Hezekiali succeeded Allaz, and was an eminent reformer of religion and restorer of the Temple and temple worship, not only destroying every vestige of idolatry in Judah, but inviting all the people of Israel, in spite of the laughter and derision of many of them, to come up and keep the passover in Jerusalem.
Assyria was now at the height of her glory and ambition. She had already, B.C. 721, taken pos session of Samaria and carried the ten tribes into c.aptivity. She had acquired an ascendency over Judah, and was endeavouring to subjugate Egypt. Hezekiah, however, had resisted her authority, and Sennacherib, the Assyrian monarch, stopped in his progress towards Egypt to reassert his supremacy over Judah and obtain tangible proofs of submis sion from her king. Hezekiah was alarmed, and once more the Temple was stripped of its treasures to avert the anger of a heathen conqueror. But Seunacherib, so far from being appeased by this gift, sent his messenger Rabshakeh, not impro bably an apostate Jew, to threaten Jerusalem with destruction unless its inhabitants would submit to his dictation and consent to migrate where he pleased. After the delivery of this message Rab shakeh retired, and the consternation of the people was only relieved by the assurance of Divine aid given to them by the prophet Isaiah. It was pro bably after this that Hezekiah constructed his famous works for drawing the waters of the Gihon from their source into the city to supply the citizens, and distress the eneiny, in the event of a siege.
After Sennacherib's attempt on Egypt he re turned towards Jerusalem, approaching it from the west, and this time encamped his whole vast army near its walls, in a place which was known long after wards as the camp of the Assyrians. It was made famous by his terrible and complete discomfiture, 185,000 of his host having died by the visitation of God in one night. Hezekiah, meanwhile, had re covered, by Divine interposition, from a disorder of great malignity ; and the report of his danger and miraculous restoration having spread as far as Babylon, Merodach-Baladan, its viceroy under the Assyrian king, sent messengers to congratulate him on the event. Hezekiah, in the thoughtless exuberance of his feelings, showed them all his treasures. The treasures of Jerusalem seem at all times to have been, famous, quickly replaced after spoliation, and ever offering a fresh bait to the cupidity of invaders ; but it is probable that ob jects were displayed at this time which had hitherto escaped notice.
By this act of ostentation Hezekiah incurieo the severe displeasure of God, and was forewarned by the prophet that all these things, together with many of his own descendants, would one day be carried captive to Babylon. This prophecy re ceived a partial fulfilment in the reign of his SOT Manasseh, who re-established idolatry under it, most repulsive forms, for he was himself carried captive to Babylon by the Assyrians, and there repented of his sm. After a captivity of twelve years he was released, and on his return to Jeru salem strengthened the fortifications of the city and laboured to extirpate the idolatry which he had established. His son Amon, however, revived it, and continuing impenitent, was killed through a conspiracy of his own servants (B.C. 641).
Josiah his son began his reign at eight years of age, under the tutelage of the high-priest. He was one of the best kings of Judah, and began at an early age to seek after the God of his father David. Before he was eighteen he had destroyed the idols and places of idolatrous worship throughout all the land of Israel as well as Judah ; and then began to repair the breaches of the house of the Lord. The discovery of the books of the law by Hilkiah the high-priest, during the progress of these repairs, led to the celebration of a passover in strict accordance with the Mosaic rule, after a neglect of centuries. But Jerusalem and its kings were to become in volved in the mighty struggle which at this time agitated tbe rival powers of the East. The Medes and Babylonians had risen against Assyria and were besieging Nineveh ; and the Egyptian Pharaoh Necho took advantage of the distress of Assyria to make an attempt on Carchemish—one of its im portant posts on the Euphrates. As lie was advancing from the sea coast, through the valley of Esdraelon, for this purpose, Josiah encountered him at Megiddo, and there received his death wound. He was, however, carried to die at Jeru salem. Of the three sons whom he left—Eliakim, Jelioahaz or Shallum, and Zedekiah—Jelloaliaz was elected king by the people ; but Pharaoh Necho deposed him, and carried him captive into Egypt on his return from his expedition into Assyria, having taken Carchemish (B. c. 6oS). He also placed his elder brother Eliakim upon the throne, changing his name to Jehoiakim ; and he imposed a heavy fine upon the people.