Samaria Resettled

The king of Assyria brought people
from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath and Sepharvaim
and settled them in the towns of Samaria
to replace the Israelites.
They took over Samaria and lived in its towns.
When they first lived there,
they did not worship the Lord;
so He sent lions among them
and they killed some of the people.
It was reported to the king of Assyria:
"The people you deported
and resettled in the towns of Samaria
do not know what the God of that country requires.
He has sent lions among them,
which are killing them off,
because the people do not know what He requires.

Then the king of Assyria gave this order:
"Have one of the priests you took captive from Samaria
go back to live there
and teach the people what the God of the land requires."
So one of the priests who had been exiled from Samaria
came to live in Bethel
and taught them how to worship the Lord.

Nevertheless, each national group made its own gods
in the several towns where they settled,
and set them up in the shrines
the people of Samaria had made at the high places.
The men from Babylon made Succoth Benoth,
the men from Cuthah made Nergal,
and the men from Hamath made Ashima;
the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak,
and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire
as sacrifices to Adrammelech and Anamelech,
gods of Sepharvaim.
They worshiped the Lord,
but they also appointed all sorts of their own people
to officiated for them as priests
in the shrines at the high places.
They worshiped the Lord,
but they also served their own gods
in accordance with the customs of of the nations
from which they had been brought.

(II Kings 17:24-33)