6In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and carried Israel away into exile to Assyria, and settled them in Halah and Habor, on the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
4… so the king of Assyria shut him up and bound him in prison.
Why Israel Fell
7Now this came about because the sons of Israel had sinned against YHVH their God, who had brought them up from the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and they had feared other gods8and walked in the customs of the nations whom YHVH had driven out before the sons of Israel, and in the customs of the kings of Israel which they had introduced. 9The sons of Israel did things secretly which were not right against YHVH their God. Moreover, they built for themselves high places in all their towns, from watchtower to fortified city. 10They set for themselves sacred pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree, 11and there they burned incense on all the high places as the nations did which YHVH had carried away to exile before them; and they did evil things provoking YHVH. 12They served idols, concerning which YHVH had said to them, “You shall not do this thing.” 13Yet YHVH warned Israel and Judah through all His prophets and every seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways and keep My commandments, My statutes according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you through My servants the prophets.” 14However, they did not listen, but stiffened their neck like their fathers, who did not believe in YHVH their God. 15They rejected His statutes and His covenant which He made with their fathers and His warnings with which He warned them. And they followed vanity and became vain, and went after the nations which surrounded them, concerning which YHVH had commanded them not to do like them. 16They forsook all the commandments of YHVH their God and made for themselves molten images, even two calves, and made an Asherah and worshiped all the host of heaven and served Baal. 17Then they made their sons and their daughters pass through the fire, and practiced divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of YHVH, provoking Him. 18So YHVH was very angry with Israel and removed them from His sight; none was left except the tribe of Judah.