18:11 king of Assyria. Although Shalmanezer initiated the siege of Samaria, Assyrian records indicate that he was murdered. His brother Sargon then became the king who finally took Israel into captivity. An inscription in Sargon’s palace even states the actual number of Israelites that he carried into Assyria. Interestingly, Sargon is only mentioned once in the Bible by name (Isaiah 20:1).