Menahem, far from repenting of the evil that had wrought ruin in his kingdom, continued in "the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin." Pekahiah and Pekah, his successors, also "did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord." Verses 18, 24, 28. "In the days of Pekah," who reigned twenty years, Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria, invaded Israel and carried away with him a multitude of captives from among the tribes living in Galilee and east of the Jordan. "The Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh," with others of the inhabitants of "Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali" (1 Chronicles 5:26; 2 Kings 15:29), were scattered among the heathen in lands far removed from Palestine.

I stedet for at angre det onde, som havde været skyld i rigets forfald, blev Menahem ved at begå "de synder, Jeroboam, Nebats søn, havde forledt Israel til". Hans efterfølgere, Pekaja og Peka, gjorde også, "hvad der var ondt i Herrens øjne." 18. 24. og 28. vers. Kong Peka af Israel regerede i tyve år. I hans dage gjorde assyrerkongen Tiglat Pileser indfald i Israels rige og førte et stort antal fanger bort fra de stammer, som boede i Galilæa og øst for Jordan. "Rubenitterne, gaditterne og Manasses halve stamme" blev tillige med andre af indbyggerne i "Gilead og Galilæa, hele Naftalis land" ført til lande langt borte fra Palæstina og spredt blandt hedningerne. (1Krøn. 5,26; 2Kong. 15,29.)