23
till the Lord did away Israel from his face, as he spake in the hand of all his servants (the) prophets; and Israel was translated/was brought over from his land into Assyrians till into this day (and the Israelites were carried away/were brought over from their own land into Assyria, and they be there unto this day).
24
Forsooth the king of Assyrians brought people from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and set them in the cities of Samaria for the sons of Israel (and put them in the cities of Samaria in place of the Israelites); and these had in possession Samaria, and they dwelled in the cities thereof.
25
And when they began to dwell there, they dreaded not the Lord; and the Lord sent to them lions, the which killed them. (And when they began to live there, they did not fear the Lord/they did not revere the Lord; and the Lord sent lions among them, which killed some of them.)
26
And it was told to the king of Assyrians, and was said, The folks which thou hast translated, and madest to dwell in the cities of Samaria, know not the lawful things of [the] God of the land; and the Lord hath sent lions into them, and lo! those slay them; for they know not the custom of [the] God of the land. (And it was told to the king of Assyria, and it was said, The peoples whom thou hast transferred, and madest to live in the cities of Samaria, know not the laws of the God of the land; and so the Lord hath sent lions among them, and lo! they have killed some of the people; for they know not the customs of the God of the land.)
27
Soothly the king of Assyrians commanded, and said, Led ye thither one of the priests, which ye brought (as) prisoners from thence, that he go, and dwell with them, and teach them the lawful things of (the) God of the land (and teach them the laws of the God of the land).
28
Therefore when one of these priests had come, that were led (away as) prisoners from Samaria, he dwelled in Bethel, and taught them, how they should worship the Lord. (And so when one of those priests, who were led away as prisoners from Samaria, had come, he lived in Bethel, and taught them how they should worship the Lord.)
29
And each folk made his god, and they setted those gods in the high temples, which the men of Samaria had made, folk and folk in their cities, in which they dwelled. (But each people made their own god, and they put those gods in the high temples, which the men of Samaria had made, yea, each people in their city, in which they lived.)
30
For men of Babylon made Succothbenoth; and men of Cuth made Nergal; and men of Hamath made Ashima;
31
and (the) Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak; soothly they that were of Sepharvaim burnt their sons in fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.
32
And nevertheless they (still) worshipped the Lord; forsooth of the last men, that is, of vile persons, that were not of (the) priests? kin, by the law of Moses, they made priests of the high things, and setted them in (the) high temples. (And though they still worshipped the Lord, they made the lowest men, that is, the most vile persons, who were not of the priests? kin, after the law of Moses, to be the priests of the hill shrines, and put them in the temples there.)
33
And when they worshipped God, they served also their gods, by the custom of heathen men, from which they were translated to Samaria; (And while they worshipped God, they also served their own gods, after the custom of the heathen, from where they had been brought back to Samaria;)