Part 226 (1/2)

17:25. And when they began to dwell there, they feared not the Lord: and the Lord sent lions among them, which killed them.

17:26. And it was told the king of the a.s.syrians, and it was said: The nations which thou hast removed, and made to dwell in the cities of Samaria, know not the ordinances of the G.o.d of the land: and the Lord hath sent lions among them: and behold they kill them, because they know not the manner of the G.o.d of the land.

17:27. And the king of the a.s.syrians commanded, saying: Carry thither one of the priests whom you brought from thence captive, and let him go, and dwell with them: and let him teach them the ordinances of the G.o.d of the land.

17:28. So one of the priests, who had been carried away captive from Samaria, came and dwelt in Bethel, and taught them how they should wors.h.i.+p the Lord.

17:29. And every nation made G.o.ds of their own and put them in the temples of the high places, which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities where they dwelt.

17:30. For the men of Babylon made Sochothbenoth: and the Cuthites made Nergel: and the men of Emath made Asima.

17:31. And the Hevites made Nebahaz, and Tharthac. And they that were of Sepharvaim burnt their children in fire, to Adramelech and Anamelech, the G.o.ds of Sepharvaim.

17:32. And nevertheless they wors.h.i.+pped the Lord. And they made to themselves, of the lowest of the people, priests of the high places, and they placed them in the temples of the high places.

17:33. And when they wors.h.i.+pped the Lord, they served also their own G.o.ds, according to the custom of the nations out of which they were brought to Samaria:

17:34. Unto this day they follow the old manner: they fear not the Lord, neither do they keep his ceremonies, and judgments, and law, and the commandment, which the Lord commanded the children of Jacob, whom he surnamed Israel:

17:35. With whom he made a covenant, and charged them, saying: You shall not fear strange G.o.ds, nor shall you adore them, nor wors.h.i.+p them, nor sacrifice to them.

17:36. But the Lord, your G.o.d, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, with great power, and a stretched out arm, him shall you fear, and him shall you adore, and to him shall you sacrifice.

17:37. And the ceremonies, and judgments, and law, and the commandment, which he wrote for you, you shall observe to do them always: and you shall not fear strange G.o.ds.

17:38. And the covenant that he made with you, you shall not forget: neither shall ye wors.h.i.+p strange G.o.ds,

17:39. But fear the Lord, your G.o.d, and he shall deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies.

17:40. But they did not hearken to them, but did according to their old custom.

17:41. So these nations feared the Lord, but nevertheless served also their idols: their children also, and grandchildren, as their fathers did, so do they unto this day.

4 Kings Chapter 18

The reign of Ezechias: he abolisheth idolatry and prospereth.

Sennacherib cometh up against him: Rabsaces soliciteth the people to revolt; and blasphemeth the Lord.

18:1. In the third year of Osee, the son of Ela, king of Israel, reigned Ezechias, the son of Achaz, king of Juda.

18:2. He was five and twenty years old when he began to reign: and he reigned nine and twenty years in Jerusalem: the name of his mother was Abi, the daughter of Zacharias.

18:3. And he did that which was good before the Lord, according to all that David, his father, had done:

18:4. He destroyed the high places, and broke the statues in pieces, and cut down the groves, and broke the brazen serpent, which Moses had made: for till that time the children of Israel burnt incense to it: and he called its name Nohestan.

And he called its name Noheston... That is, their bra.s.s; or a little bra.s.s. So he called it in contempt, because they had made an idol of it.

18:5. He trusted in the Lord, the G.o.d of Israel: so that after him there was none like him among all the kings of Juda, nor any of them that were before him: