"I am your servant and your son. Come up and save me from
the power of the King of Assyria and from the power of the
King of Israel, who have attacked me."

Ahaz followed up this message by ransacking the Temple in Jerusalem
and the treasures of the royal palace, sending both as a gift and
bribe to Tiglath-Pileser.

Then exactly what Isaiah foresaw happened. Tiglath-Pileser immediately
invaded Syria and attacked Damascus. Rezin and Pekah were forced to
hurry back to defend their own countries, and Judah was saved from
Syro-Israelitish attack; but Ahaz had already thrown himself at the feet
of the great Assyrian conqueror, with terrible results to his own
country.




CHAPTER IV.

_On Deaf Ears._


Though the spineless Ahaz sent his cowardly note, and the presents
that followed, to Tiglath-Pileser secretly, the truth leaked out.
Great indignation was aroused among certain opponents of the king in
Jerusalem at the discovery of his act of treachery to the nation, and
a new party was formed to fight against submission to Assyria.