#Abijam.#--Son of Rehoboam. Reigned three years (1 Kings 15:1-8). #Asa.#--Son of Abijam. Reigned forty-one years (1 Kings 15:9-24). Made some effort as a reformer. #Jehoshaphat.#--Son of Asa. Brought Judah great success (2 Chron. 17:1 to 20:37). #Jehoram.#--Did evil like unto Ahab (2 Chron. 21:6). Ahaziah followed (2 Chron. 22:4) and was succeeded by Queen Athaliah, worse than her predecessors (2 Chron. 22:10 to 23:15). #Joash# was a very good ruler; he began his reign at seven years of age. Repaired the Temple (2 Chron. 24:1-27). #Amaziah, Uzziah, Jotham.#--Not remarkable in any way (2 Chron. 25:1 to 27:9). #Ahaz.#--An evil king; caused his children to pass through the fire to idols (2 Chron. 28:3). #Hezekiah# was the best king so far (2 Chron. 29:1 to 32:33). Isaiah was influential and the Passover was restored. #Manasseh# was the worst king in many ways, putting an idol in the Holy of Holies (2 Chron. 33:1-20; 2 Kings 21:1-18). #Josiah# was a good ruler, beginning at eight years of age. The Temple was repaired, the Law was read, and reform was established (2 Kings 22:1 to 23:30). #Zedekiah.#--After Josiah's reign matters grew worse until under Zedekiah captivity came (2 Kings 25:1-21). #Outside Nations# that played their part in this catastrophe were Assyria, Babylon, Syria, Egypt. #TIME.#--966 B. C. to 588 B. C. #PLACES.#--Judah, Jerusalem, Babylonia. [Illustration] #SIGNIFICANCE OF EVENTS.#--The influence of leadership is shown in a marked degree in the history of Judah; "like king, like people." It was many times demonstrated that one good man could turn the whole nation God-ward. At last, as in the case of Israel, Judah is given into captivity. The Divided Kingdom. Judah, the Southern Kingdom #75. The Kingdom of Judah# lasted one hundred and thirty years longer than that of Israel. This was largely owing to the greater loyalty of Judah to the law of God. Nevertheless even under the rule of Rehoboam, their first king, Judah showed an evil tendency to depart from the law of God (1 Kings 14:21-24). There is no record, however, that Rehoboam officially tried to influence the people toward idolatry, as did Jeroboam. Probably the very fact that the temple was in the capital of Judah held him and the people, in some measure at least, to the right manner of worship. Abijam, Rehoboam's son, followed in the footsteps of his father. But his son, Asa, was a much better man, and he made efforts at reform. Though he was not sufficiently radical in his work, he was a great improvement on his predecessors. #76.# Under #Jehoshaphat# Judah reached the height of her power. "He walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not unto the Baalim" (2 Chron. 17 to 20:37. Also 1 Kings 22:41-50).