2 Kings 17:31-41

17:31 the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, ¹  and the Sepharvites burned their sons in the fire as an offering to Adrammelech and Anammelech, ²  the gods of Sepharvaim. 17:32 At the same time they worshiped ³  the Lord. They appointed some of their own people to serve as priests in the shrines on the high places. ⁴  17:33 They were worshiping ⁵  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 ⁶  the Lord; they do not obey the rules, regulations, law, and commandments that the Lord gave ⁷  the descendants of Jacob, whom he renamed Israel. 17:35 The Lord made an agreement ⁸  with them ⁹  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; ¹⁰  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 ¹¹  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.

[17:31]  ¹ sn Nibhaz and Tartak were two Elamite deities. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 212.

[17:31]  ² 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.

[17:32]  ³ tn Heb “feared.”

[17:32]  ⁴ 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.”

[17:33]  ⁵ tn Heb “fearing.”

[17:34]  ⁷ tn Heb “fear.”

[17:34]  ⁸ tn Heb “commanded.”

[17:35]  ⁹ tn Or “covenant.”

[17:35]  ¹⁰ sn That is, the descendants of Jacob/Israel (see v. 35b).

[17:36]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and outstretched arm.”

[17:40]  ¹³ sn This refers to the foreigners whom the king of Assyria settled in the land (see v. 35a).