3
Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria; and Hoshea became his servant, and gave him presents.
4
And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea: for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and brought no present to the king of Assyria, as [he had done] year by year: therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison.
5
Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years.
6
In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor [by] the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
7
For [so] it was, that the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods,
8
And walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel which they had made.
9
And the children of Israel did secretly things that [were] not right against the LORD their God, and they built for themselves high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fortified city.
10
And they set up for themselves images and groves on every high hill, and under every green tree:
11
And there they burnt incense on all the high places, as [did] the heathen whom the LORD carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the LORD to anger:
12
For they served idols, of which the LORD had said to them, Ye shall not do this thing.
13
Yet the LORD testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, [and by] all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments [and] my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets.