To be clear, we now, at one point, have leaders by the same name over Israel and Judah. "Joash" and "Jehoash" are alternate spellings of the same name (this is explained in footnotes), with which the writer goes back and forth using. I'll just use "the king of Israel" and "the king of Judah." How's that?
So the new king of Israel does not follow the Lord. Not much else is said about him. Jeroboam (yes, another one....) reigns next.
Elisha is dying, and the king of Israel goes weeping to visit him, and says, "My Father! My Father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!". I'm not exactly sure why the king is repeating this phrase which Elisha used when he was alone with Elijah. After some research and thought, I'm beginning to think that Elijah and Elisha have come to represent "chariots of Israel and its horsemen" in a spiritual sense. Anyway, Elisha tells the king to take a bow and arrow and shoot the arrow out the window. He does so, and Elisha proclaims it is the Lord's arrow of victory over Syria. Then he tells the king to strike the ground with the arrow, and the king does so, three times. Elisha becomes angry and says he should have struck the ground more times, for now they will only defeat Syria but three times.
So Elisha dies, and is buried. Soon thereafter, another man is being buried, and some no-good thieves are out and about, and cause some havoc which involves the dead man being tossed into Elisha's grave. As soon as the corpse touches Elisha's bones, the corpse immediately comes back to life and stands up. (Confused, I would imagine!)
Amaziah becomes Judah's next king, and he does what is right in the eyes of the Lord, but was not as good as David. He puts the servants to death who conspired against his father, but spares their children, as God commands in His law. He has some great military victories. He summons the king of Israel for a meeting. The king of Israel is like, "Be happy with your victories and leave us alone. Don't stir up trouble." Amaziah persisted, and battle ensued. Israel won, and Amaziah was captured. The king of Israel ransacked the temple and the kings house and took lots of loot and hostages. A conspiracy is made against Amaziah, and he is chased and then killed. His sixteen year old son Azariah reigns in his place.
In the fifteenth year of Amaziah's reign (over Judah), Jeroboam begins to reign over Israel. He did evil in God's sight, but nonetheless, God uses him to save Israel from great affliction. He dies, and his son Zechariah will reign over Israel next.
In Jeroboam's 27th year of reign, Azariah began to reign over Judah. He lived uprightly before the Lord, but failed to remove idol worship out of Judah, and God punishes him with leprosy. He dies, and his son Jotham would reign over Judah next.
Zechariah reigns over Israel for 6 months. Does evil. Shallum conspires against him, kills him, reigns in his place. Shallum only reigns in Israel 1 month. Menahem kills him and reigns in his place. Menahem kills a whole town and then some, and I'm very sorry to report that he "rips open all the pregnant women" :-( Somehow this cruel excuse for a king reigns 10 years. Pekahiah his son reigns after him. He does evil, is conspired against, dies. Pekah reigns in his place. During his reign, the Assyrian king comes and captures much of Israel and takes them away. A man named Hoshea conspires against Pekah, kills him, and reigns in his place.
In the 2nd year of reign of King Pekah over Israel, Jotham starts to reign over Judah. He does right in the sight of the Lord, but fails to remove idol worship from Judah. He dies, and his son Ahaz will reign over Judah next.
Ahaz does NOT do right in God's eyes. He's into idol worship and even offers his son as a sacrifice. At that time, Judah suffers defeats to Syria, and Ahaz tries to enlist help from Assyria. The Assyrian king listens and helps them defeat Syria, and even kills the Syrian king Rezin. King Ahaz goes to Damascus and likes the looks of the Assyrian alter, so he moves Judah's alter and replaces it with one more Assyrian style, and makes some other serious changes in the temple, all to mimic Assyria (oh, dear....). He dies, and Hezekiah will reign over Judah in his place.
Hoshea is now reigning over Israel. He does not follow the Lord. He also tries to snuggle up to the Assyrian king, but the Assyrian king ain't havin it. He throws Hoshea in prison and beseiges Judah for three years, and then carries Israel away to Assyria.
It is explained that Israel goes into exile because of their sin. They are worshipping idols under every tree, worshipping the sun, moon & stars, sacrificing their children, etc. God warned them time & time again, but they are turning their backs on their covenant, etc. Now none of them are left in the land but the tribe of Judah.
The Assyrian king brings people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, and Hamath and settles them in Samaria. (for some reason I picture him doing this with his fist and saying "So there!"). These people did not fear the Lord, so the Lord sent lions among them. The king tells them, "Ooops.... You have to follow the law of this land's God....." and has someone go and fetch one of the priests they put into exile. These very confused people do put into practice what the priest teaches them, but continue worshipping their other gods in addition.
In Hoshea's 3rd year of reign, Hezekiah begins to reign over Judah. Hezekiah was a good king. He served the Lord, and took down the places of idol worship, trusted God and obeyed the commandments. In his 14th year of reign, the Assyrian king is attempting to take control over Judah. Hezekiah strips gold off the temple doors for the Assyrian king, trying to placate him, but it didn't work. The Assyrian king has the palace surrounded by armies, and he is loudly taunting the king's messengers at the gate (loud enough for lots of surrounded people to hear.) He yells to the people to abandon their king and side with him, makes all kinds of promises to them which he clearly has no intent of keeping, and tells them not to trust in the Lord to save them this time. But nobody responded to the Assyrian king, because Hezekiah had warned them not to. Hezekiah's messengers come back to him, and they are panicked. Hezekiah sends his messengers to the prophet Isaiah, who sends word back to the king that he needn't worry.
Isaiah goes into a sort of poetic prophesy of God speaking against Assyria. That night, God sent an angel who killed 185,000 of the Assyrian army. Assyria retreated back home.
Hezekiah becomes sick and is approaching death. Isaiah prophecies to him that he is dying, and to set things in order. Hezekiah isn't ready to die, and weeps bitterly. Isaiah prophesies again, saying that God has heard him, and will heal him. Hezekiah asks for a sign, and Isaiah responds by asking if he'd like to see his shadow move ten steps forward or backward. He'd like it to move backward, and so backward it moves.
The king of Babylon hears that Hezekiah is sick, and sends envoys and a present. Hezekiah welcomes them a little too much - showing them all the wonders and luxuries, which, Isaiah warns, will work against them in the future, because, as he prophecies, Babylon will one day capture Judah. Hezekiah responds saying, "Why not, if there will be peace and security in my days?" This kind of sounds like he figures all good things must come to an end. The good king Hezekiah dies, and his son Manasseh reigns in his place.
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