2 Kings 17:11

11 Everywhere you looked there was smoke from their pagan offerings to the deities - the identical offerings that had gotten the pagan nations off into exile. They had accumulated a long list of evil actions and God was fed up,

2 Kings 17:11 Meaning and Commentary

2 Kings 17:11

And there they burnt incense in all the high places
As even the tribe of Judah did, which is observed in all the preceding reigns:

as did the Heathen whom the Lord carried away before them:
the Canaanites, and therefore they might justly expect to be carried captive also:

and wrought wicked things to provoke the Lord to anger:
by their several immoralities, but especially their idolatries.

2 Kings 17:11 In-Context

9 They did all kinds of things on the sly, things offensive to their God, then openly and shamelessly built local sex-and-religion shrines at every available site.
10 They set up their sex-and-religion symbols at practically every crossroads.
11 Everywhere you looked there was smoke from their pagan offerings to the deities - the identical offerings that had gotten the pagan nations off into exile. They had accumulated a long list of evil actions and God was fed up,
12 fed up with their persistent worship of gods carved out of deadwood or shaped out of clay, even though God had plainly said, "Don't do this - ever!"
13 God had taken a stand against Israel and Judah, speaking clearly through countless holy prophets and seers time and time again, "Turn away from your evil way of life. Do what I tell you and have been telling you in The Revelation I gave your ancestors and of which I've kept reminding you ever since through my servants the prophets."
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.