28
So one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and lived in
1Bethel and taught them how they should fear the Lord.
29
But every nation still made gods of its own and put them
2in the shrines of the high places that the Samaritans had made, every nation in the cities in which they lived.
30
The men of
3Babylon made Succoth-benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashima,
31
and the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites
4burned their children in the fire to
5Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of
6Sepharvaim.
32
7They also feared the Lord
8and appointed from among themselves all sorts of people as priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the shrines of
9the high places.
33
So they feared the Lord but also served their own gods, after the manner of the nations from among whom they had been carried away.
34
To this day they do according to the former manner. They do not fear the Lord, and they do not follow the statutes or the rules or the law or the commandment that the Lord commanded the children of Jacob,
10whom he named Israel.
35
The Lord made a covenant with them and commanded them,
11“You shall not fear other gods
12or bow yourselves to them or serve them or sacrifice to them,
36
but
13you shall fear the Lord,
14who brought you out of the land of Egypt with great power and
15with an outstretched arm. You shall bow yourselves to him, and to him you shall sacrifice.
37
And the statutes and the rules and the law and the commandment that he wrote for you,
16you shall always be careful to do.
17You shall not fear other gods,
38
and
18you shall not forget the covenant that I have made with you.
19You shall not fear other gods,