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1. Now when Zachariah, the son of Jeroboam, had reigned six
months over Israel, he was slain by the treachery of a certain
friend of his, whose name was Shallum, the son of Jabesh, who
took the kingdom afterward, but kept it no longer than thirty
days; for Menahem, the general of his army, who was at that time
in the city Tirzah, and heard of what had befallen Zachariah,
removed thereupon with all his forces to Samaria, and joining
battle with Shallum, slew him; and when he had made himself king,
he went thence, and came to the city Tiphsah; but the citizens
that were in it shut their gates, and barred them against the
king, and would not admit him: but in order to be avenged on
them, he burnt the country round about it, and took the city by
force, upon a siege; and being very much displeased at what the
inhabitants of Tiphsah had done, he slew them all, and spared not
so much as the infants, without omitting the utmost instances of
cruelty and barbarity; for he used such severity upon his own
countrymen, as would not be pardonable with regard to strangers
who had been conquered by him. And after this manner it was that
this Menahem continued to reign with cruelty and barbarity for
ten years. But when Pul, king of Assyria, had made an expedition
against him, he did not think meet to fight or engage in battle
with the Assyrians, but he persuaded him to accept of a thousand
talents of silver, and to go away, and so put an end to the war.
This sum the multitude collected for Menahem, by exacting fifty
drachme as poll-money for every head; after which he died,
and was buried in Samaria, and left his son Pekahiah his
successor in the kingdom, who followed the barbarity of his
father, and so ruled but two years only, after which he was slain
with his friends at a feast, by the treachery of one Pekah, the
general of his horse, and the son of Remaliah, who laid snares
for him. Now this Pekah held the government twenty years, and
proved a wicked man and a transgressor. But the king of Assyria,
whose name was Tiglath-Pileser, when he had made an expedition
against the Israelites, and had overrun all the land of Gilead,
and the region beyond Jordan, and the adjoining country, which is
called Galilee, and Kadesh, and Hazor, he made the inhabitants
prisoners, and transplanted them into his own kingdom. And so
much shall suffice to have related here concerning the king of
Assyria.
2. Now Jotham the son of Uzziah reigned over the tribe of Judah
in Jerusalem, being a citizen thereof by his mother, whose name
was Jerusha. This king was not defective in any virtue, but was
religious towards God, and righteous towards men, and careful of
the good of the city (for what part soever wanted to be repaired
or adorned he magnificently repaired and adorned them). He also
took care of the foundations of the cloisters in the temple, and
repaired the walls that were fallen down, and built very great
towers, and such as were almost impregnable; and if any thing
else in his kingdom had been neglected, he took great care of it.
He also made an expedition against the Ammonites, and overcame
them in battle, and ordered them to pay tribute, a hundred
talents, and ten thousand cori of wheat, and as many of barley,
every year, and so augmented his kingdom, that his enemies could
not despise it, and his own people lived happily.
3. Now there was at that time a prophet, whose name was Nahum,
who spake after this manner concerning the overthrow of the
Assyrians and of Nineveh: "Nineveh shall be a pool of water in
motion so shall all her people be troubled, and tossed, and
go away by flight, while they say one to another, Stand, stand
still, seize their gold and silver, for there shall be no one to
wish them well, for they will rather save their lives than their
money; for a terrible contention shall possess them one with
another, and lamentation, and loosing of the members, and their
countenances shall be perfectly black with fear. And there will
be the den of the lions, and the mother of the young lions! God
says to thee, Nineveh, that they shall deface thee, and the lion
shall no longer go out from thee to give laws to the world." And
indeed this prophet prophesied many other things besides these
concerning Nineveh, which I do not think necessary to repeat, and
I here omit them, that I may not appear troublesome to my
readers; all which thing happened about Nineveh a hundred and
fifteen years afterward: so this may suffice to have spoken of
these matters.
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