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The Israelites are Deported to Assyria
17 In the twelfth year of King Ahaz of Judah, Hoshea son of Elah became king in Samaria over Israel, and he reigned nine years. 2 He did what was evil in Adonai’s eyes, yet not as the kings of Israel who were before him. 3 King Shalmaneser of Assyria marched against him, so Hoshea became his vassal and paid him tribute. 4 But the king of Assyria caught Hoshea conspiring—he had sent messengers to King So of Egypt, and had not paid the tribute to the king of Assyria as he had done every year. Therefore the king of Assyria seized him and put him in prison. 5 Then the king of Assyria invaded the entire country, marched up to Samaria, and besieged it for three years.
6 In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and deported the Israelites to Assyria. He placed them in Halah and Habor, on the Gozan River, and in the towns of the Medes. 7 Now it was so because the men of Israel had sinned against Adonai their God, who brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods. 8 Instead they followed the customs of the nations, whom Adonai had dispossessed before Bnei-Yisrael, yet which the kings of Israel practiced. 9 Bnei-Yisrael secretly did things against Adonai their God that were not right. They built shrines for themselves in all their settlements—from watchtowers to fortified cities, 10 and they set up pillars and Asherah poles for themselves on every high hill and under every leafy tree. 11 There they burned incense on all the high places, like the nations whom Adonai had driven out before them. So they did wicked things to provoke Adonai. 12 They worshipped idols, about which Adonai had said to them, “You shall not do this thing.”
13 Yet Adonai had forewarned Israel and Judah by the hand of every prophet and every seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways, and keep My commandments and My statutes, according to all the Torah which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by the hand of My servants the prophets.” 14 Yet they would not listen, but stiffened their neck like their fathers, who did not trust in Adonai their God. 15 So they rejected His statutes and His covenant that He had made with their fathers, and His testimonies that He testified against them. Instead they went after futile things and became futile, following the nations that surrounded them, about whom Adonai had charged them not to emulate. 16 So they abandoned all the mitzvot of Adonai their God. So they made for themselves molten images, two calves, and made an Asherah pole, and bowed down to all the host of heavens, and worshipped Baal, 17 and they made their sons and daughters pass through the fire, practiced divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in Adonai’s eyes, to provoke Him.
18 So Adonai became very angry with Israel, and banished them from His presence. There was none left but the tribe of Judah alone.
19 Even Judah did not keep the mitzvot of Adonai their God, but followed the customs which Israel had practiced. 20 So Adonai spurned all the descendants of Israel and afflicted them and delivered them into the hand of plunderers, until He had cast them out of His sight.
21 When He had torn Israel from the house of David, they made Jeroboam son of Nebat king. Then Jeroboam drew Israel away from following Adonai and made them commit a great sin. 22 The men of Israel kept walking in all the sins that Jeroboam committed. They did not turn away from them, 23 until Adonai banished Israel from His presence, as He spoke by the hand of all His servants the prophets. So Israel has been exiled from their own land to Assyria to this day.
Origin of the Samaritans
24 Then the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath and Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria, instead of the men of Israel. So they possessed Samaria and settled in its cities. 25 When they first began dwelling there, they did not fear Adonai—so Adonai sent lions among them, which killed some of them. 26 Then they spoke to the king of Assyria saying, “The nations that you deported and resettled in the towns of Samaria do not know the requirement of the God of the land. Therefore He has sent lions among them, and behold, they are killing them because they don’t know the requirement of the God of the land.”
27 Then the king of Assyria commanded saying, “Send there one of the kohanim whom you have exiled from there. Let them go and live there and teach them the requirement of the God of the land.” 28 So one of the kohanim that had been deported from Samaria came and lived in Bethel, and taught them how they should fear Adonai.
29 However, every nation kept making its own gods, and put them in the shrines of the high places that the Samaritans had made—every nation in their cities where they settled. 30 So the people of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, the people of Cuth made Nergal, the people of Hamath made Ashima, 31 the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. 32 So they feared Adonai, while they also appointed for themselves from among themselves priests of the shrines, who officiated for them in the shrines of the high places. 33 They continued to fear Adonai, but worshipped their own gods, after the custom of the nations from which they had been deported.
34 Up to this day, they follow their former customs. Nor do they fear Adonai, or follow the statutes, the ordinances, the Torah or the mitzvot that Adonai commanded the children of Jacob—whom He had renamed Israel. 35 With them Adonai had made a covenant, and charged them saying, “You will not fear other gods, or bow down to them, or serve them, or sacrifice to them, 36 but only Adonai, who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and with an outstretched arm—Him will you fear, and to Him will you bow down and to Him will you sacrifice. 37 The statutes and the ordinances, and the Torah and the mitzvah, which He wrote for you, you will take care to do all the time. You are not to fear other gods. 38 The covenant that I have made with you, you will not forget. Nor will you fear other gods, 39 but Adonai your God will you fear. Then He will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.”
40 Yet they did not listen, but they continued their former practices. 41 So while these nations feared Adonai, they also worshipped their idols. Their children and grandchildren do as their fathers did to this day.
Righteous King Hezekiah
18 Now it was in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel that Hezekiah son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. 2 He was 25 years old when he became king and he reigned for 29 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abi daughter of Zechariah. 3 He did what was right in Adonai’s eyes, according to all his ancestor David had done. 4 He removed the high places, smashed the pillars and cut down the Asherah poles. He also broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made—for up to those days Bnei-Yisrael were still burning incense to it—it was called Nehushtan.
