The Book of Second Kings - Bad and Good Kings; Elisha; Exile

2 Kings encompasses the time of the history of the divided Kingdom (Israel and Judah), their good and bad kings, the reigning of the prophet Elisha successor to Elijah after Elijah was translated to God and the eventual exile of both Kingdoms. Generally, chapters 8:16-17:41 recount the history of the northern tribes of Israel to the time of their being exiled by the Assyrians. Chapters 18-25 record the history of Judah until the time of their exile by Babylon. The Book is filled with the acts of evil Kings who led Israel astray and caused the judgment of both Kingdoms. Israel was never again a nation until more that 2000 years had passed (1948). What began as a pure vision of a nation solely dedicated and governed by God ended in abject failure.