bat provoked his anger by a gift of some false calves. After Menahem, there reigned Pehahiah, his son, for two years. Pehahiah was succeeded by Pekah, the son of Remaliah, under whom Nahum the prophet flourished ; and Pekah reigned twenty years. But he could not resist Tiglath Pileser, or prevent his taking prisoners two tribes and a half, and as many out of the tribe of Zàbulon and Naphtali as were equivalent to half a tribe more. He was succeeded by Hoshea, who was taken prisoner by Shalmanezer, king of the Assyrians, who removed the Israelites into the country* of the Assyrians, settling them in the cities of the Medes, near the river Goza. Under the same Hoshea, although he had granted permission for them to go thrice a year to Jerusalem, the ten tribes were taken by Shalmaneser ; and among them was Tobias taken, whose history is well known. Samaria having been besieged for three years, was filled with Cutheans,2 or Jacobites, or Samarians ; but though they received the law from fear of Hons, they did not cast away their idols. CH . VI.—Of the Kings of Judah—Edom revolts—Character of Sardanapalus—Abastus revoltsfrom him—The Empire of the Assyrians is transferred to the Medes—Amalius and Numitor flourish in Italy. WB are now about to treat of those kings who were contemporaries of the kings of Israel ; and we will begin with Rehoboam, the son of Solomon. This Rehoboam, when the Lord had divided the kingdom, and when ten tribes followed Jeroboam, retained only two with the tribe of Levi ; and his kingdom was called the kingdom of Judah. And as their sons provoked the Lord, Shishak, the king of Egypt, came to Jerusalem, and despoiled the temple of the Lord. And he took away the golden shields, and left brazen ones in their "And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah and from Ava, and from Hamatband from Sepharvaim, and placed them v in the cities of Samaria, instead oi the children of Israel ; and they possessed Samaria and dwelt in the cities thereof. And so it was at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not the Lord ; therefore the Lord sent lions among them, which slew some of them." (2 Kings xviL 24, 25.)