ow 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 [23] 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.

CHAPTER 12. How Upon The Death Of Jotham, Ahaz Reigned In His Stead;
Against Whom Rezin, King Of Syria And Pekah King Of Israel, Made War;
And How Tiglath-Pileser, King Of Assyria Came To The Assistance Of Ahaz,
And Laid Syria Waste And Removing The Damascenes Into Media Placed Other
Nations In Their Room.

1. Now Jotham died when he had lived forty-one years, and of them
reigned sixteen, and was buried in the sepulchers of the kings; and the
kingdom came to his son Ahaz, who proved most impious towards God, and
a transgressor of the laws of his country. He imitated the kings of
Israel, and reared altars in Jerusalem, and offered sacrifices upon
them to idols; to which also he offered his own son as a burnt-offering,
according to the practices of the Canaanites. His other actions were
also of the same sort. Now as he was going on in this mad course, Rezin,
the king of Syria and Damascus, and Pekah, the king of Israel, who were
now at amity one with another, made war with him; and when they had
driven him into Jerusalem, they besieged that city a long while, making
but a small progress, on account of the strength of its walls; and when
the king of Syria had taken the city Elath, upon the Red Sea, and had
slain the inhabitants, he peopled it with Syrians; and when he had slain
those i