1. Hoshea, Elah’s son, became king in Samaria in the twelfth year of Judah’s king Ahaz. He ruled over Israel for nine years.
2. He did what was evil in the Lord’s eyes, but he wasn’t as bad as the Israelite kings who preceded him.
3. Assyria’s King Shalmaneser marched against Hoshea, and Hoshea became Shalmaneser’s servant, paying him tribute.