5 He trusted in Adonai, the God of Israel. Indeed, none of all the kings of Judah after him was like him—and none before him. 6 For he clung to Adonai. He did not turn away from following Him, but kept His mitzvot, which Adonai had commanded Moses. 7 So Adonai was with him. Wherever he went he prospered. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him. 8 He defeated the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territories, from watchtower to fortified city.
9 Now it came to pass in the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of King Elah of Israel, that King Shalmaneser of Assyria marched against Samaria and besieged it, 10 and at the end of three years they captured it. So Samaria was captured in the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was the ninth year of King Hoshea of Israel. 11 The king of Assyria deported Israel to Assyria and placed them in Halah and Habor on the Gozan River, and in the towns of the Medes. 12 For they had not listened to the voice of Adonai their God, but transgressed His covenant—all that Moses the servant of Adonai had commanded—they neither listened nor did it.
Escaping Death
20 After the uproar ended, Paul sent for the disciples; and when he had encouraged them and said farewell, he departed to go to Macedonia. 2 When he had passed through these parts and given them a great word of encouragement, he came to Greece, 3 where he spent three months. When a plot was formed against him by the Jewish leaders as he was about to sail to Syria, he decided to return via Macedonia. 4 Sopater of Berea, son of Pyrrhus, accompanied him; as well as Aristarchus and Secundus of Thessalonica; Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy; Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia. [a] 5 These went on ahead and were waiting for us at Troas. 6 But we sailed from Philippi after the Days of Matzah. In five days we came to them in Troas, where we stayed for seven days.
7 Now on the first day of the week, we gathered to break bread. Paul was talking with them, intending to leave the next day, so he prolonged his speech till midnight. 8 There were many lamps in the upper chamber where we were meeting. 9 Now a young man named Eutychus was sitting in a windowsill, sinking into a deep sleep as Paul kept on talking. Overcome by sleep, he fell from the third story and was picked up—dead.
10 But Paul went down, fell on him and threw his arms around him. He said, “Don’t be upset, for his life is within him.”[b]
11 After he went back up and broke the bread and ate, he talked with them a long while until daybreak and then left. 12 So they took the boy away alive, greatly relieved.
Prophetic Warnings
13 But we went on ahead to the ship and set sail for Assos, intending to take Paul aboard there—for so he had arranged, intending himself to travel there by land. 14 When he met us at Assos, we took him on board and went to Mitylene. 15 Sailing from there, we arrived the next day opposite Chios; the next day we crossed over to Samos, and the day after that we came to Miletus. 16 For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus so that he might not spend much time in Asia, because he was hurrying to be in Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of Shavuot.
17 From Miletus, dispatching someone to Ephesus, he called for the elders of the community. 18 When they came to him, he said to them, “You yourselves know how I behaved among you all the time from the first day I set foot in Asia, 19 serving the Lord with all humility and tears and trials which fell upon me through the plots of the Jewish leaders. 20 I did not shrink back from proclaiming to you anything that was profitable, teaching you publicly as well as from house to house, 21 testifying to both Jewish and Greek people repentance to God and trust in our Lord Yeshua.
22 “And now, look, bound by the Ruach, I am going to Jerusalem—not knowing what will happen to me there, 23 except that the Ruach ha-Kodesh bears witness to me from city to city, saying that bondage and afflictions await me. 24 However, I don’t consider my life of any value, except that I might finish my course and the office I received from the Lord Yeshua, to declare the Good News of the grace of God.
25 “Now, look! I know that none of you, among whom I have gone proclaiming the kingdom, will ever see my face again. 26 Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all. 27 For I did not shrink back from declaring to you the whole purpose of God.
28 “Take care of yourselves and all the flock of which the Ruach ha-Kodesh has made you overseers, to shepherd the community of God—which He obtained with the blood of His own. [c] 29 I know that after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. [d] 30 Even from among yourselves will arise men speaking perversions, to draw the disciples away after themselves. 31 Therefore be alert, remembering that night and day for three years I did not stop warning you with tears.
32 “Now I commit you to God and the word of His grace, which is strong to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all who have been made holy. 33 I coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothing. 34 You yourselves know that these hands of mine have provided for my own needs as well as for those with me. 35 In all things I have shown you an object lesson—that by hard work one must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Yeshua, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”[e]
36 When he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. 37 They all began weeping and falling upon Paul’s neck and kissing him, 38 grieving most of all over the statement he made that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship.
Praise Him, All Creation!
Psalm 148
1 Halleluyah!
Praise Adonai from the heavens!
Praise Him in the highest!
2 Praise Him all His angels!
Praise Him all His armies.
3 Praise Him, sun and moon!
Praise Him, all stars of light.
4 Praise Him, highest heavens,
and waters above the heavens.
5 Let them praise the Name of Adonai,
for He commanded and they were created.
6 He set them in place forever and ever.
He made a decree that will never pass away.
7 Praise Adonai from the earth,
sea monsters and all depths,
8 fire and hail, snow and vapor,
storm wind doing His bidding,
9 mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars,
10 beasts and all cattle,
crawling things and winged birds,
11 kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all rulers of earth,
12 both young men and maidens,
old men and children.
13 Let them praise the Name of Adonai,
for His Name alone is exalted.
His glory is above earth and heaven.
14 He has raised up a horn for His people,
a praise for all His kedoshim,[a]
for the children of Israel—
a people near to Him.
Halleluyah!
6 The lips of a fool enter into an argument
and his mouth invites a beating.
7 A fool’s mouth is his ruin,
and his lips are a snare to his soul.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.