as ended, they went out into the country and purged
it, and cleansed the city of all the pollution of the idols. The king
also gave order that the daily sacrifices should be offered, at his own
charges, and according to the law; and appointed that the tithes and
the first-fruits should be given by the multitude to the priests and
Levites, that they might constantly attend upon Divine service, and
never be taken off from the worship of God. Accordingly, the multitude
brought together all sorts of their fruits to the priests and the
Levites. The king also made garners and receptacles for these fruits,
and distributed them to every one of the priests and Levites, and to
their children and wives; and thus did they return to their old form of
Divine worship. Now when the king had settled these matters after the
manner already described, he made war upon the Philistines, and beat
them, and possessed himself of all the enemy's cities, from Gaza to
Gath; but the king of Assyria sent to him, and threatened to overturn
all his dominions, unless he would pay him the tribute which his
father paid him formerly; but king Hezekiah was not concerned at his
threatenings, but depended on his piety towards God, and upon Isaiah the
prophet, by whom he inquired and accurately knew all future events. And
thus much shall suffice for the present concerning this king Hezekiah.

CHAPTER 14. How Shalmaneser Took Samaria By Force And How He
Transplanted The Ten Tribes Into Media, And Brought The Nation Of The
Cutheans Into Their Country [In Their Room].

1. When Shalmaneser, the king of Assyria, had it told him, that [Hoshea]
the king of Israel had sent privately to So, the king of Egypt, desiring
his assistance against him, he was very angry, and made an expedition
against Samaria, in the seventh year of the reign of Hoshea; but when he
was not admitted [into the city] by the king, [24] he besieged Samaria
three years, and took it by force in the ninth year of the reign of
Hoshea, and in the seventh year of Hezekiah, king of Jerusalem, and
quite demolished the government of the Israelites, and transplanted all
the people into Media and Persia among whom he took king Hoshea
alive; and when he had removed these people out of this their land he
transplanted other nations out of Cuthah, a place so called, [for there
is [still] a river of that name in Persia,] into Samaria, and into the
country of the Israelites. So the ten tribes of the Israe