deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies.
40
However they did not listen, but they did after their former manner.
41
So these nations feared Yahweh, and served their engraved images; their children likewise, and their children`s children, as did their fathers, so do they to this day.