They would not listen

The king of Assyria invaded the entire land, marched against Samaria and laid siege to it for three years. In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and deported the Israelites to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, in Gozan on the Habor River and in the towns of the Medes.

All this took place because the Israelites had sinned against YHWH their God, who had brought them up out of Egypt from under the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. YHWH warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and seers: "Turn from your evil ways. Observe my commands and decrees, in accordance with the entire Law that I commanded your fathers to obey and that I delivered to you through my servants the prophets."

But they would not listen and were as stiff-necked as their fathers, who did not trust in YHWH their God. They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their fathers and the warnings he had given them. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless. They imitated the nations around them although YHWH had ordered them, "Do not do as they do," and they did the things YHWH had forbidden them to do.

They forsook all the commands of YHWH their God and made for themselves two idols cast in the shape of calves, and an Asherah pole. They bowed down to all the starry hosts, and they worshiped Baal. They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire. They practiced divination and sorcery and sold themselves to do evil in the eyes of YHWH, provoking him to anger.

So YHWH was very angry with Israel and removed them from his presence. Only the tribe of Judah was left, and even Judah did not keep the commands of YHWH their God. They followed the practices Israel had introduced. Therefore YHWH rejected all the people of Israel; he afflicted them and gave them into the hands of plunderers, until he thrust them from his presence.

The Israelites persisted in all the sins of Jeroboam and did not turn away from them until YHWH removed them from his presence, as he had warned through all his servants the prophets. So the people of Israel were taken from their homeland into exile in Assyria, and they are still there.

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.  

2 Kings 17:5,6,7a,13-20,22-24

[Yahweh, I pray that we learn the skill of turning away from evil and the gift of treasuring your commands.]