Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets
Volume I: A Kingdom Divided
Lesson 21 Israel’s Sins Lead to Deportation
the Second Book of the Kings 17:1–41
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)*
New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE)*
Catechism of the Catholic Church
Rosarium Virginis Mariae (Rosary of the Virgin Mary)
ex libris (in our library)
glossary for Thus Says the LORD—Volume I
cross references in Thus Says the LORD—Volume I
next lesson: What Does the LORD Require?
This material coordinates with Lesson 21 on pages 128–132 in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided.
“Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant which they broke, and I showed myself their Master, says the LORD. But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each man teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”—the Book of Jeremiah 31:31–34
welcome to Volume I of our in-depth study of the biblical prophets
We invite you to check out the sample first lesson and video from Volume I of this Turning to 
God’s Word 
two-part Catholic Bible study. Our online pages link to the free related lesson videos, a glossary, and cross references in the biblical text, and include maps, additional commentary, and prayers based on the primary Scripture in each lesson. Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided contains 28 lessons and has been granted an imprimatur. It may be purchased from our website shop. The companion 23-lesson Volume II: Restoration & Redemption also is available for purchase. If you have a Bible-related question or comment, click on the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” button on any study page.
open with prayer
It’s always wise to begin any Bible study with prayer, whether reading the Scriptures alone or meeting with others in a discussion study group. You can pray using your own words or use one of the opening prayers on our website. We especially like the following:
Lord Jesus, you promised to send your Holy Spirit
to teach us all things.
As we read and study your word today,
allow it to touch our hearts and change our lives. Amen.
let’s review—the Second Book of the Kings 15:32—16:20, the Book of Isaiah 6:1–13, the Book of Isaiah 7:1–17, the Book of Isaiah 8:14—9:7, and the Book of Isaiah 11:1–10
In Lesson 20 Isaiah Foresees Immanuel’s Birth, despite Jotham being described as a ruler who did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, he fails to remove the high places in Judah. During Jotham’s reign, both Syria and the northern kingdom stage attacks on Judah. The prophet known as Proto-Isaiah (First Isaiah) responds to a call to speak for the LORD. After Jotham’s death, Ahaz succeeds his father on the throne. The biblical text strongly criticizes Ahaz for walking in the way of the kings of the north. Ahaz forms an alliance with the Assyrians in order to defeat Syria and Israel, and Isaiah delivers one of the most well-known prophecies regarding the birth of a Messiah: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear and son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” A visit to Damascus prompts Ahaz to revise Temple worship in Jerusalem in order to imitate the way in which the militarily powerful Assyrians worship pagan gods. When Ahaz dies, his son Hezekiah ascends to the throne of Judah. Meanwhile, the northern kingdom is ruled first by Pekah and then by Hoshea.
map notes—the lost tribes of Israel
The Second Book of the Kings 17:6 records that in the ninth year of the reign of Hoshea in the north, that 
kingdom falls to the Assyrians. The descendants of Jacob living there are deported to Halah and Gozan, Assyrian cities on the Haber River, and to cities of the Medes, vassals of Assyria. These cities of the Medes were located in what’s present-day Iran. The territory that made up the former northern kingdom is in turn settled by people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharaim, all nations that also were conquered by the Assyrians. From this point on, the people who had lived in the former northern kingdom usually are referred to as the lost tribes of Israel. Click on the map (right) to enlarge it. The original map is on page 131 in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided.
a stubborn people (31:01)
In the video overview for Lesson 21, “Israel’s Sins Lead to Deportation,” Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps 
examines the stubbornness of the people living in the northern kingdom, who’ve refused to heed the words of the prophets to repent. The people’s ancestor Jacob also went by the name Israel, the name given to that kingdom. Israel means “he who wrestles with God,” an apt way to refer to a kingdom that’s proven itself to be constantly in conflict with the LORD. The authors of the biblical text clearly consider that the people’s opposition to God is responsible for the demise of their kingdom 
in the north. Consider what behavior of these people was most offensive to the LORD. Does it seem bad enough for God to uproot them?
