conflict
with them in the vicinity of Mount Hermon. "I fought with him",
Shalmaneser recorded, "and accomplished his defeat; I slew with the
sword 1600 of his warriors and captured 1121 chariots and 470 horses.
He fled to save his life."

Hazael took refuge within the walls of Damascus, which the Assyrians
besieged, but failed, however, to capture. Shalmaneser's soldiers
meanwhile wasted and burned cities without number, and carried away
great booty. "In those days", Shalmaneser recorded, "I received
tribute from the Tyrians and Sidonians and from Yaua (Jehu) son
(successor) of Khumri (Omri)." The following is a translation from a
bas relief by Professor Pinches of a passage detailing Jehu's tribute:

The tribute of Yaua, son of Khumri: silver, gold, a golden cup,
golden vases, golden vessels, golden buckets, lead, a staff for
the hand of the king (and) sceptres, I received.[457]

The scholarly translator adds, "It is noteworthy that the Assyrian
form of the name, Yaua, shows that the unpronounced aleph at the end
was at that time sounded, so that the Hebrews must have called him
Yahua (Jehua)".

Shalmaneser did not again attack Damascus. His sphere of influence was
therefore confined to North Syria. He found it more profitable,
indeed, to extend his territories into Asia Minor. For several years
he engaged himself in securing control of the north-western caravan
road, and did not rest until he had subdued Cilicia and overrun the
Hittite kingdoms of Tabal and Malatia.

Hazael of Damascus avenged himself meanwhile on his unfaithful allies
who had so readily acknowledged the shadowy suzerainty of Assyria. "In
those days the Lord began to cut Israel short: and Hazael smote them
in all the coasts of Israel; from Jordan eastward, all the land of
Gilead, the Gadites, and the Reubenites, and the Manassites, from
Aroer, which is by the river Arnon, even Gilead and Bashan."[458]
Israel thus came completely under the sway of Damascus.

Jehu appears to have cherished the ambition of uniting Israel and
Judah under one crown. His revolt received the support of the orthodox
Hebrews, and he began well by inaugurating reforms in the northern
kingdom with purpose apparently to re-establish the worship of David's
God. He persecuted the prophets of Baal, but soon became a backslider,
for although he stamped out the Phoenician religion he began to
worship "the golden calves that were in Bethel and that were in
Dan.... H