By this point in the story, we have covered nearly a thousand years of history from the time of the inciting incident involving Abraham. Israel now demands a king and God grants their demand. Saul is anointed the first king of Israel. David and Solomon follow him. These three men are the kings of the period of time when Israel is a united kingdom and reaches its Golden Age.
After the death of Solomon civil war breaks the kingdom into two. The northern kingdom is composed of ten tribes and is called Israel. The southern kingdom contains the remaining tribes and is called Judah. In 722 BC the Assyrian Empire destroyed the northern kingdom and its ten tribes. In 609 BC the Babylonian Empire, under King Nebuchadnezzar, conquered Judah. In 586 BC, Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem and its Temple. The people are led away into captivity.
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