5. The king of Assyria invaded the entire land, marched against Samaria and laid siege to it for three years.
6. In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and deported the Israelites to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, in Gozan on the River Habor and in the towns of the Medes.
7. All this took place because the Israelites had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of Egypt from under the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They worshipped other gods
8. and followed the practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before them, as well as the practices that the kings of Israel had introduced.
9. The Israelites secretly did things against the Lord their God that were not right. From watchtower to fortified city they built themselves high places in all their towns.
10. They set up sacred stones and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every spreading tree.