The prophecy came true in every particular. Rezin and Pekah swept all before them, and besieged Jerusalem; but they wasted their time in vain before the fortifications which Jotham had strengthened and repaired. Obliged to raise the siege, Rezin carried his army southward, and indemnified himself by seizing Elath, by driving out the Judæan garrison, and replacing them with Syrians.[380] It was the last gleam of Syrian success, before the final overthrow of Damascus which prophecy had often and emphatically foretold. Pekah also withdrew his forces--no doubt compelled to do so by the step which Ahaz took in his desperation. For now the King of Judah invoked the protection and invited the active interference of Tiglath-Pileser against his enemies--"to save him out of the hand of the King of Syria, and out of the hand of the King of Israel, who were risen up against him." Rezin and Damascus first felt the might of the Assyrian's conquering arm. The account of his decisive conquest is preserved in the _Eponym Canon_, and the passages which refer to the defeat of the Syrians will be found in the First Appendix at the end of the volume. It appears from the monuments that Rezin (Rasannu) lost not only his kingdom, but his life. It is the death-knell of Aramæan greatness, as Amos had foretold. "Thus saith Jehovah: For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; Because they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron: But I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, Which shall devour the palaces of Benhadad. And I will break the bar of Damascus,[381] And cut off him that sitteth [on the throne] in the Valley of Aven,[382] And him that holdeth the sceptre from Beth-Eden:[383] And the people of Syria shall go into captivity unto Kir,[384] Saith Jehovah." Rezin was slain--how we know not; very probably by one of the horrible methods of torture--by being flayed alive, or decapitated, or having his lips and nose cut off--which were practised by these demon-kings of Nineveh.