22. The children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they didn’t depart from them
23. until the Lord removed Israel out of his sight, as he said by all his servants the prophets. So Israel was carried away out of their own land to Assyria to this day.
24. The king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, from Cuthah, from Avva, and from Hamath and Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel; and they possessed Samaria, and lived in its cities.
25. So it was, at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they didn’t fear the Lord. Therefore the Lord sent lions amongst them, which killed some of them.
26. Therefore they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, “The nations which you have carried away and placed in the cities of Samaria don’t know the law of the god of the land. Therefore he has sent lions amongst them, and behold, they kill them, because they don’t know the law of the god of the land.”
27. Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, “Carry there one of the priests whom you brought from there; and let them go and dwell there, and let him teach them the law of the god of the land.”
28. So one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and lived in Bethel, and taught them how they should fear the Lord.
29. However every nation made gods of their own, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities in which they lived.
30. The men of Babylon made Succoth Benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima,
31. and the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites burnt their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.
32. So they feared the Lord, and also made from amongst themselves priests of the high places for themselves, who sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places.
33. They feared the Lord, and also served their own gods, after the ways of the nations from amongst whom they had been carried away.