Discovery Box2 Kings 17:28-41 
Context17:28 So one of the priests whom they had deported from Samaria went back and settled in Bethel. 1 He taught them how to worship 2 the Lord.
17:29 But each of these nations made 3 its own gods and put them in the shrines on the high places that the people of Samaria 4 had made. Each nation did this in the cities where they lived. 17:30 The people from Babylon made Succoth Benoth, 5 the people from Cuth made Nergal, 6 the people from Hamath made Ashima, 7 17:31 the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, 8 and the Sepharvites burned their sons in the fire as an offering to Adrammelech and Anammelech, 9 the gods of Sepharvaim. 17:32 At the same time they worshiped 10 the Lord. They appointed some of their own people to serve as priests in the shrines on the high places. 11 17:33 They were worshiping 12 the Lord and at the same time serving their own gods in accordance with the practices of the nations from which they had been deported.
17:34 To this very day they observe their earlier practices. They do not worship 13 the Lord; they do not obey the rules, regulations, law, and commandments that the Lord gave 14 the descendants of Jacob, whom he renamed Israel. 17:35 The Lord made an agreement 15 with them 16 and instructed them, “You must not worship other gods. Do not bow down to them, serve them, or offer sacrifices to them. 17:36 Instead you must worship the Lord, who brought you up from the land of Egypt by his great power and military ability; 17 bow down to him and offer sacrifices to him. 17:37 You must carefully obey at all times the rules, regulations, law, and commandments he wrote down for you. You must not worship other gods. 17:38 You must never forget the agreement I made with you, and you must not worship other gods. 17:39 Instead you must worship the Lord your God; then he will rescue you from the power of all your enemies.” 17:40 But they 18 pay no attention; instead they observe their earlier practices. 17:41 These nations are worshiping the Lord and at the same time serving their idols; their sons and grandsons do just as their fathers have done, to this very day.
1 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
2 tn Heb “fear.”
3 sn The verb “make” refers to the production of idols. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 210-11.
4 tn Heb “Samaritans.” This refers to the Israelites who had been deported from the land.
5 sn No deity is known by the name Succoth Benoth in extant Mesopotamian literature. For speculation as to the identity of this deity, see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 211.
6 sn Nergal was a Mesopotamian god of the underworld.
7 sn This deity is unknown in extra-biblical literature. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 211-12.
8 sn Nibhaz and Tartak were two Elamite deities. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 212.
9 sn Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of the Sepharvaim are unknown in extra-biblical literature. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 212.
10 tn Heb “feared.”
11 tn Heb “and they appointed for themselves from their whole people priests for the high places and they were serving for them in the house[s] of the high places.”
12 tn Heb “fearing.”
13 tn Heb “fear.”
14 tn Heb “commanded.”
15 tn Or “covenant.”
16 sn That is, the descendants of Jacob/Israel (see v. 35b).
17 tn Heb “and outstretched arm.”
18 sn This refers to the foreigners whom the king of Assyria settled in the land (see v. 35a).
