The late seventh and early sixth centuries B.C. saw Babylon replace Assyria as the major power broker in Near Eastern affairs. The transition allowed Judah a brief period of independence, which it used with profit to carry out a major religious reform under King Josiah. But the realignment of world powers, combined with a repudiation in Judah of the reform program after Josiah’s death, resulted in a sorry state of affairs for what remained of the once-proud Israel. Its demise