7. Now this came to be because the children of Yisra’ĕl had sinned against יהוה their Elohim – who had brought them up out of the land of Mitsrayim, from under the hand of Pharaoh sovereign of Mitsrayim – and feared other mighty ones,
8. and walked in the laws of the gentiles whom יהוה had dispossessed from before the children of Yisra’ĕl, and of the sovereigns of Yisra’ĕl that they had made.
9. And the children of Yisra’ĕl secretly did against יהוה their Elohim matters that were not right, and they built for themselves high places in all their cities, from watchtower unto the walled city,
10. and set up for themselves pillars and Ashĕrim on every high hill and under every green tree,
11. and burned incense there on all the high places, like the gentiles whom יהוה had removed from their presence. And they did evil matters to provoke יהוה,
12. and served the idols, of which יהוה had said to them, “Do not do this.”