16
And they left all the commandments of the LORD their God and made them molten images, even two calves, and made an Asherah pole, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served Baal.
17
And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD to provoke Him to anger.
18
Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of His sight. There was none left but the tribe of Judah only.
19
Also Judah kept not the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made.
20
And the LORD rejected all the seed of Israel and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of despoilers until He had cast them out of His sight.
21
For He rent Israel from the house of David, and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king. And Jeroboam drove Israel from following the LORD, and made them sin a great sin.
22
For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they departed not from them,
23
until the LORD removed Israel out of His sight, as He had said by all His servants the prophets. So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day.
24
And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel; and they possessed Samaria and dwelt in the cities thereof.
25
And so it was at the beginning of their dwelling there that they feared not the LORD; therefore the LORD sent lions among them, which slew some of them.
26
Therefore they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, "The nations which thou hast removed and placed in the cities of Samaria know not the manner of the God of the land; therefore He hath sent lions among them, and behold, they slay them because they know not the manner of the God of the land."