3 And the songs of the temple shall be howlings in that day, saith the Lord GOD: there shall be many dead bodies in every place; they shall cast them forth with silence. II KINGS XVII:1-23—B. C. 726 1 In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea the son of Elah to reign in Samaria over Israel nine years. 2 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, but not as the kings of Israel that were before him. 3 Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria; and Hoshea became his servant, and gave him presents. 7 For so it was, that the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods, 8 And walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made. 9 And the children of Israel did secretly those things that were not right against the LORD their God, and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city. 10 And they set them up images under every green tree: and groves in every high hill, and 11 And there they burnt incense 4 And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea: for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and brought no present to in all the high places, as did the the king of Assyria, as he had done heathen whom the LORD carried year by year: therefore the king away before them; and wrought of Assyria shut him up, and bound wicked things to provoke the LORD him in prison. 5 Then the king of Assyria. came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years. to anger: 12 For they served idols, whereof the LORD had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing. 13 Yet the LORD testified against * 6 In the ninth year of Hoshea Israel, and against Judah, by all the king of Assyria took Samaria, the prophets, and by all the seers, and carried Israel away into As- saying, Turn ye from your evil syria, and placed them in Halah ways, and keep my commandand in Habor by the river of Go- ments and my statutes, according zan, and in the cities of the Medes. to all the law which I commanded *Sargon took Samaria and deported 27,290 of its inhabitants into Assyria, B. C. 721. your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets. 14 Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks. like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the LORD their God. 15 And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the LORD had charged them, that they should not do like them. 20 And the LORD rejected all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of spoilers, until he had cast them out of his sight.. 21 For he rent Israel from the house of David; and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king: and Jeroboam drave Israel from following the LORD, and made them sin a great sin. 22 For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they departed not from them; 23 Until the LORD removed Is rael out of his sight, as he had said by all his servants the prophets. So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day. 16 And they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of II KINGS XVIII:9-12-B. G. 721 heaven, and served Baal. 17 And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger. 18 Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only. 9 And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria, and besieged it. 10 And at the end of three years they took it: even in the sixth year of Hezekiah, that is the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel Samaria was taken. 11 And the king of Assyria did 19 Also Judah kept not the com- carry away Israel unto Assyria, mandments of the LORD their God, and put them in Halah and in but walked in the statutes of Is-Habor by the river of Gozan, and rael which they made. in the cities of the Medes: 12 Because they obeyed not the 5 Now when she saw that she voice of the LORD their God, but had waited, and her hope was lost, transgressed his covenant, and all then she took another of her that Moses the servant of the LORD whelps, and made him a young commanded, and would not hear them, nor do them. EZEK. XIX:1-9-B. C. 594 lion. 6 And he went up and down among the lions, he became a young lion, and learned to catch the prey, and devoured men. 7 And he knew their desolate * 1 Moreover take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Is-palaces, and he laid waste their rael, cities; and the land was desolate, 2 And say, What is thy mother? and the fulness thereof, by the A lioness: she lay down among noise of his roaring. lions, she nourished her whelps among young lions. 3 And she brought up one of her whelps it became a young lion, and it learned to catch the prey; it devoured men. 4 The nations also heard of him; he was taken in their pit, and they brought him with chains unto the land of Egypt. 8 Then the nations set against him on every side from the provinces, and spread their net over him: he was taken in their pit. 9 And they put him in ward in chains, and brought him to the king of Babylon: they brought him into holes, that his voice should no more be heard upon the mountains of Israel. *No doubt a goodly number of the Tribe of Judah, being traders, left their mountain home in Judah and went as merchants to Samaria and thereby completed "The House of Israel." |