בִּשְׁנַת שְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה לְאָחָז מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה מָלַךְ הוֹשֵׁעַ בֶּן־אֵלָה בְשֹׁמְרוֹן עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל תֵּשַׁע שָׁנִים

During the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshe’a son of Ela became king in Samaria over Israel for nine years.

וַיַּעַשׂ הָרַע בְּעֵינֵי ה' רַק לֹא כְּמַלְכֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר הָיוּ לְפָנָיו

He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, just not like the evil performed by the kings of Israel who were before him.

עָלָיו עָלָה שַׁלְמַנְאֶסֶר מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר וַיְהִי־לוֹ הוֹשֵׁעַ עֶבֶד וַיָּשֶׁב לוֹ מִנְחָה

Shalmaneser king of Assyria went up against him, as part of his broad campaigns of conquest in the south, which reached all the way to Egypt and even beyond, and Hoshe’a became his servant. He accepted Shalmaneser’s dominion and paid him a tribute, an annual unofficial tax.

וַיִּמְצָא מֶלֶךְ־אַשּׁוּר בְּהוֹשֵׁעַ קֶשֶׁר אֲשֶׁר שָׁלַח מַלְאָכִים אֶל־סוֹא מֶלֶךְ־מִצְרַיִם וְלֹא־הֶעֱלָה מִנְחָה לְמֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר כְּשָׁנָה בְשָׁנָה וַיַּעַצְרֵהוּ מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר וַיַּאַסְרֵהוּ בֵּית כֶּלֶא

The king of Assyria discovered a conspiracy by Hoshe’a, in that he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt. Hoshe’a tried to prevent the further spread of the Assyrian kingdom by appealing to Egypt, which was considered the only kingdom capable of standing in Assyria’s way. And in addition to approaching Egypt, in that year he had not sent tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year. Apparently, Hoshe’a felt more secure that year, and consequently he stopped paying the tax. Therefore, the king of Assyria apprehended him and incarcerated him in prison. It is possible that he summoned Hoshe’a for trial in Assyria, and as the Assyrian king was both prosecutor and judge, he found Hoshe’a guilty and imprisoned him.

וַיַּעַל מֶלֶךְ־אַשּׁוּר בְּכָל־הָאָרֶץ וַיַּעַל שֹׁמְרוֹן וַיָּצַר עָלֶיהָ שָׁלֹשׁ שָׁנִים

The king of Assyria went up throughout the Land of Israel; he went up to Samaria, and he besieged it for three years. This was a protracted siege for a capital city without a king. Samaria did not surrender easily.

בִּשְׁנַת הַתְּשִׁעִית לְהוֹשֵׁעַ לָכַד מֶלֶךְ־אַשּׁוּר אֶת־שֹׁמְרוֹן וַיֶּגֶל אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל אַשּׁוּרָה וַיֹּשֶׁב אוֹתָם בַּחְלַח וּבְחָבוֹר נְהַר גּוֹזָן וְעָרֵי מָדָי

During the ninth year of Hoshe’a, the king of Assyria captured Samaria, and after having conquered the fortified capital city, he exiled Israel to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, and in Havor, on the Gozan River, and in the cities of Media. These places have not been conclusively identified, but it seems that they were located on the northern edge of the Assyrian empire, perhaps within the northern borders of modern-day Iran.

וַיְהִי כִּי־חָטְאוּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל לַה' אֱלֹהֵיהֶם הַמַּעֲלֶה אֹתָם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם מִתַּחַת יַד פַּרְעֹה מֶלֶךְ־מִצְרָיִם וַיִּירְאוּ אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים

It was because the children of Israel had sinned to the Lord their God, who took them up from the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt; they revered other gods

וַיֵּלְכוּ בְּחֻקּוֹת הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר הוֹרִישׁ ה' מִפְּנֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וּמַלְכֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ

and followed the statutes of the nations whom the Lord had dispossessed from before the children of Israel, and followed the statutes of the kings of Israel, which they had made in defiance of Torah law.

וַיְחַפְּאוּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל דְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר לֹא־כֵן עַל־ה' אֱלֹהֵיהֶם וַיִּבְנוּ לָהֶם בָּמוֹת בְּכָל־עָרֵיהֶם מִמִּגְדַּל נוֹצְרִים עַד־עִיר מִבְצָר

The children of Israel ascribed matters that were not so, falsehoods, to the Lord their God, and they built for themselves shrines in all their cities, from cities so small that they consisted of just a watchtower placed in a vineyard, to a large, fortified city. They did not completely denounce their loyalty to the God of Israel but chose not to cleave exclusively to Him, worshipping foreign gods at the same time.

וַיַּצִּבוּ לָהֶם מַצֵּבוֹת וַאֲשֵׁרִים עַל כָּל־גִּבְעָה גְבֹהָה וְתַחַת כָּל־עֵץ רַעֲנָן

They established for themselves monuments for ritual worship, and sacred trees used in pagan rites, upon every high hill and under every flourishing tree.

וַיְקַטְּרוּ שָׁם בְּכָל־בָּמוֹת כַּגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר־הֶגְלָה ה' מִפְּנֵיהֶם וַיַּעֲשׂוּ דְּבָרִים רָעִים לְהַכְעִיס אֶת־ה'

They burned offerings there at all the shrines, like the nations whom the Lord had exiled from before them, and they performed other evil acts to anger the Lord.

וַיַּעַבְדוּ הַגִּלֻּלִים אֲשֶׁר אָמַר ה' לָהֶם לֹא תַעֲשׂוּ אֶת־הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה

They worshipped false gods, of which the Lord had said to them: You shall not do this thing. The prohibition against idolatry is a fundamental commandment that appears many times in the Torah.

וַיָּעַד ה' בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל וּבִיהוּדָה בְּיַד כָּל־נְבִיאֵי כָל־חֹזֶה לֵאמֹר שֻׁבוּ מִדַּרְכֵיכֶם הָרָעִים וְשִׁמְרוּ מִצְוֹתַי חֻקּוֹתַי כְּכָל־הַתּוֹרָה אֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתִי אֶת־אֲבֹתֵיכֶם וַאֲשֶׁר שָׁלַחְתִּי אֲלֵיכֶם בְּיַד עֲבָדַי הַנְּבִיאִים

The Lord warned Israel and Judah by means of every prophet of every vision, saying: Repent from your evil ways, and observe My commandments and My statutes, according to the entire Torah that I commanded your fathers, and that I sent to you by means of My servants the prophets.

וְלֹא שָׁמֵעוּ וַיַּקְשׁוּ אֶת־עָרְפָּם כְּעֹרֶף אֲבוֹתָם אֲשֶׁר לֹא הֶאֱמִינוּ בַּה' אֱלֹהֵיהֶם

But they did not listen, and they stiffened their neck like the neck of their fathers, who did not keep faith with the Lord their God.

וַיִּמְאֲסוּ אֶת־חֻקָּיו וְאֶת־בְּרִיתוֹ אֲשֶׁר כָּרַת אֶת אֲבוֹתָם וְאֵת עֵדְוֹתָיו אֲשֶׁר הֵעִיד בָּם וַיֵּלְכוּ אַחֲרֵי הַהֶבֶל וַיֶּהְבָּלוּ וְאַחֲרֵי הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר סְבִיבֹתָם אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה' אֹתָם לְבִלְתִּי עֲשׂוֹת כָּהֶם

They spurned His statutes, His covenant that He had made with their fathers, and His warnings that He warned them, and they followed futility, idolatry and the various superstitions connected with it; they became futility themselves, like the idols they worshipped, and they followed the nations that were around them, concerning whom the Lord had commanded them not to act like them. Moses had commanded Israel again and again to distance themselves from the gentile nations and not to follow their ways, but instead to preserve their own unique identity.

וַיַּעַזְבוּ אֶת־כָּל־מִצְוֹת ה' אֱלֹהֵיהֶם וַיַּעֲשׂוּ לָהֶם מַסֵּכָה שְׁנֵי עֲגָלִים וַיַּעֲשׂוּ אֲשֵׁירָה וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ לְכָל־צְבָא הַשָּׁמַיִם וַיַּעַבְדוּ אֶת־הַבָּעַל

They forsook all the commandments of the Lord their God, and they crafted for themselves a cast image, two calves, which was prohibited despite the fact that they were fashioned for the worship of God, and they made sacred trees, prostrated themselves to all the host of the heavens, and worshipped the Baal.

