King Hezekiah got sick and God told him, via the prophet Isaiah, that he was going to die. He prayed about it and God told him he could have another 15 years and, as an added bonus, He would protect him and Jerusalem from the Assyrians.
Some guys from Babylon came down to Judah and Hezekiah gave them a tour of everything he had. Isaiah told him later that everything they have is going to be taken away to Babylon. Hey, at least it won’t be the Assyrians who take it though.
Hezekiah’s son Menasseh took the throne when he was only 12, so he didn’t get a chance to glean any of Hezekiah’s piety. He rebuilt all the high places that his father had destroyed and did all kinds of evil. While he ruled, God said that He was done with Judah and Jerusalem’s nonsense and He’s going to wipe out Jerusalem like one wipes a dish. His son’s rule went pretty much the same way.
Josiah was crowned king when he was only 8, so he didn’t have a chance to learn from his father and grandfather how to be a jerk. Under Josiah, the priests in the temple found the book of the law, which I guess had been misplaced sometime before. When Josiah had it read to him, he tore his robes and sent some men to go inquire of the lord. A local prophetess told him that God was going to destroy Jerusalem and Judah because of their sin, but because of how legitimately bad about the whole thing Josiah felt, He would at least wait until after Josiah was dead to really start cursing everyone.
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