alone. Little is recorded of Omri, but his wickedness. In his reign, Samaria was built, which afterwards became the capital of the kingdom. He reigned 12 years, and died towards the latter end of the reign of Asa, king of Judah, leaving his crown to his son,

Ahab. This prince is still more distinguished than his father, for his audacious wickedness. He married a heathen woman, Jezebel, daughter of the king of Zidon. He then set up the worship of Baal openly, in Samaria. It was to stem the flood of iniquity let in upon the nation by this wicked prince and his queen, that the prophet Elijah was raised up ;-but nothing could arrest them in their career of wickedness. His kingdom was invaded by Benhadad, who still reigned, at Damascus, over Syria, and who seems to have subdued the neighbouring tribes, for he had thirty-two kings with him in his army. Ahab, under the direction of a prophet, was enabled to defeat this host. Next year the Syrians returned, and were again totally routed, and Benhadad forced to sue for mercy.

Ahab and his wife Jezebel, in their career of wickedness, persecuted the prophets of God, and established prophets of Baal in their stead. Ahab wished to purchase the vineyard of Naboth, one of his subjects. Naboth refused to sell it, because it was the inheritance of his father. Jezebel then contrived the murder of Naboth, which was executed, and Ahab took possession of his vineyard. For this Elijah denounced on him, his wife, and his kingdom, the terrible judgments of God. Ahab, after this, persuaded Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, to join him in a war against the Syrians, and was slain in battle. B.C. 897, having reigned 22 years.

Ahaziah, who had been associated with his father in the throne for some time before his death, now succeeded to the entire government of Israel, and reigned two years. His death was occasioned by a fall from a lattice in the upper part of his house. He was succeeded by―,

Jehoram. He came to the throne, during the reign of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, who had a son named

Jehoram associated with him in the kingdom. The king of Moab having, on the death of Ahab, withheld a certain tribute which he was accustomed to pay to the kings of Israel, Jehoram invited Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, to assist him in subduing the king of Moab. Jehoshaphat consented; and the two kings had well nigh perished with their armies by want of water, but were delivered, as has been noticed under the reign of Jehoshaphat. The king of Moab, in his extremity, offered up his eldest son as a sacrifice, to obtain deliverance from his God. It was to Jehoram that the king of Syria sent Naaman, the commander of his army, with an insolent letter to be cured of his leprosy. After this, he went to war with Hazael, king of Syria, and was wounded. He retired to Jezreel to be cured of his wounds; and while he lay there, Jehu, one of the commanders of his army, formed a conspiracy against him, and put him to death. Ahaziah, king of Judah, was slain at the same time.

Jehu succeeded, and reigned 28 years. He put to death Jezebel, and the whole family of Ahab, and massacred all the priests of Baal; but he himself continued to worship the idols which Jeroboam had set up. In his reign, Hazael, king of Syria, encroached upon the territory of Israel, taking possession of that part of it which lay to the east of the river Jordan. On the death of Jehu,

Jehoahaz, his son, succeeded him, and reigned 17 years. The Israelites persisting in their idolatry, Hazael, king of Syria, was permitted to invade the land, and to succeed in oppressing it during the whole reign of Jehoahaz. This prince dying, was succeeded by

Joash, or Jehoash, his son, while Joash, the son of Ahaziah, reigned in Judah. He reigned 16 years; and, though he persevered in the hereditary idolatry of the kingdom, yet manifesting respect and attachment to Elijah the prophet, God gave him three victories over the Syrians, and enabled him to recover the cities which had fallen into their hands. Joash also defeated

Amaziah, king of Judah, and broke down part of the wall of Jerusalem, as has already been noticed under the reign of that prince. Joash died, and was succeeded by

Jeroboam, the second of that name. He reigned 41 years in Samaria. In this reign, the Israelites were still further secured from the oppression of the Syrians, and even obtained possession of Damascus and Hamath, which David had subdued. He died 784 B.C. upon which followed an interregnum of eleven years.

Jonah the prophet lived during his reign. Jeroboam was succeeded by

Zachariah, his son, who reigned wickedly six months. Shallum conspired against him, and slew him, and usurped the throne, but reigned only one month, for

Menahem attacked him and slew him, and reigned ten years over Israel. His reign was, like those of the other kings of Israel, idolatrous, and wicked. The Assyrian kings, who had hitherto been restrained from intermeddling with Israel and Judah, now began to harass Menahem; and he, to purchase peace, gave to Pul, king of Assyria, 1000 talents of silver, equal to about £340,000. Menahem having died,

Pekahiah succeeded, and reigned ill two years.

