Kings II, Volume 11 (Anchor Yale Bible Commentaries)
II Kings(Volume 11 in the acclaimed Anchor Bible) is the  chronicle of the raging conflicts that tore the United Kingdom of  Israel apart, creating the rival nations of Israel to the north and  Judah to the south.  It tells of the time of the great prophecies of  Elijah and Elisha, and of the legendary conquerors of not only the  Jews, but the whole of the Middle East--Sennacherib, Hazael,  Tiglath-pileser III, Nebuchadnezzar, and Shalmaneser.The book ofII Kingswas written with a dual purpose.  It provided a  chronological history of the divided kingdoms of Israel, from the time  of division, through the destruction of the city of Jerusalem, and the  final exile of the Jews into Babylonia.  It also served as a reminder  to all Israelite monarchs that their loyalty to the God of Israel, as  worshipped in Jerusalem, determined the course of history.  In his  telling of the story, the book's author emphasized to his  contemporaries and future generations that in order to avert the  calamities that befell the Chosen People (their conquest by  nonbelievers, the destruction of Jerusalem, and their ignominious  exile), they would have to avoid a repetition of the misdeeds of the  past.  If they remained loyal to their God, their God would remain  loyal to them.Complete with maps, charts, photographs, and  extra-biblical documentation,II Kingspresents an important and  illuminating new translation which explores a tumultuous epoch of  change that forever affected theological and world history