01_Dubovský_321_346 28/10/14 10:32 Pagina 330 330 PETER DUBOVSKÝ Now the rest of the deeds of Shallum, including the conspiracy that he made, are written in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Israel. (2 Kgs 15,13-15 NRS) In the fiftieth year of King Azariah of Judah, Pekahiah son of Menahem began to reign over Israel in Samaria; he reigned two years. He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD; he did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he caused Israel to sin. Pekah son of Remaliah, his captain, conspired against him with fifty of the Gileadites, and attacked him in Samaria, in the citadel of the palace along with Argob and Arieh; he killed him, and reigned in place of him. Now the rest of the deeds of Pekahiah, and all that he did, are written in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Israel. (2 Kgs 15,23-26 NRS) In the fifty-second year of King Azariah of Judah, Pekah son of Remaliah began to reign over Israel in Samaria; he reigned twenty years. He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he caused Israel to sin. In the days of King Pekah of Israel, King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali; and he carried the people captive to Assyria. Then Hoshea son of Elah made a conspiracy against Pekah son of Re- maliah, attacked him, and killed him; he reigned in place of him, in the twentieth year of Jotham son of Uzziah. Now the rest of the acts of Pekah, and all that he did, are written in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Israel. (2 Kgs 15,27-31 NRS) This scheme demonstrates that whereas only one event is in- serted between the introductory and conclusive regnal résumés of the first three kings 21, in the case of Pekah there is the accumulation of three disasters: the Assyrian invasion is followed by the depor- tation and finishes with a conspiracy. By the accumulation of three events in the reign of one king the biblical texts underline the grow- ing amount of catastrophes befalling the Israelites. 21 Also in the case of Menahem only one event – the invasion of Pul – is in- serted between the introductory and conclusive regnal résumé (2 Kgs 15,17-22).