 He did what was evil on the side of the Lord, but not like the kings of Israel before him, one as bad as some of them were. So up against him comes Shalmaneser, the king of Assyria, and Hosea became his servant and gave his presence. Now, that's really par for the course back in the ancient world. You know, the nations were like wild animals. You know, they would devour one another without thinking a second thought. And if you let your nation get weak, somebody's going to come in and take over.