Israel's King Hoshea
1 In the twelfth year of Judah's King Ahaz, Hoshea son of Elah became king over Israel in Samaria; [he reigned] nine years.
2
He did what was evil in the Lord's sight, but not like the kings of Israel who preceded him.
3
Shalmaneser king of Assyria attacked him, and Hoshea became his vassal and paid him tribute money.
4
But the king of Assyria discovered a conspiracy by Hoshea-he had sent envoys to So king of Egypt and had not paid tribute money to the king of Assyria as in previous years. Therefore, the king of Assyria arrested him and put him in prison.
5
Then the king of Assyria invaded the whole land, marched up to Samaria, and besieged it for three years.
The Fall of Samaria
6 In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria. He deported the Israelites to Assyria and settled them in Halah and by the Habor, Gozan's river, and in the cities of the Medes.
Why Israel Fell
7 [This disaster] happened because the people of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God who had brought them out of the land of Egypt from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt and because they had worshiped other gods.
8
They had lived according to the customs of the nations that the Lord had dispossessed before the Israelites and the customs the kings of Israel had introduced.
9
The Israelites secretly did what was not right against the Lord their God. They built high places in all their towns from watchtower to fortified city.
10
They set up for themselves sacred pillars and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree.
11
They burned incense on all the high places just like those nations that the Lord had driven out before them. They did evil things, provoking the Lord.