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: ''{{web_verse|2 Kings|17|9}}''
: ''{{web_verse|2 Kings|17|10}}''
Following the fall of the northern kingdom, the southern kingdom continued as an independent nation for a further 150 years. In the final years of the 8th century, [[Hezekiah]] ruled the kingdom as a king who trusted in [[God]]. The Assyrian Empire invaded Judah taking much of the land, and besieging [[Jerusaem]] in [[701 BC]], however it was not successful in taking the city. The kings following Hezekiah progressive lost sight of God, until [[Josiah]] came to the throne in [[640 BC]], and "rediscovered" the Books of the Law in the Temple. Josiah brought the kingdom back to God, but under subsequent kings the people degenerated again into polytheism. Around this time the Assyrian Empire began to lose its dominance of the Ancient Near East, and the Babylonians rose to power, finally destroying Assyria in [[609 BC]]. The Babylonians continued their conquests, invading and conquering Judah in the early 6th century BC, exiling her people, forcing them to leave their country.
===Rebuilding the Temple===