But all those people made gods of their own and put them in the temples at the high places [212] the Samarians had made. Those people did this wherever they lived.
Jeroboam also built temples at the high places. [158] He also chose priests from among the different family groups of Israel. (He did not choose priests only from the family group of Levi.)
The things which the Lord spoke through him will certainly come true. The Lord used him to speak against the altar at Bethel and against the high places [172] in the other towns in Samaria.”
So one of the priests that the Assyrians had carried away from Samaria came to live in Bethel. This priest taught the people how they should honor the Lord.
They gave up the glory of God who lives forever. People traded that glory for the worship of idols {\cf2\super [13]} made to look like earthly people. People traded God’s glory for things that look like birds, animals, and snakes.