The Divided Kingdom

As to the altar of brass that is before Jehovah--he bringeth it near from the front of the house, from between the altar and the house of Jehovah, and putteth it on the side of the altar, northward.

And king Ahaz commandeth him--Urijah the priest--saying, `On the great altar perfume the burnt-offering of the morning, and the present of the evening, and the burnt-offering of the king, and his present, and the burnt-offering of all the people of the land, and their present, and their libations; and all the blood of the burnt-offering, and all the blood of the sacrifice, on it thou dost sprinkle, and the altar of brass is to me to inquire by .'

And Urijah the priest doth according to all that king Ahaz commanded.

And king Ahaz cutteth off the borders of the bases, and turneth aside from off them the laver, and the sea he hath taken down from off the brazen oxen that are under it, and putteth it on a pavement of stones.

And the covered place for the sabbath that they built in the house, and the entrance of the king without, he turned from the house of Jehovah, because of the king of Asshur.

And the rest of the matters of Ahaz that he did, are they not written on the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah?

And Ahaz lieth with his fathers, and is buried with his fathers, in the city of David, and reign doth Hezekiah his son in his stead.

In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah reigned hath Hoshea son of Elah in Samaria, over Israel--nine years,

and he doth the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah, only, not as the kings of Israel who were before him;

against him came up Shalmaneser king of Asshur, and Hoshea is to him a servant, and doth render to him a present.

And the king of Asshur findeth in Hoshea a conspiracy, in that he hath sent messengers unto So king of Egypt, and hath not caused a present to go up to the king of Asshur, as year by year, and the king of Asshur restraineth him, and bindeth him in a house of restraint.

And the king of Asshur goeth up into all the land, and he goeth up to Samaria, and layeth siege against it three years;

in the ninth year of Hoshea hath the king of Asshur captured Samaria, and removeth Israel to Asshur, and causeth them to dwell in Halah, and in Habor, by the river Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

And it cometh to pass, because the sons of Israel have sinned against Jehovah their God--who bringeth them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt--and fear other gods,

and walk in the statutes of the nations that Jehovah dispossessed from the presence of the sons of Israel, and of the kings of Israel that they made;

and the sons of Israel do covertly things that are not right against Jehovah their God, and build for them high places in all their cities, from a tower of the watchers unto the fenced city,

and set up for them standing-pillars and shrines on every high height, and under every green tree,

and make perfume there in all high places, like the nations that Jehovah removed from their presence, and do evil things to provoke Jehovah,

and serve the idols, of which Jehovah said to them, `Ye do not do this thing;'

And Jehovah testifieth against Israel, and against Judah, by the hand of every prophet, and every seer, saying, `Turn back from your evil ways, and keep My commands, My statutes, according to all the law that I commanded your fathers, and that I sent unto you by the hand of My servants the prophets;'

and they have not hearkened, and harden their neck, like the neck of their fathers, who did not remain stedfast in Jehovah their God,

and reject His statutes and His covenant that He made with their fathers, and His testimonies that He testified against them, and go after the vain thing, and become vain, and after the nations that are round about them, of whom Jehovah commanded them not to do like them;

And they forsake all the commands of Jehovah their God, and make to them a molten image--two calves, and make a shrine, and bow themselves to all the host of the heavens, and serve Baal,

and cause their sons and their daughters to pass over through fire, and divine divinations, and use enchantments, and sell themselves to do the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah, to provoke Him;

That Jehovah sheweth himself very angry against Israel, and turneth them aside from His presence; none hath been left, only the tribe of Judah by itself.