1. Hoshea son of Elah became king of Israel in the twelfth year of Ahaz's rule in Judah, and he ruled nine years from Samaria.
2. Hoshea disobeyed the Lord and sinned, but not as much as the earlier Israelite kings had done.
3. During Hoshea's rule, King Shalmaneser of Assyria invaded Israel; he took control of the country and made Hoshea pay taxes.
4. But later, Hoshea refused to pay the taxes and asked King So of Egypt to help him rebel. When Shalmaneser found out, he arrested Hoshea and put him in prison.
32-33. They worshipped their own gods, just as they had before they were taken away to Israel. They also worshipped the Lord, but they chose their own people to be priests at the shrines.