Yet Another Conspiracy
- Twenty-seven years into Jeroboam II's reign in Israel, King Azariah starts his reign in Judah. He's sixteen when he starts his reign and rules for fifty-two years.
- He continues the righteousness of his father, but also doesn't take away the high places.
- But Azariah is struck with leprosy and lives in seclusion. His son, Jotham, manages the daily business of the palace and court.
- Once Azariah dies, Jotham succeeds him.
- Thirty-eight years into Azariah's reign in Judah, Zechariah rules in Israel.
- He continues with the sins of Jeroboam and ends up getting publicly killed by a conspiracy, orchestrated by this dude named Shallum.
- This fulfills God's prediction that Jehu's descendants would sit on the throne until the fourth generation.
Menahem Plays Dirty
- Thirty-nine years into King Uzziah's (the same as Azzariah) reign in Judah, Shallum rules in Israel for just one month.
- A guy named Menahem comes and kills Shallum and reigns in his place.
- Menahem viciously sacks the land of Tiphsah, doing horrible things like killing and cutting open pregnant women.
- Menahem's reign begins in the thirty-ninth year of Azariah's reign in Judah. He keeps doing evil and following Jeroboam's sins.
- He successfully bribes King Pul of Assyria not to invade, taxing the rich at fifty shekels of silver a head in order to raise cash for the bribe.
- When Menahem dies, his son Pekahiah takes over.
Like, More Kings n' Stuff
- Pekahiah starts reigning in Israel during the fiftieth year of Azariah's reign.
- He also acts evil, following Jeroboam's sins (like you couldn't have guessed, at this point). A conspiracy involving a group of fifty Gileadities led by a man named Pekah attacks Pekahiah in his palace and kills him.
- In the fifty-second year of Azariah's reign in Judah, Pekah rules in Israel, holding power for twenty more years.
- King Teglath-pileser of Assyria seizes huge amounts of territory from Pekah. At the end of his reign, a man named Hoshea leads a conspiracy and kills Pekah, taking over during Jotham's reign in Judah.
- Jotham starts ruling Judah during the second year of Pekah's reign.
- He rules for sixteen years and behaves righteously like his ancestors—although, again, the high places are still around.
- Jotham helps rebuild the upper-gate of the Temple. But thanks to the mysterious will of God, he's also attacked by Pekah and King Rezin of Aram.
- When Jotham dies, he's buried with his ancestors and his son Ahaz takes over.