16 The people of Israel disobeyed all the commands of the Lord their God. They made two gold statues of calves and set up a sacred pole for Asherah; they also worshipped the stars and the god Baal.
17 They used magic and witchcraft and even sacrificed their own children. The Israelites were determined to do whatever the Lord hated.
18 The Lord became so furious with the people of Israel that he allowed them to be carried away as prisoners.Only the people living in Judah were left,
19 but they also disobeyed the Lord's commands and acted like the Israelites.
20 So the Lord turned his back on everyone in Israel and Judah and let them be punished and defeated until no one was left.
21 Earlier, when the Lord took the northern tribes away from David's family, the people living in northern Israel chose Jeroboam son of Nebat as their king. Jeroboam caused the Israelites to sin and to stop worshipping the Lord.
22 The people kept on sinning like Jeroboam,