The Scripture ranges for the videos that accompany this Catholic Bible study match the ranges for the sets of questions in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided. You can follow along with the video as Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps discusses Lesson 21, “Israel’s Sins Lead to Deportation,” on pages 128–132 in the study book.
WHAT DO YOU THINK about Assyria’s practice of resettling conquered people?
The deportation of the people who’d been living in the northern kingdom of Israel follows standard practice by the Assyrians whenever they conquered new territory.
? What would be the practical effects on individuals who are forced to leave their homes and property?
? Consider why it might be advantageous to Assyria to resettle the people of the northern kingdom.
? Once Assyria conquers Israel, the territory of the former kingdom begins to be known as Samaria and the people who live there as Samaritans. What might explain that by the time of Jesus the Samaritans have become a group of people despised by those who live in Judea, the former southern kingdom of Judah?
pray with the Psalms—remembering the sins of the people
Elsewhere in the Old Testament, Psalm 106 pairs a rundown of the sins of God’s people with a history of the many ways in which the LORD remains true to his covenant. Psalm 106:34 suggests one 
reason for the downfall of Israel: When the descendants of Jacob entered the Promised Land, the LORD commanded that they destroy all of those already living there, but God’s people failed to do this. Perhaps even more telling, however, are verses 45 and 46, which describe the LORD remembering his covenant for the sake of his people. Those verses also record the LORD’s great mercy in allowing his people to be treated with compassion by their captors. Prayed at Wednesday Vigils (Week II), Psalm 106 will be included as part of Lesson 21 Out of Zion, God Is Shining Forth in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study 
Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline, scheduled for publication in late summer of 2025.
biblical vocabulary—vassal
The Second Book of the Kings 17:3 records that before the people of the north are deported, their king Hoshea allowed Israel to become a vassal of the Assyrians. Deportation doesn’t occur until after Hoshea quits paying tribute to Assyria and seeks to make an alliance with Egypt. Vassal refers to a person or a country that offers allegiance to a stronger power and pays material tribute to them. It’s significant to note that as a vassal of the Assyrians, Israel no longer has autonomy.
WHAT DO YOU THINK about the secret sins of the people?
A list of the sins that have led to the deportation of the people of the north can be found in the Second Book of the Kings 17:7–12. Although the LORD brought the descendants of Jacob out of slavery in Egypt, the people failed to honor their covenant with God. Their kings went astray, taking the people along with them.
? It’s of interest that the Second Book of the Kings 17:9 records that the people “did secretly against the LORD their God things that were not right.” Consider whether this means the people were able to get away with sinning against God.
? Why might the people have wanted to hide their behavior from the LORD?
? What does this suggest about the people’s understanding concerning their behavior?
? Consider whether there’s any chance that God fails to know what’s happening when people sin in secret.
what is the correct term?
It’s easy to become confused by the terms used to describe the descendants of Jacob at various stages in salvation history. Knowing what each term means can go a long way toward understanding the meaning of different passages throughout the Scriptures.
Samaritan—This refers to anyone from Samaria. Prior to the conquest of the northern kingdom by the Assyrians in 722–721 BC, a Samaritan described someone from the capital city of Samaria. After the Assyrian conquest, the word Samaritan is used to describe anyone living in the region of Samaria, the name that refers to the geographical territory of the former northern kingdom. This is the meaning of Samaritan in the New Testament.
Ephraim—A name used by some of the prophets to refer to all of the descendants of Jacob from the northern kingdom. Ephraim was one of Joseph’s two Egyptian-born sons adopted by Jacob. In some cases the prophets’ use of the name Ephraim seems based on the fact that the first king in the north, Jeroboam, was from the half-tribe of Ephraim. In other cases, however, Ephraim is used to indicate that the LORD’s favor rests on any descendant of Jacob who upholds the covenant and seeks to do God’s will. Some of the Psalms also use the name Ephraim to refer to the northern kingdom.
Israelite—Israel is another name for Jacob and Israelite refers to any descendant of Jacob.
Hebrew—Prior to the time of Jacob, God’s people were called Hebrews, a word that indicates they were descendants of Eber.
