so for some two centuries, with catastrophic moral and spiritual consequences. In the eighth century Assyrian armies destroyed the northern kingdom and were threatening to do the same in Judah (2 Kgs 17). This is the context in which the books of Kings tell us of Hezekiah’s reforms (2 Kgs 18). The period of Hezekiah’s reforms is increasingly recognized as a time of intense literary activity. In support of these reforms, a collection of books was produced that would over time be expanded