King Shallum soon discovered that a stolen throne is no sweeter than
any other stolen thing. A palace is no more protection against
conscience than a hovel; and Shallum passed miserable days of fear and
nights of sleeplessness, because of his murder of Zechariah.

Smitten by his conscience and tortured in mind, Shallum was not able
to collect a large force of followers to protect him or his ill-gotten
throne. When, therefore, a plot was set on foot to dethrone him,
Shallum was helpless.

Menahem, the son of Gadi, one of Jeroboam II's generals, organized an
expedition against the usurper in Tirzah, the city that was the
capital of Israel for fifty years after the Kingdom of Solomon was
divided. Within a month after Shallum had proclaimed himself King of
Israel, Menahem marched from Tirzah to Samaria, attacked Shallum,
defeated him, and, in turn, mounted the throne of Jeroboam.

Instead of ruling peaceably in Samaria, however, Menahem started a
reign of terror, until nobody in the country seemed safe in his home
or in his possessions.

Trouble came for the new king thick and fast.

Tiglath-Pileser III, who had been ruling in Assyria since 745, and
against whom Amos had warned the weakened Kingdom of Israel, had
accomplished many conquests north of Israel, in Phoenicia and in the
frontier lands of Damascus.

In the year 738, Tiglath-Pileser was knocking at the gates of Damascus
and threatening Samaria. In order to keep the Assyrian conqueror off,