Jew—This word, quite often misused, refers to someone who practices the law-based religion of Judaism. Although Judaism is based on traditional Hebrew and Israelite worship practices, the religion of Judaism didn’t develop until descendants of Jacob returned to Judah after the Babylonian Exile in 538 BC. After that time, any descendant of Jacob who practiced Judaism is called a Jew. Prior to the end of the Babylonian Exile, however, descendants of Jacob properly are called Israelites or Hebrews.
HOW IS ISRAEL’S DOWNFALL related to the sins of Jeroboam?
The fall of the northern kingdom sends a clear message that God is wed to his people—the descendants of Jacob—but the LORD isn’t necessarily wed to the idea of their kingdom.
? What’s the primary difference between the establishment of the northern kingdom of Israel and the establishment of the southern kingdom of Judah?
? In the Second Book of the Kings 17:21–22, the Assyrian conquest of Israel is blamed on the sins of Jeroboam. What are these sins? If necessary, refer to the First Book of the Kings 12:25–33.
? What might explain why the LORD finds the sins of Jeroboam particularly offensive?
? Consider whether present-day Christians might be tempted to commit similar sins.
an error in the beginning
Thomas Aquinas, a saint and doctor of the Church, taught that an error in the beginning is an error indeed. The northern kingdom’s problems can be traced to the sins of Solomon, who allowed for the worship of other gods. The kingdom split apart as the result of a rebellion against the line of David. Since David had been promised an eternal dynasty, the question that needs to be asked is why the LORD allows for a split in the kingdom. It appears that God wanted the people of Judah to learn from their mistake of allowing for the worship of other gods. When Jeroboam I and the people of 
the north rejected worship of the LORD, the fate of their kingdom was sealed. The Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King looks at the lives of the first earthly kings to rule the descendants of Jacob.
a prophetic versus historic view of what’s going on
The First and Second Books of the Kings consist of historical narrative that strongly suggests the southern kingdom of Judah is superior to the northern kingdom of Israel, but the people of Judah have begun committing all of the same sins as the people in the north. While the fate of the northern kingdom is sealed, a careful reading of the prophets indicates that the LORD continues to view the people of Israel and the people of Judah as one. The northern kingdom may be doomed, but its people aren’t. God continues to call them to repentance.
a difference between north & south
While the LORD values all of the descendants of Jacob, the kingdom in the north is expendable even if the people there aren’t. Because of the promise of an eternal dynasty in the line of David, the situation in the south requires a different approach. In Judah, the LORD needs to protect not only the people but the kingdom there as well. The prophets understand that this is going to have something to do with the king, but the political institution of the kingdom in the south will turn out to be as disposable as the kingdom in the north. This is a viewpoint that only becomes apparent from studying what the prophets have to say. It’s not something that’s visible in any of the historical texts.
WHAT QUESTIONS are raised concerning Judah?
The sixteenth chapter in the Second Book of the Kings records that Ahaz, the ruler of the southern kingdom of Judah, commits all of the same sins that the people of the north have been committing.
? In what way does Judah’s relationship with the LORD differ from Israel’s relationship with the LORD?
? Consider whether Judah’s relationship with God will protect those people when they sin.
? Based on God’s promise of an eternal dynasty for the line of David, what might the people living during the time of the Old Testament prophets have expected such a dynasty to look like?
? Consider what the LORD is obligated to preserve in Judah?
? Historical records of kingdoms focus on material things such as armies, land, and wealth. How likely does it seem that these things are important to the LORD?
? What seems to matter most to God about the descendants of Jacob who make up both kingdoms?
fear of the LORD—you could look it up in our archives
The Second Book of the Kings 17:24 deals with negative consequences that occur when people fail to fear the LORD. Previously, the Book of Isaiah 11:1–3 introduced “fear of the LORD” as one of the distinguishing characteristics of the prophesied Messiah. Learn the meaning of “fear of the LORD,” a confusing concept for many present-day Christians, by reading Lost in Translation, an online column in which Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps helps readers connect with ideas expressed in the original languages of the Scriptures. New Lost in Translation entries are posted on Mondays, and past entries are archived on our website. Contact us if you’d like to receive Lost in Translation by email every week.
what’s up with these lions?
