Summary
Date: 6th Century B.C.E. (Final composition)
Kings, the last book of the "Former Prophets," relates the history of Israel from the declining days of David through the beginning of the Babylonian exile. Its last verses describe the release of Jehoiachin, exiled king of Judah, from prison in Babylonia during the reign of Evil-merodach son of Nebuchadnezzar, an event dated through Babylonian sources to 562-561 BCE. The division of Kings into two books is first attested in the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Bible, where it is combined with Samuel into a single four-part composition.