on of Joash king of Israel began to reign in Samaria,
and reigned forty and one years. And he did that which was evil in the
sight of the Lord: departing not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son
of Nebat, wherewith he made Israel to sin. He restored the border of
Israel from the entrance of Hamath unto the sea of the Arabah,
according to the word of Jehovah, the God of Israel, which he spoke by
his servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was of
Gath-hepher. For the Lord saw the affliction of Israel, that it was
very bitter; for there was none shut up nor left at large, neither was
there any helper for Israel. And the Lord said not that he would blot
out the name of Israel from under heaven; but he saved them by the
hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.

{402}

ZECHARIAH.

(After the splendid but utterly corrupt reign of Jeroboam II., came a
succession of little kings, ruling by virtue of the assassin's knife.
The first was Zechariah. He reigned only six months before a
conspirator, Shallum, slew him.)

In the thirty and eighth year of Azariah king of Judah did Zechariah
the son of Jeroboam reign over Israel in Samaria six months.

And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, as his
fathers had done: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of
Nebat, wherewith he made Israel to sin. And Shallum the son of Jabish
conspired against him, and smote him before the people, and slew him,
and reigned in his stead.

This was the word of the Lord which he spoke unto Jehu, saying, "Thy
sons to the fourth generation shall sit upon the throne of Israel."
And so it came to pass.

{403}

SHALLUM.

(Shallum's reign was shorter still. He was on the throne only one
month before the swift fate overtook him, and he fell before a
successful rival, Menahem.)

Shallum the son of Jabesh began to reign in the nine and thirtieth
year of Uzziah king of Judah; and he reigned the space of a month in
Samaria. And Menahem the son of Gadi went up from Tirzah, and came to
Samaria, and smote Shallum the son of Jabesh in Samaria, and slew him,
and reigned in his stead.

{404}

MENAHEM.

(Although Menahem was able to wrest the crown away from Shallum, he
did not prove to be much of a soldier. It was in his reign perhaps
that the Assyrians first came into the territory of Israel, though
they had been in Philistia before, while probably Ahab and certainly
Jehu had paid tribute. Instead of resi