The Second Book of the Kings 17:25 records a somewhat bizarre situation faced by the people who are forced by Assyria to resettle the region of Samaria. Because these foreigners don’t fear the LORD, God sends murderous lions among them. The Assyrian king then dispatches back to Bethel a priest who had been deported after the conquest of northern kingdom. His mission was to teach the new settlers how to fear the LORD. These new inhabitants apparently have been failing to show proper worship to the “god of the land,” which suggests that although the LORD may not be interested in preserving the northern kingdom, he hasn’t yet given up his claim on the geographical territory.
an ironic situation
Since the reason for the downfall of the northern kingdom is that its inhabitants failed to worship the LORD, it’s highly unlikely that a former priest from the area would be much help in teaching new settlers about the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Although such a priest wouldn’t be an expert, he still could help the people be pleasing enough to the LORD to put an end to the lion attacks. This situation introduces worship of the LORD to the foreign settlers in Samaria. These people coming into the land have no exposure to the God of Jacob, but they immediately show more interest in worshiping the LORD than did the descendants of Jacob who previously inhabited the former northern kingdom.
dangers of multi-denominational worship
The new inhabitants of the former northern kingdom begin serving the LORD as well as the idols that they’d worshiped in their own countries. This sets the stage for a number of religious practices in Samaria during the time of Jesus. Prior to the conquest by Assyria, the people of the north had attempted to abandon the worship of the LORD in favor of worshiping Baal. The foreigners instead attempt to integrate the worship of the LORD into their regular worship of other gods. The Second Book of the Kings 17:35-41 emphasizes the fundamental importance of the first commandment—God is a jealous god. Worship of the LORD will continue to be 
incompatible with worship of other gods. Learn more about religious differences encountered in Samaria during the time of Jesus beginning in Lesson 5 There Came a Woman of Samaria in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study The Gospel According to John: An Encounter with Grace & Truth.
what’s happening when & where
Click on the timeline for Lesson 21 to expand it. It also appears on page 130 in the study book.
the best Catholic commentary about Scripture
To find out more about how Church teaching is supported by Scripture passages in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided, check out the Index of Citations in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Links to the primary Scripture passages in the lesson (Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition [RSVCE*]) and relevant paragraphs in the Catechism are provided here. Not every passage in the biblical text for this Catholic Bible study is referenced in a Catechism paragraph, however, including the passage in this lesson from the Second Book of the Kings 17:1–41.
ways our glossary might prove helpful
In addition to providing information about geographical locations, our glossary also points out 
persons and places mentioned in the biblical text under multiple names or spellings. If you can remember a name but aren’t sure in which lesson it shows up, you can find it in the glossary, which lists every proper noun in the primary biblical text for Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided.
to learn more, read more Scripture
If you’re having difficulty with a particular passage of Scripture, it can be helpful to read the relevant 
cross references—but looking these up can take time. To make that easier, we’ve compiled the cross references from the Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE)—the translation that we reprint in our study books. That list can be found at the top of every online study page, and it includes links to cross references in the primary biblical text for Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided.
don’t forget about our indexes & extra online material
If you’re trying to locate information about a specific Scripture passage, you can look it up in the index at the back of the study book or sample lesson. If you want to find a particular commentary, you can look up its title in the topics index. To learn more about another book of the Bible for which there’s a Turning to God’s Word study, visit the online study directories to read the commentaries and watch any accompanying videos. Finally, if you have a question or would like to make a comment about any of our studies, you can use one of the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” buttons to email our authors.
ex libris—Church documents & books about religious topics
Link to magisterial documents referred to in our Bible studies at ex libris—magisterial documents. 
This listing includes significant recent encyclicals as well as a number of historical Church documents. Recommended books related to Scripture study can be found at ex libris—main bookshelf.
wondering how to pronounce some of these words?
The following link is to a reading from the New International Version (NIV) Bible. To listen, open the link and click on the audio icon above the printed text. Although not taken from the translations used in our study materials, the NIV reading provides an audio guide to pronunciation of words in this lesson’s primary biblical text. A close online version of the translation of the Bible used in Catholic liturgy in the United States as well as an audio guide for daily Mass readings for the current month can be found on the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
the Second Book of the Kings 17:1–41 (NIV)
close with Bible-based prayer related to this lesson
Many of our Catholic study groups like to conclude their discussions with a prayer based on the scriptural focus of their lesson, and some participants include Scripture-specific prayer in their individual study. If you’re uncomfortable composing your own Bible-based prayers, you can follow our four easy steps. If you prefer, you can use the following prayer based on this lesson’s biblical text.
