³ Shalmaneser^(A) king of Assyria attacked him,^(B) and Hoshea became his vassal and paid him tribute money. ⁴ But the king of Assyria discovered Hoshea’s conspiracy. He had sent envoys to So king of Egypt^(C) and had not paid tribute money to the king of Assyria as in previous years.^[a] Therefore the king of Assyria arrested him and put him in prison. ⁵ Then the king of Assyria invaded the whole land, marched up to Samaria, and besieged it for three years.^(D)

The Fall of Samaria

⁶ In the ninth year of Hoshea,^(E) the king of Assyria captured Samaria. He deported^(F) the Israelites to Assyria and settled them in Halah and by the Habor, Gozan’s river, and in the cities of the Medes.^(G)

Why Israel Fell

⁷ This disaster happened because the people of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God who had brought them out of the land of Egypt from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt^(H) and because they had worshiped^[b] other gods.^(I)