7
Now this came about because the sons of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up from the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and they had fearedothergods
8
and walked in the customs of the nationswhom the LORD had driven out before* the sons of Israel, and in the customs of the kings of Israelwhich they had introduced.
9
The sons of Israeldidthingssecretlywhich were not rightagainst the LORD their God. Moreover, they built for themselves highplaces in all their towns, from watchtower to fortifiedcity.
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and there they burnedincense on all the highplaces as the nations did which the LORD had carriedaway to exilebefore* them; and they didevilthingsprovoking the LORD.
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Yet the LORDwarnedIsrael and Judahthroughall His prophets and everyseer, saying, "Turn from your evilways and keep My commandments, My statutes according to all the lawwhich I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you through My servants the prophets."
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They rejected His statutes and His covenantwhich He made with their fathers and His warnings with which He warned them. And they followed*vanity and becamevain, and went after the nationswhichsurrounded them, concerning which the LORD had commanded them not to do like them.
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They forsookall the commandments of the LORD their God and made for themselves moltenimages, even twocalves, and made an Asherah and worshipedall the host of heaven and servedBaal.
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Then they made their sons and their daughterspass through the fire, and practiceddivination and enchantments, and sold themselves to doevil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him.
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The LORDrejectedall the descendants of Israel and afflicted them and gave them into the hand of plunderers, until* He had cast them out of His sight.
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When He had tornIsrael from the house of David, they madeJeroboam the son of Nebatking. Then JeroboamdroveIsraelaway from following the LORD and made them commit a greatsin.
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until* the LORDremovedIsrael from His sight, as He spokethroughall His servants the prophets. So Israel was carriedaway into exile from their own land to Assyriauntilthisday.
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The king of Assyriabrought men from Babylon and from Cuthah and from Avva and from Hamath and Sephar-vaim, and settled them in the cities of Samaria in place of the sons of Israel. So they possessedSamaria and lived in its cities.
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So they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, "The nationswhom you have carriedaway into exile in the cities of Samaria do not know the custom of the god of the land; so he has sentlions among them, and behold, they kill them because they do not know the custom of the god of the land."
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Then the king of Assyriacommanded, saying, "Takethereone of the priestswhom you carriedaway into exile and let him go and livethere; and let him teach them the custom of the god of the land."
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But everynation still madegods of its own and put them in the houses of the highplaceswhich the people of Samaria had made, everynation in their cities in which they lived.
34
To thisday they do according to the earliercustoms: they do not fear the LORD, nor do they follow their statutes or their ordinances or the law, or the commandmentswhich the LORDcommanded the sons of Jacob, whom He named*Israel;
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with whom the LORDmade a covenant and commanded them, saying, "You shall not fearothergods, norbowdown yourselves to them norserve them norsacrifice to them.
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"But the LORD, whobrought you up from the land of Egypt with greatpower and with an outstretchedarm, Him you shall fear, and to Him you shall bow yourselves down, and to Him you shall sacrifice.
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"The statutes and the ordinances and the law and the commandmentwhich He wrote for you, you shall observe to doforever*; and you shall not fearothergods.
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So while thesenationsfeared the LORD, they also served their idols; their childrenlikewise and their grandchildren, as their fathersdid, so they do to thisday.