וַיַּעֲבִירוּ אֶת־בְּנֵיהֶם וְאֶת־בְּנוֹתֵיהֶם בָּאֵשׁ וַיִּקְסְמוּ קְסָמִים וַיְנַחֵשׁוּ וַיִּתְמַכְּרוּ לַעֲשׂוֹת הָרַע בְּעֵינֵי ה' לְהַכְעִיסוֹ

They passed their sons and their daughters through the fire as part of the ritual worship of Molekh, cast spells and divined, which are also prohibited acts, and devoted themselves with all their might to doing evil in the eyes of the Lord to anger Him.

וַיִּתְאַנַּף ה' מְאֹד בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל וַיְסִרֵם מֵעַל פָּנָיו לֹא נִשְׁאַר רַק שֵׁבֶט יְהוּדָה לְבַדּוֹ

The Lord was very enraged against Israel, and He removed them from before Him, so that none remained except the tribe of Judah alone.

גַּם־יְהוּדָה לֹא שָׁמַר אֶת־מִצְוֹת ה' אֱלֹהֵיהֶם וַיֵּלְכוּ בְּחֻקּוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ

However, although its conduct was not as corrupt as that of the other tribes, Judah too did not observe the commandments of the Lord their God, and followed the practices that Israel performed.

וַיִּמְאַס ה' בְּכָל־זֶרַע יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיְעַנֵּם וַיִּתְּנֵם בְּיַד־שֹׁסִים עַד אֲשֶׁר הִשְׁלִיכָם מִפָּנָיו

The Lord spurned all the descendants of Israel, afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of marauders and enemies, such as the Arameans, until He cast them completely from before Him, by means of the exile forced upon them by the Assyrians.

כִּי־קָרַע יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵעַל בֵּית דָּוִד וַיַּמְלִיכוּ אֶת־יָרָבְעָם בֶּן־נְבָט וַיַּדַּח יָרָבְעָם אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵאַחֲרֵי ה' וְהֶחֱטִיאָם חֲטָאָה גְדוֹלָה

For Israel had rent itself from the house of David and crowned Yorovam son of Nevat; Yorovam led Israel astray from following the Lord and caused them to sin a great sin by establishing calves in Dan and Beit El.

וַיֵּלְכוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּכָל־חַטֹּאות יָרָבְעָם אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה לֹא־סָרוּ מִמֶּנָּה

The children of Israel followed all the sins of Yorovam that he had performed; they did not turn away from them

עַד אֲשֶׁר־הֵסִיר ה' אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵעַל פָּנָיו כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר בְּיַד כָּל־עֲבָדָיו הַנְּבִיאִים וַיִּגֶל יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵעַל אַדְמָתוֹ אַשּׁוּרָה עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה

until the Lord removed Israel from before Him, as He had spoken by means of all His servants the prophets. Israel was exiled from upon its land to Assyria to this day. Although some remnants of the people remained in the land, the nation of Israel, as a specific, unique political entity, was exiled from its home.

וַיָּבֵא מֶלֶךְ־אַשּׁוּר מִבָּבֶל וּמִכּוּתָה וּמֵעַוָּא וּמֵחֲמָת וּמִסְּפַרְוַיִם וַיֹּשֶׁב בְּעָרֵי שֹׁמְרוֹן תַּחַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיִּרְשׁוּ אֶת־שֹׁמְרוֹן וַיֵּשְׁבוּ בְּעָרֶיהָ

The king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, from Kuta, from Ava, and from Hamat and Sefarvayim, areas under Assyrian rule, and he settled them in the cities of the region of Samaria in place of the children of Israel. It is possible that the city of Samaria itself had been completely destroyed so that it was no longer inhabitable. They, these foreign nations, took possession of Samaria, and they settled in its cities.

וַיְהִי בִּתְחִלַּת שִׁבְתָּם שָׁם לֹא יָרְאוּ אֶת־ה' וַיְשַׁלַּח ה' בָּהֶם אֶת־הָאֲרָיוֹת וַיִּהְיוּ הֹרְגִים בָּהֶם

It was at the beginning of their settling there, and they did not revere the Lord, and the Lord sent lions against them, and they were killing among them, these new inhabitants. Lions lived in the Land of Israel at the time, and as human settlement in the area was sparse, they entered the cities of Samaria.

