2 Kings 17:4

² And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, but not like the kings of Israel who preceded him.

³ Shalmaneser king of Assyria attacked him, and Hoshea became his vassal and paid him tribute.

But the king of Assyria discovered that Hoshea had conspired to send envoys to King So of Egypt, and that he had not paid tribute to the king of Assyria as in previous years. Therefore the king of Assyria arrested Hoshea 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.

⁶ In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and carried away the Israelites to Assyria, where he settled them in Halah, in Gozan by the Habor River, and in the cities of the Medes.

Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: But the king of Assyria discovered that Hoshea had conspired to send envoys to King So of Egypt, and that he had not paid tribute to the king of Assyria as in previous years. Therefore the king of Assyria arrested Hoshea and put him in prison.
KJV: And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea: for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and brought no present to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year: therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison.
WEB: The king of Assyria discovered a conspiracy in Hoshea; for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and offered no tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year. Therefore the king of Assyria seized him, and bound him in prison.
ASV: And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea; for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and offered no tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year: therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison.
DARBY: But the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea; for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and sent up no present to the king of Assyria as [he had done] from year to year. And the king of Assyria shut him up and bound him in prison.
BLB: And the king of Assyria uncovered in Hoshea a conspiracy, in that he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and he did not bring up tribute to the king of Assyria as year by year. And the king of Assyria shut him up and bound him in the house of imprisonment.

ÅB: Men da kongen i Assyria kom etter at Hosea hadde innlatt seg i en sammensvergelse, idet han hadde sendt bud til kongen i Egypt Soa og ikke lenger betalt skatt til kongen i Assyria, slik som han før hadde gjort år for år, så satte kongen i Assyria ham fast og holdt ham i fengsel.
OTB: Men kongen av Assyria oppdaget en sammensvergelse hos Hosea, for han hadde sendt budbringere til So, kongen av Egypt, og hadde ikke betalt tributt til kongen av Assyria, slik han hadde gjort år etter år. Så kongen av Assyria stengte ham inne og bandt ham i fengsel.
B1930: Men da kongen i Assyria kom efter at Hosea hadde innlatt sig i en sammensvergelse, idet han hadde sendt bud til kongen i Egypten Soa og ikke lenger betalt skatt til kongen i Assyria, således som han før hadde gjort år for år, så satte kongen i Assyria ham fast og holdt ham i fengsel.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Psalms 149:7–8
to inflict vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples,
Read in context
2 Kings 24:20
For because of the anger of the LORD, all this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, until He finally banished them from His presence. And Zedekiah also rebelled against the king of Babylon.
Read in context
2 Kings 18:14–15
So Hezekiah king of Judah sent word to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, “I have done wrong; withdraw from me, and I will pay whatever you demand from me.” And the king of Assyria exacted from Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.
Read in context
Isaiah 31:1–3
Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in their abundance of chariots and in their multitude of horsemen. They do not look to the Holy One of Israel; they do not seek the LORD.
Read in context
2 Kings 18:21
Look now, you are trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff that will pierce the hand of anyone who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him.
Read in context
2 Chronicles 32:11
Is not Hezekiah misleading you to give you over to death by famine and thirst when he says, ‘The LORD our God will deliver us from the hand of the king of Assyria?’
Read in context
Ezekiel 17:13–19
He took a member of the royal family and made a covenant with him, putting him under oath. Then he carried away the leading men of the land,
Read in context
2 Kings 24:1
During Jehoiakim’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded. So Jehoiakim became his vassal for three years, until he turned and rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar.
Read in context