²⁸ The rest of the events in the reign of Jeroboam II and everything he did—including the extent of his power, his wars, and how he recovered for Israel both Damascus and Hamath, which had belonged to Judah^[a]—are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel. ²⁹ When Jeroboam II died, he was buried in Samaria^[b] with the kings of Israel. Then his son Zechariah became the next king.

Zechariah Rules in Israel

⁸ Zechariah son of Jeroboam II began to rule over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of King Uzziah’s reign in Judah. He reigned in Samaria six months. ⁹ Zechariah did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, as his ancestors had done. He refused to turn from the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had led Israel to commit. ¹⁰ Then Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against Zechariah, assassinated him in public,^[a] and became the next king.

¹¹ The rest of the events in Zechariah’s reign are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel. ¹² So the Lord’s message to Jehu came true: “Your descendants will be kings of Israel down to the fourth generation.”

Shallum Rules in Israel

¹³ Shallum son of Jabesh began to rule over Israel in the thirty-ninth year of King Uzziah’s reign in Judah. Shallum reigned in Samaria only one month. ¹⁴ Then Menahem son of Gadi went to Samaria from Tirzah and assassinated him, and he became the next king.

¹⁵ The rest of the events in Shallum’s reign, including his conspiracy, are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel.

Menahem Rules in Israel

¹⁶ At that time Menahem destroyed the town of Tappuah^[b] and all the surrounding countryside as far as Tirzah, because its citizens refused to surrender the town. He killed the entire population and ripped open the pregnant women.

¹⁷ Menahem son of Gadi began to rule over Israel in the thirty-ninth year of King Uzziah’s reign in Judah. He reigned in Samaria ten years. ¹⁸ But Menahem did what was evil in the Lord’s sight. During his entire reign, he refused to turn from the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had led Israel to commit.

Uzziah’s Sin and Punishment

¹⁶ But when he had become powerful, he also became proud, which led to his downfall. He sinned against the Lord his God by entering the sanctuary of the Lord’s Temple and personally burning incense on the incense altar. ¹⁷ Azariah the high priest went in after him with eighty other priests of the Lord, all brave men. ¹⁸ They confronted King Uzziah and said, “It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord. That is the work of the priests alone, the descendants of Aaron who are set apart for this work. Get out of the sanctuary, for you have sinned. The Lord God will not honor you for this!”

¹⁹ Uzziah, who was holding an incense burner, became furious. But as he was standing there raging at the priests before the incense altar in the Lord’s Temple, leprosy^[a] suddenly broke out on his forehead. ²⁰ When Azariah the high priest and all the other priests saw the leprosy, they rushed him out. And the king himself was eager to get out because the Lord had struck him. ²¹ So King Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died. He lived in isolation in a separate house, for he was excluded from the Temple of the Lord. His son Jotham was put in charge of the royal palace, and he governed the people of the land.

Jotham Rules in Judah

³² Jotham son of Uzziah began to rule over Judah in the second year of King Pekah’s reign in Israel. ³³ He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. His mother was Jerusha, the daughter of Zadok.

¹⁹ Then King Tiglath-pileser^[a] of Assyria invaded the land. But Menahem paid him thirty-seven tons^[b] of silver to gain his support in tightening his grip on royal power. ²⁰ Menahem extorted the money from the rich of Israel, demanding that each of them pay fifty pieces^[c] of silver to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria turned from attacking Israel and did not stay in the land.