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And the king of Assyria brought men in from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and Sepharvaim, and made them live in the cities of Samaria instead of the sonsof Israel; and they possessed Samaria andlived in its cities.

And it happened at the beginning of their living there, they did not fear Jehovah, and Jehovah sent lions among them, and they were striking among them.

And they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations that you have exiled and have made to live in the cities of Samaria do not know the custom of the God of the land, and He has sent the lions into their midst; and, behold, they arekilling them, since they do not know the custom of the God of the land.

And the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Cause one of the priests whom you removed from there to go there, and they shall go and live there; and he shall teach them the custom of the God of the land.

And one of the priests whom they exiled from Samaria came and lived in Bethel, and he taught them how they should fear Jehovah.

And nation by nation was making gods of their own, and putting them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, nation by nation in their cities where they lived.

And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth; and the men of Cuth made Nergal; and the men of Hamath made Ashima;

and the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites burned their sons with fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech the gods of Sepharvaim.

So it was that they feared Jehovah, and made for themselves, of the lowest of them, priests of the high places and they sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places.

They feared Jehovah, and served their own gods, according to the custom of the nations from where they exiled them.

To this day they do according to the former custom; they do not fear Jehovah, and do not do according to their statutes, and according to their ordinances, and according to the Law, and according to the commandment that Jehovah commanded thesons of Jacob, on whom He set His name, Israel.

And Jehovah made a covenant with them, and commanded them, saying, You shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them;

but Jehovah who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a stretched out arm, you shall fear Him, and you shall bow yourselves to Him, and you shall sacrifice to Him;

and the statutes, and the judgments, and the Law, and the commandments that He wrote for you, you shall observe to do forever, and you shall not fear other gods;

and the covenant that I have made with you, you shall not forget, and you shall not fear other gods;

but you shall fear Jehovah your God, and He shall deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies.

But they did not listen, but did according to their former custom.

And it happened, these nations feared Jehovah, yet they served their graven images, both their sons and their sons' sons. As their fathers did, they are doing to this day.