Pekah, the son of Remaliah, an officer in his army, conspired against him, put him to death, usurped his throne B. C. 759, and reigned twenty years. Pekah made a league with Rezin, king of Assyria, against Judah; but it did not succeed. He invaded Judah in the reign of Ahaz, and gained that great victory which has already been noticed. In his reign, Tiglathpileser invaded Israel, and look possession of the country eastward of Jordan.

Hoshea formed a conspiracy against Pekah, put him to death, and usurped the throne B. C. 730, in the reign of Ahaz, king of Judah. Hoshea reigned wickedly, like the other kings of Israel. His dominions were invaded by Shalmaneser, king of Assyria. Hoshea submitted to him, and paid him tribute; but afterwards, Shalmaneser discovering that Hoshea was giving

himself into the hands of So, king of Egypt, and withholding tribute from him, went up and besieged Samaria, took it, and carried the people captive to his own land, and thus put an end to the monarchy of Israel, in the year 721, B. C. after it had continued from the reign of Jeroboam I. 254 years.

We now bring down the accounts of the heathen nations to the time of Hezekiah.

Of the original inhabitants of PALESTINE, the inhabitants of TYRE, whom we found advanced in civilization, skilful in maritime affairs and commerce, still continued to rise in riches and power. The PHILISTINES also continued to be an independent people. In the reign of Joram, king of Judah, B. C. 888, they made an inroad into Judah, and carried away the wives and sons of Joram. They were, however, rapidly falling under permanent subjection to the great monarchies, that were rising up around them.

Similar observations are equally applicable to the other small states round Judah. The MOABITES and EDOMITES, at an early period of the ninth century, B. C. threw off the yoke of the Jews, by whom they were never again subdued. The Edomites, or Idumeans, elected a king, and were afterwards governed by their own kings.

Of EGYPT, little is known, from the time that elapsed between the departure of the Israelites out of it till Solomon. In the days of Solomon it was still a great kingdom and seems to have carried on a considerable trade; for it is recorded, that Solomon imported, from Egypt, horses and chariots, and linen yarn, not only for himself, but for the kings of the Hittites, and for the kings of Syria. And soon after the days of Solomon, we find Egypt performing a distinguished part in the history of the world. In the reign of Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, Shishach, supposed by some to be Sesostris, invaded Judah, laid it under tribute, and carried away the shields of gold

which Solomon had made, and also much treasure, B. C. 971. At a later period, during the reign of Hezekiah, Sabacus, or So, an Ethiopian, was king of Egypt, B. C. 725. He endeavoured to persuade Hoshea, king of Israel, to forsake his alliance with the king of Assyria, and enter into alliance with himself. This indicates that Egypt, in the days of Hezekiah, was attempting to rival the power and influence of the Assyrian king.

SYRIA, towards the middle and end of the first century after the age of Solomon, was making conquests. Benhadad, king of Syria, or Damascus, repeatedly invaded Israel, but was ultimately defeated by Ahab. Afterwards, recovering himself, Benhadad invaded Israel and besieged Samaria; but his army fled in a panic, which God sent upon them. In a subsequent war, Ahab was slain by him in battle. In the same year, 885 B. C. Hazael, a servant of Benhadad, murdered him, usurped the throne, and raised Syria to the greatest height of power which it ever reached. He invaded Israel in the reign of Jehu, defeated him, and ravaged the kingdom. He afterwards invaded Judah, but was induced by presents to withdraw his army. He, however, returned, and in the reign of Jehoash, sacked Jerusalem, putting to death the princes, and carrying off much plunder. Hazael died in 839 B.C. leaving the kingdom to his son Benhadad, who was the third king of that name. He was defeated by Jehoash king of Israel, and his kingdom again brought under tribute. At a latter period, in the reign of Uzziah, king of Judah, of Pekah, the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, and of Rezin, its own king, Syria was attacked by Tiglathpileser, king of Assyria, and brought into a bondage from which it has never recovered till the present day.

ASSYRIA was now indulging ambitious projects. Pul, apparently the first who rendered Nineveh the mistress of an extensive empire, brought Israel under