Foreign Refugees in Israel

²⁴ Then the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and settled them in place of the Israelites in the cities of Samaria. The settlers took possession of Samaria and lived in its cities.^(A)

²⁷ Then the king of Assyria issued a command: “Send back one of the priests you deported.^(A) Have him go and live there so he can teach them the requirements of the god of the land.” ²⁸ So one of the priests they had deported came and lived in Bethel,^(B) and he began to teach them how they should fear the Lord.

²⁹ But the people of each nation were still making their own gods in the cities where they lived and putting them in the shrines of the high places that the people of Samaria had made.^{(C) 30} The men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashima, ³¹ the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire^(D) to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. ³² They feared the Lord, but they also made from their ranks priests for the high places, who were working for them at the shrines of the high places.^(E)

³⁷ One day, while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech^(A) and Sharezer struck him down with the sword and escaped to the land of Ararat.^(B) Then his son Esar-haddon^(C) became king in his place.

³⁸ One day, while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword and escaped to the land of Ararat.^(A) Then his son Esar-haddon^(B) became king in his place.