Bible Chronology (39): From the Temple to Artaxerxes (14)

After Hezekiah the next king was Manasseh, followed by Amon (both evil kings), followed by Josiah (a good king), who was killed by Pharaoh Necho of Egypt at the battle of Megiddo in 609 BC. Josiah's reign coincides with the decline and fall of the Assyrian Empire. In 612 BC the Assyrian capital, Ninevah, was destroyed by Babylon, just as Nahum had prophesied, and 609 BC marks the final end of the Assyrian Empire. At this time, the Babylonian Empire took over from Assyria as the dominant power in the region. Soon after, this dominance was made complete by Babylon's decisive victory over Egypt at the famous battle of Carchemish in 605 BC. From that time on, Egypt was no longer able to exercise international power. 609 BC marks the start of a 70-year period, granted by God, of Babylonian dominance over the nations (Jeremiah 25:8-14), which ended with the Fall of Babylon at the hands of the Medes and Persians in 539 BC.