וַיֹּאמְרוּ לְמֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר לֵאמֹר הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר הִגְלִיתָ וַתּוֹשֶׁב בְּעָרֵי שֹׁמְרוֹן לֹא יָדְעוּ אֶת־מִשְׁפַּט אֱלֹהֵי הָאָרֶץ וַיְשַׁלַּח־בָּם אֶת־הָאֲרָיוֹת וְהִנָּם מְמִיתִים אוֹתָם כַּאֲשֶׁר אֵינָם יֹדְעִים אֶת־מִשְׁפַּט אֱלֹהֵי הָאָרֶץ

They, the servants of the king of Assyria, said to the king of Assyria, stating: The nations that you exiled and settled in the cities of Samaria do not know the practices of the god of the land, and, as it is well known, every land has its own god. Therefore, he has sent lions among them to punish them, and behold, they are killing them, as they do not know the practices of the god of the land. They should therefore be taught the customs of the land so that they can live by them.

וַיְצַו מֶלֶךְ־אַשּׁוּר לֵאמֹר הֹלִיכוּ שָׁמָּה אֶחָד מֵהַכֹּהֲנִים אֲשֶׁר הִגְלִיתֶם מִשָּׁם וְיֵלְכוּ וְיֵשְׁבוּ שָׁם וְיֹרֵם אֶת־מִשְׁפַּט אֱלֹהֵי הָאָרֶץ

The king of Assyria, who accepted these complaints and wanted the new settlement to survive, commanded, saying: Take there, to the cities of Samaria, one of the Israelite priests whom you exiled from there; they, the priest and those who accompany him from the exile, will go and live there, to serve as religious instructors for the new residents of Samaria, upon the order of the king of Assyria. And they will teach them the practices of the god of the land, so that the new residents can learn how to behave in their new land.

וַיָּבֹא אֶחָד מֵהַכֹּהֲנִים אֲשֶׁר הִגְלוּ מִשֹּׁמְרוֹן וַיֵּשֶׁב בְּבֵית־אֵל וַיְהִי מוֹרֶה אֹתָם אֵיךְ יִירְאוּ אֶת־ה'

One of the priests whom they had exiled from Samaria came and resided in Beit El, which had been the religious center of the Kingdom of Israel, and he would teach them how they should revere the Lord. It can be assumed that the former priests of Samaria were hardly the best examples of proper religious behavior, and they probably taught the new inhabitants the flawed practices that had been customary in the Kingdom of Israel before its destruction.

וַיִּהְיוּ עֹשִׂים גּוֹי גּוֹי אֱלֹהָיו וַיַּנִּיחוּ בְּבֵית הַבָּמוֹת אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ הַשֹּׁמְרֹנִים גּוֹי גּוֹי בְּעָרֵיהֶם אֲשֶׁר הֵם יֹשְׁבִים שָׁם

Each and every nation would make its gods, as these exiles were from different nations who retained their own practices, and they would place them in the temples of the shrines that the Samaritans, the Israelites who had lived in Samaria and the surrounding area before them, had made, each and every nation in their cities in which they lived. Each nation preserved its own basic national and religious identity.

וְאַנְשֵׁי בָבֶל עָשׂוּ אֶת סֻכּוֹת בְּנוֹת וְאַנְשֵׁי־כוּת עָשׂוּ אֶת־נֵרְגַל וְאַנְשֵׁי חֲמָת עָשׂוּ אֶת־אֲשִׁימָא

Therefore, the people of Babylonia made for themselves the idol Sukot Benot, a statue of a hen with its chicks; the people of Kut made Nergal, a rooster, one of the central idols of Assyria; the people of Hamat made Ashima, an idol in the shape of a goat;

וְהָעַוִּים עָשׂוּ נִבְחַז וְאֶת־תַּרְתָּק וְהַסְפַרְוִים שֹׂרְפִים אֶת־בְּנֵיהֶם בָּאֵשׁ לְאַדְרַמֶּלֶךְ וַעֲנַמֶּלֶךְ אֱלֹהֵ סְפַרְוָיִם

the Avites made Nivhaz, a statue of a dog, and Tartak, a statue of a donkey; and the Sefarvites burned their children in the fire to Adramelekh and Anamelekh, the gods of Sefarvayim.

וַיִּהְיוּ יְרֵאִים אֶת־ה' וַיַּעֲשׂוּ לָהֶם מִקְצוֹתָם כֹּהֲנֵי בָמוֹת וַיִּהְיוּ עֹשִׂים לָהֶם בְּבֵית הַבָּמוֹת

Thus, each nation kept its pagan customs, and at the same time they would all revere the Lord, as they had also learned the local practices, and they appointed for themselves, from their notables, or alternatively, from some of their own people, priests for the shrines, and they would officiate for them in the temples of the shrines. The Israelite priest who was sent to them served as their primary religious leader, but they also appointed priests from among their own population to serve and perform rites in the shrines.

