1   In the twelfth yeare of Achaz king of Iuda, reigned Osee the sonne of Ela in Samaria ouer Israel nine yeares.

2   And he did euil before our Lord: but not as the kinges of Israel, that had bene before him.

3   Against him came vp Salmanasar king of the Assyrians, and Osee was made seruant to him, and payd him tributes.

4   And when the king of the Assyrians had found, that Osee endeuoring to rebel had sent messengers to Sua the king of Ægypt, that he might not pay tributes to the king of the Assyrians, as euery yeare he was accustomed, he besieged him, and cast him blound into prison.

5   And he ranged through al the land: and going vp to Samaria, he besieged in three yeares.

6   And in the ninth yeare of Osee, the king of Assyrians tooke Samaria, and transferred Israel vnto the Assyrians: and he put them in Hala, and in Habor beside the riuer of Gozan, in the cities of the Medes.

7   For it came to passe, when the children of Israel had sinned to our Lord their God, which brought them out of the land of Ægypt, and out of the hand of Pharao the king of Ægypt, they worshipped strange goddes.

8   And they walked according to the rite of the Gentiles, which our Lord had consumed in the sight of

Of Israel Osee. the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel: because they had done in like maner.

9   And the children of Israel offended our Lord their God with wordes not right: & built them excelses in al their cities from the Towre of watchmen vnto the fensed citie.

10   And they made them statues & groues on euerie high hil, and vnder euerie thicke woddie tree:

11   and burnt there incense vpon the altars after the maner of the Gentiles, which our Lord remoued from their face: and they did wicked things, prouoking our Lord.

12   And they worshipped the filthes, wherof our Lord commanded them that thou should not doe this thing.

13   And our Lord testified in Israel and in Iuda by the hand of al the Prophetes and Seers, saying: Returne from your most wicked wayes, and keepe my precepts, and ceremonies according to al the law, which I commanded your fathers: and as I haue sent to you in the hand of my seruantes the Prophetes.

14   Who heard not, but hardened their necke according to the necke of their fathers, who would not obey our Lord their God.

15   And they cast away his ordinances, and the couenant that he made with their fathers, and the testifications, wherwith he contested them: and they folowed vanities, and did vaynly: and they folowed the Gentiles, that were round about them, concerning which our Lord had commanded them, that they should not doe as they did.

16   And they forsooke al the preceptes of our Lord their God: and made to them selues two molten calues, and groues, and adored al the hoste of heauen: and they serued Baal,

17   and consecrated their sonnes, and their daughters through fyre: and they gaue themselues to deuinations, and soothsayings: and they deliuered vp themselues to doe euil before our Lord, ^note that they might prouoke him.

18   And our Lord was wrath with Israel vehemently, and tooke them away from his sight, and there remayned but the tribe of Iuda onlie.

19   But neither Iuda it self kept the commandementes of our Lord their God: but walked in the errours of Israel, which it had wrought.

20   And our Lord reiected al the seede of Israel, and afflicted them, & deliuered them into the hand of the spoylers, til he threwe them away from his face:

21   euen now from that time, when Israel was rent from the house of Dauid, and made Ieroboam the sonne of Nabat their king: for Ieroboam seperated Israel from our Lord, and made them sinne a great sinne.

22   And the children of Israel walked in

The 10. tribes ledde captiue into Assyria. al the sinnes of Ieroboam, which he had done: and they departed not from them,

23   vntil our Lord tooke away Israel from his face, as he had spoken in the hand of al his seruantes the Prophetes: and Israel was transported out of their land vnto the Assyrians, vntil this day.

24   And the king of the Assyrians brought from Babylon, and from Cutha, and from Auah, and from Emath, and from Sepharuaim: and placed them in the cities of Samaria for the children of Israel: who possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities therof.

25   And when they began to dwel there, they feared not our Lord: and our Lord sent lions vpon them, which killed them.

26   And it was told the king of the Assyrians, and sayd. The nations, which thou hast transferred, and made to dwel in the cities of Samaria, know not the ordinances of the God of the land: and the Lord hath sent lions vpon them: and behold they kil them, for that they know not the rite of the God of the land.

27   And the king of the Assyrians commanded, saying: Bring thither one of the priestes, which you brought thence captiue, and let him goe, and dwel with them: and let him teach them the ordinances of the God of the land

28   Therfore when one of those priests, which were led captiue from Samaria, was come, he dwelt in Bethel, and taught them how they should worship our Lord.

29   And euerie Nation framed their owne god, and put them in the highe temples, which the Samaritanes had made, Nation and Nation in their cities, where they dwelt.

30   For the men of Babylon made Socothbenoth: and the Cutheites made Nergel: and the men of Emath made Asima.

31   Moreouer the Heueites made Nebahaz & Tharthac. And they that were of Sepharuaim burnt their children in fyre, to Adramelech, and Anamelech the goddes of Sepharuaim.

32   and neuetheles they ^note worshipped our Lord. And they made to themselues of the vilest persones priestes of the excelses, and they placed them in the highe temples.

33   And when they worshipped our Lord, they serued also their owne goddes according to the custome of the Nations out of the which they were transported to Samaria:

34   vntil this present day they folow the old maner: they feare not our Lord, neither keepe they his ceremonies, and iudgements, and law, and the commandemet, which our Lord commanded the children of Iacob, whom he surnamed Israel:

35   and he had made a couenant with them, & had commanded

The 10. tribes ledde captiue into Assyria. them, saying: Feare not strange goddes, and adore them not, neither worship them, and immolate not to them.

36   But the Lord your God, which brought you out of the Land of Ægypt in great strength, and a stretched out arme, him feare ye, and him adore, and to him doe ye immolate.

37   The ceremonies also, and iudgementes, and law, and the commandment, that he wrote you, kepe ye, that you may doe them alwaies: and feare not strange goddes.

38   And the couenant, that he made with you, forget not: neither doe ye worship strange goddes,

39   but feare our Lord your God, and he wil deliuer you out of the hand of al your enemies.

40   But they heard not, but did according to their old custome.

41   These Nations therfore were fearing of our Lord but neuerthelesse seruing their idols also: for both their children and nephewes, as their fathers did, soe doe they vntil this present day.

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