This chapter is a list of kings who reigned over Judah and Israel. The text moves through several decade very quickly. The kings of Judah highlighted in this chapter are Azariah, also known as Uzziah, and Jotham. The kings of Israel highlighted in 2 Kings 15 are Zechariah, Shallum, Menahem, Pekahiah, and Pekah.

2 Kings 14 briefly documents the reigns of Joash of Judah, Joash of Israel, Amaziah of Judah, and Jerobaom II of Israel. The nation of Judah was weakened significantly when Amaziah declared war on Israel and was defeated by Joash of Israel. Joash’s son, Jeroboam II, led the nation of Israel for more than 4 decades and reclaimed much of the land Israel had lost to enemies in previous years.

2 Kings 13 briefly documents the reigns of Jehoahaz and Joash (Jehoash) in Israel. They were wicked kings who did evil in the sight of the Lord. The end of the chapter records the death of Elisha, the prophet of God who served the Lord in Israel for many years.

Joash became the king of Judah when he was just 7 years old. He was faithful to God all the days Jehoiada the priest was by his side. He reformed the nation of Judah from most of its ungodly worship practices and he repaired the Temple of God in Jerusalem. He reigned for 40 years before being assassinated by his servants.

In 2 Kings 11, the evil queen Athaliah murders the royal family of Judah and seizes power for herself. But unknown to her, one of the heirs to the throne survives, a young baby named Joash. Athaliah reigns for 7 years before Jehoiada, a priest in Jerusalem, organizes an overthrow and reveals Joash to the citizens of Judah. The people of Judah accept Joash as the true king and Athaliah is dethroned and executed.

In 2 Kings 10, after killing the previous king and claiming the throne of Israel for himself, Jehu proceeded to exterminate all the relatives of wicked king Ahab. This purge was the fulfillment of a prophecy spoken against the house of Ahab by the prophet Elijah. Jehu then cleansed Israel of Baal worship by destroying all the worshipers of Baal along with the house of Baal.

In 2 Kings 9, Jehu is anointed the next king of Israel. He travels to Jezreel and kills Jehoram (Joram), the king of Israel, and Ahaziah, king of Judah. Afterwards, he ordered Jezebel, Ahab’s wicked wife, to be killed by being thrown out of her window. Her body was eaten by dogs, just as the Elisha had prophesied in 1 Kings 21:23.

2 Kings chapter 8 is best summarized in 4 sections. First, the Shunammite woman received her property back after a 7-year famine in Israel. Second, Hazael murdered Ben-hadad to become the king of Syria. Third, Jehoram (Joram) became king of Judah. Fourth, Ahaziah replaces Jehoram in Judah but only reigns for 1 year.

Starvation plagued Samaria, the capital city of the kingdom of Israel, as a result of the Syrian siege against them. Elisha prophesied that God would bring deliverance to the city. The prophesy was fulfilled the next day. When 4 men with leprosy tried to surrender themselves at the Syrian camp, they found the camp deserted. God had miraculously caused the Syrian army to retreat, sparing the residents of Samaria from starvation.

2 Kings 6 can be broken down into 3 sections, the first documents a miracle performed by Elisha where he made an iron axe head float in the water. The second documents God thwarting the Syrian army as they tried to capture Elisha in Dothan. Elisha’s servant saw the city surrounded by horses and chariots of fire that outnumbered the Syrian aggressors. The third section discusses a period of terrible starvation in Samaria when the Syrian’s besieged the city during the reign of King Jehoram.

Naaman, the commander of the Syrian army, sought out the prophet Elisha to be healed of his leprosy. Elisha told him to wash himself in the Jordan River 7 times and he would be healed. He did as Elisha instructed and was healed. The end of the chapter documents the greed of Elisha’s servant, Gehazi. Gehazi took money from Naaman and lied to Elisha about it. God punished him by giving him the leprosy which once belonged to Naaman.

2 Kings 4 is primarily about the prophet Elisha helping two women. The first woman was a widow with two sons. Her husband died and the creditors were after her. Elisha helped her by miraculously refilling a jar of oil in her house. She was able to sell the oil and pay back her debts. The second woman is commonly called the Shunammite woman. Her son died of a sudden illness, but Elisha raised him from the dead.  

The nation of Moab rebelled against Judah and stopped paying their taxes after the death of Ahab. Jehoram, Ahab’s son, rallied an allied force of Israel, Judah, and Edom to bring them back into subjection. They marched against Moab but ran out of water on the way. After meeting with the prophet Elisha, God miraculously provided the army with water, and they went on to defeat the Moabites in battle.

The second chapter of 2 Kings describes the departure of the prophet Elijah as he was taken to heaven on a chariot of fire. In his place, Elisha took over as the prophet of the Lord. The end of the chapter describes a few events in Elisha’s ministry. On one occasion, he cleansed a spring of water with a bowl of salt, and on another day, God sent two bears to attack of group of boys who were mocking him.

Ahaziah fell through the lattice of his upper room, got injured, and then became very sick. He sent servants to ask Baal-zebub, a false god, for help. This made God mad, and God sent the prophet Elijah to tell Ahaziah he would die of his sickness. When Ahaziah tried to have Elijah arrested, the prophet called down fire from heaven and destroyed around 100 of Ahaziah’s soldiers.

The last chapter of 1 Kings record a battle between Ahab of Israel and the king of Syria over the city of Ramoth-gilead. Against the advice of the prophet Micaiah, Ahab allied with Jehoshaphat of Judah to try to reclaim Ramoth-gilead. Despite disguising himself for the battle, Ahad was killed by an arrow during the fighting, just as Micaiah predicted. After Ahab’s death, Ahaziah, his son, ruled in his place over Israel.

1 Kings 21 records a terrible story about greed and covetousness. When a vineyard owner named Naboth refused to sell his vineyard to Ahab king of Israel, Ahab’s wife, Jezebel, hired false witnesses to accuse him of a crime he didn’t commit. Naboth was falsely convicted and killed, allowing Ahab to take the vineyard. For this evil, God sent Elijah the prophet to curse the house of Ahab and Jezebel.  

In 1 Kings 20, Ben-hadad king of Syria brought his army to Israel and fought against Samaria. God gave King Ahab victory, and his men routed the Syrians. The next spring, Ben-hadad returned with a new army, but once again, God gave Israel victory, and they killed over 125,000 Syrians. Unfortunately, Ahab let Ben-hadad return home after the battle. God sent a prophet to Ahab to tell him his life would be required of him because he failed to destroy Ben-hadad.

After Elijah killed the 450 prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel, Jezebel resolved to kill him. He fled south the mountain of God, Mount Horeb. God spoke to him there, showing him a great wind, an earthquake, and a fire, before speaking to him through a low whisper. Elijah returned to Israel and anointed Elisha to be his student and successor.

1 Kings 18 is a famous chapter in the Old Testament, and it contains the story of Elijah challenging the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. God sent fire down from Heaven to prove He was superior to Baal, the false God King Ahab promoted. After the showdown on Mount Carmel, God brought an end to the draught in Israel, by sending rain for the first time in 3.5 years.