אֶת־ה' הָיוּ יְרֵאִים וְאֶת־אֱלֹהֵיהֶם הָיוּ עֹבְדִים כְּמִשְׁפַּט הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר־הִגְלוּ אֹתָם מִשָּׁם

They were revering the Lord, as they learned from the men of Samaria, and they were also worshipping their gods, in accordance with the practices of the nations from which they were exiled, following the customs that they had brought with them from their own lands.

עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה הֵם עֹשִׂים כַּמִּשְׁפָּטִים הָרִאשֹׁנִים אֵינָם יְרֵאִים אֶת־ה' וְאֵינָם עֹשִׂים כְּחֻקֹּתָם וּכְמִשְׁפָּטָם וְכַתּוֹרָה וְכַמִּצְוָה אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה' אֶת־בְּנֵי יַעֲקֹב אֲשֶׁר־שָׂם שְׁמוֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל

To this day, they act in accordance with their former practices: They do not revere the Lord completely, and they do not act in accordance with their statutes, meaning the laws of Israel, or with their practices, or with the Torah, or with the commandment that the Lord commanded the children of Jacob, whose name He set as Israel. They still do not observe all the laws of the nation of Israel but only those instructions they received from the priest in Samaria, who was presumably an idolater himself.

וַיִּכְרֹת ה' אִתָּם בְּרִית וַיְצַוֵּם לֵאמֹר לֹא תִירְאוּ אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים וְלֹא־תִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לָהֶם וְלֹא תַעַבְדוּם וְלֹא תִזְבְּחוּ לָהֶם

Unlike these nations, in the case of the Israelites, the Lord had established a covenant with them and commanded them, saying: You shall not revere other gods, you shall not prostrate yourselves to them, you shall not worship them, and you shall not slaughter to them.

כִּי אִם־אֶת־ה' אֲשֶׁר הֶעֱלָה אֶתְכֶם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם בְּכֹחַ גָּדוֹל וּבִזְרוֹעַ נְטוּיָה אֹתוֹ תִירָאוּ וְלוֹ תִשְׁתַּחֲווּ וְלוֹ תִזְבָּחוּ

Rather, only the Lord, who took you up from the land of Egypt with great power and with an outstretched arm, Him shall you revere, to Him you shall prostrate yourselves, and to Him you shall slaughter, as the covenant with Israel demands absolute loyalty to God.

ואֶת־הַחֻקִּים וְאֶת־הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים וְהַתּוֹרָה וְהַמִּצְוָה אֲשֶׁר כָּתַב לָכֶם תִּשְׁמְרוּן לַעֲשׂוֹת כָּל־הַיָּמִים וְלֹא תִירְאוּ אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים

By force of this covenant, the statutes and the ordinances, and the Torah and the commandment that He wrote for you, you shall take care to perform always, and you shall not revere other gods.

וְהַבְּרִית אֲשֶׁר־כָּרַתִּי אִתְּכֶם לֹא תִשְׁכָּחוּ וְלֹא תִירְאוּ אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים

You shall not forget the covenant that I have established with you, and you shall not revere other gods.

כִּי אִם־אֶת־ה' אֱלֹהֵיכֶם תִּירָאוּ וְהוּא יַצִּיל אֶתְכֶם מִיַּד כָּל־אֹיְבֵיכֶם

Rather, you shall revere the Lord your God, and He will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies. This exclusivity is one of the differences between Israel and the other nations.

וְלֹא שָׁמֵעוּ כִּי אִם־כְּמִשְׁפָּטָם הָרִאשׁוֹן הֵם עֹשִׂים

But they, the foreign nations who were brought to the Land of Israel, did not consider themselves bound by that covenant, and therefore, they did not heed; rather, they acted in accordance with their former practices and created a new, mixed religion.

וַיִּהְיוּ הַגּוֹיִם הָאֵלֶּה יְרֵאִים אֶת־ה' וְאֶת־פְּסִילֵיהֶם הָיוּ עֹבְדִים גַּם־בְּנֵיהֶם וּבְנֵי בְנֵיהֶם כַּאֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ אֲבֹתָם הֵם עֹשִׂים עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה

These nations who were exiled to Samaria would revere the Lord, and they would also worship their idols; also their children and the children of their children, as their fathers did, so they do to this day.