THE NIGHT OF ISRAEL. 291

wore the crown. There was much war in his reign.
Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria, went into the land of
Israel, and committed great havock there. He took pos-
session of all the land of Gilead, which lay east of the
Jordan, inhabited by the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the
half of Manasseh. He also subdued the land of Galilee,
which is the north part of Canaan, inhabited by Naph-
tali and Zebulon. The cowardly people seem to have
made no resistance, but suffered him to take their cities,
and to carry themselves captive into Assyria.

George. Why did they not try to prevent him ?

Grandfather. Because their defence was departed
from them—the Lord was not on their side. So vast a
multitude of people did he carry into captivity, that
great part of that once flourishing country was waste,
and without inhabitant. Instead of revenging these
attacks, Pekah carried his arms into the land of Judah.

Marianne. He might have saved himself that trouble;
surely so bad a king would be unsuccessful there ?

Grandfather. Bad as he was, he was victorious there.
In one day he slew a hundred and twenty thousand
valiant men of Judah.

Marianne. Was the wise king Jotham not reigning ?

Grandfather. No. He was dead, and his son Ahaz,
a wicked and idolatrous prince, was on the throne.
Judah had forsaken her God, therefore she was spoiled.
Besides the number that fell by the sword, the army of
Israel took captive two hundred thousand women and