THE BOOKS OF THE PROPHETS The Books of the Prophets comprise eight books, organized into the Former Prophets, including the historical narrative of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings; and the Latter Prophets, including the testimony of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel as well as the Twelve Minor Prophets: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.

Deportation of an Israelite city by the Assyrian King Tiglath-pileser. The Hebrew captives are show in the center; below left is the victorious king, shielded by a parasol. From an 8th century relief from the palace at Nimrud, now in the British Museum.

The Pentateuch had chronicled the fruition of God's Covenant which had brought the Israelites to the borders of the promised land; from here on, the Books of the Prophets provide a historical and largely chronological account of how this new nation of Israel fared in the centuries to come.

The Book of Joshua covers the initial conquest of Canaan, including many battles with the native population. This conquest led to a period of prolonged attritional warfare between the Israelite settler communities and Canaanite tribes, which is the subject of the Book of Judges. Scholars have suggested that this Book thus covers the period from around 1200 to 1020 BCE.

The 'Judges' after whom the book is named were not members of the judiciary but military leaders like Gideon and Jephthah who led the Israelite warriors in these clashes. One prominent 'Judge' was a woman commander named Deborah, who rallied the Hebrew tribes in a campaign to capture the fertile Jezreel valley. Together with troops led by general Barak, she met the forces of the Canaanite king Jabin near Megiddo. YAHWEH came to her aid by unleashing a violent rainstorm that turned the earth into mud and all but grounded the heavy war chariots of the Canaanites. The Israelites emerged victorious

The historical narrative of the Israelites in Canaan is continued in the Books of Samuel and the Books of Kings. Samuel was a prophet who sanctioned the idea that Israel's enemies — including the Philistines — had become too numerous, and that the Hebrew tribes must submit to a unified command. Even the Ark of the Covenant, which contains the stone tablets given by God to Moses, was briefly captured by the Philistines. Only by virtue of complete coordination in military defense could the Jewish settlers hope to protect their territory. The first commander-in-chief is Saul, whose powers grow to such an extent that he becomes Israel's first de facto king.

Samuel regrets having given Saul these powers for he knows it will lead to a dynastic monarchy. "Saul," he warns, "will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his courtiers..." (I Sam 8:14). Saul's prophesy is correct, for Saul is succeeded by his erstwhile courtier David, who is anointed king.

Through alliances and treaties, David unifies the Hebrew tribes into a kingdom. He then sets out to create a ring of buffer states around the territory of Israel that would shield the young state from invasion from the East. In short order, he conquers Aram-Damascus (today's Syria) in the North, Ammon and Moab (today's Transjordan) in the East and Edom (roughly today's Negev desert) in the South. With these vassal territories, the new kingdom of Israel has become a powerhouse which stretches from the Mediterranean Sea to Jordan; from the Euphrates to the Gulf of Aqaba.

David also captures the Jesubite stronghold of Jerusalem, making it the capital of his new realm. Here, he resolves to build a shrine in which the Ark of the Covenant will be placed forever. But David's reign is marred by family conflict. His own son Absalom tries to topple him and is killed. When an ailing David lies on his deathbed, his other son Adonijah is already celebrating his succession. David's favorite wife, Bathsheba, intervenes and ensures that her own son Solomon is anointed king instead.

The Book of Kings continues the story of the Davidic monarchy with the reign of Solomon, who is renowned for his wisdom. Solomon builds a magnificent temple for the worship of YAHWEH, complete with a large forecourt in which the priests can conduct the rites of animal sacrifice. Solomon also develops the kingdom into a leading economic power, brokering trade deals with nations in Africa, Mesopotamia, the Mediterranean and Arabia. One of these nations is Sheba (tentatively identified as today's Yemen), whose Queen is so intrigued by the wealth and wisdom of Solomon that she decides to visit the king himself.

The Book of Kings then chronicles the sad decline of the Davidic Kingdom in the years following the death of Solomon. First, the kingdom is split up into two rival entities: the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. Both nation-states become embroiled in the power politics of a Near East that is increasingly dominated by the rising might of Assyria.

Israel and its capital Samaria are overrun by the forces of the Assyrian king Tiglath-pileser in 732 BCE. When Samaria revolts a decade later, King Sargon II marches south once again and destroys the city in 720. Many of the Jewish inhabitants are taken into exile in Syria, Western Iran and northeast Mesopotamia (2 Kgs. 17:6). Their homes and lands are taken over by Babylonian settlers, who soon begin to intermarry with the remnants of the local Jewish population -- thus giving birth to a new group of Israelites, called the 'Samaritans'.

The Southern Kingdom fares little better. Time and again, Judah's rulers try to increase their power by entering ill-fated alliances with local fiefdoms which, invariably, lead to Assyrian retaliation. It is left to prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah to warn the Jewish kings of the folly of their ways and the certainty of retribution. The Hebrew Bible presents these retributions by foreign lords as God's punishment, for indeed both kingdoms would repeatedly ignore the precepts of the Law and submit to worship of foreign gods. Pagan cults had always been strong in Canaan, and trade contacts with other nations often led to the import of other foreign deities.

During the reign of King Hezekiah of Judah, the Assyrian Lord Sennacherib (704-681 BCE) destroys much of the country. Shortly thereafter, however, King Josiah (639-609 BCE) is able to achieve a short-lived renaissance. Much of the former Davidic kingdom is restored to Jewish rule. Josiah evicts all foreign cults, purifies the temple and initiates the process by which the many oral and literary traditions of the Bible are written down and harmonized.

Meanwhile, the Assyrian Empire is overtaken by the new rulers of Babylonia. Many of the Near East principalities, including Judah, believe this is an opportunity to ascertain their independence and throw off the yoke of annual tribute to the Mesopotamian overlord. But before long, Babylonia retaliates. King Nebuchadnezzar II (605-562 BCE) descends once more to punish the Jewish nation, just as the prophet Jeremiah had foretold (Jer 25: 9-11). In 587, Jerusalem falls at last, and the Jews are sent into exile in Babylon.