God our Father, the first of your commandments
requires your people to place nothing ahead of love for you.
Help us to uproot anything from our lives
that threatens to interfere with our worship,
and grant that we may always desire to do your will.
We ask this in the name of Christ the King,
whose divine love for humanity springs from his greater love for you
and from his desire to do your will in all things. Amen.
Lesson 22 What Does the LORD Require?—the Second Book of the Kings 18:1–37, the Book of Micah 1:1–5, the Book of Micah 3:5—4:3, the Book of Micah 5:2–4, the Book of Micah 6:1–3, and the Book of Micah 6:6–8
Lesson 20 Isaiah Foresees Immanuel’s Birth—the Second Book of the Kings 15:32—16:20, the Book of Isaiah 6:1–13, the Book of Isaiah 7:1–17, the Book of Isaiah 8:14—9:7, and the Book of Isaiah 11:1–10
you also may like our study of Scripture & the Rosary (digital only)
Scripture & the Rosary: New Testament Mysteries, Old Testament Parallels, a 26-lesson Catholic Bible study with an imprimatur, looks at the biblical foundations of the Rosary. The study includes lessons on Pope St. John Paul II’s Rosarium Virginis Mariae (Rosary of the Virgin Mary), the Apostles’ Creed, and the Luminous Mysteries as well as the original 15 Mysteries of the Rosary. Color photographs of stained glass windows depict key scenes in the lives of Jesus and Mary. Free digital lessons rotate throughout the year on our website.
start a Turning to God’s Word Bible study
Thank you for your interest in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets— Volume I: A Kingdom Divided
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Information about beginning this or one of our other Turning to God’s Word Bible studies can be found at start a Bible study. Tami, Matthew, and I always are available to answer your Bible-study questions or concerns. Contact us if you’d like to start one of our studies or have your schedule listed with other TtGW study groups on our website. —Jennifer
*There are seven deuterocanonical books in the Old Testament—the Books of Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and First and Second Maccabees, as well as some passages in the Books of Esther and Daniel. Protestants usually refer to these works as “apocryphal,” a word that means “outside the (Protestant) canon” because they’re excluded from most Protestant Bibles. The word “deuterocanonical” means “second canon”; Catholics use that word to refer to any section of the Catholic Old Testament for which there are no extant, or existing, Hebrew manuscripts. All of the deuterocanonical books appear in the Septuagint, the earliest remaining versions of which date to the 1st century B.C. This Greek translation of the Old Testament was in common use by Jews at the time of Jesus. Learn more by reading How Do Catholic & Protestant Bibles Differ?
Turning to God’s Word printed Bible studies use the 2006 Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE) translation for all Scripture references except those to the Psalms, which are taken from The Abbey Psalms and Canticles, prepared by the Benedictine monks of Conception Abbey and published in 2020 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). Scripture on the online study pages for Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided links to the 1966 Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE). The New International Version (NIV) audio recordings follow the same chapter and verse numbering as the RSV Catholic translations, but the NIV translation doesn’t include the deuterocanonical books and passages.
The 1966 RSVCE uses archaic pronouns and verb forms such as “thee,” “thou,” “didst” in the Psalms and in direct quotations attributed to God. The 2006 RSV2CE replaces these with more accessible English. A handful of significant translation changes in the RSV2CE include rendering almah as “virgin” in the Book of Isaiah 7:14 and restoring the term “begotten” in the Gospel According to John 3:16.
Numbering varies for some passages in this Bible study. Turning to God’s Word studies (print and digital) follow the numbering in the Revised Standard Version Catholic translations (RSV2CE and RSVCE). Discrepancies in the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) are noted in the Index of Scripture Citations in the study book and the online sample.
You can learn more about the Psalms by viewing a sample lesson from the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume I: Lauds & Vespers. The second part of that study, Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline, is scheduled for publication in 2025. Some verse numbers may vary in different translations of the Psalms.