Babylon Rising 21:1–24:17: The visit of the Babylonian dignitaries is a prelude to the role Babylon plays through the end of 2 Kings. Hezekiah is succeeded by his son Manasseh, and a reader could be forgiven for expecting good things from this era. The fifty-five-year reign of Manasseh, though, is described in the worst possible terms (21:1–18), and under his leadership more evil is done than even in the dispossessed nations. It is hard to believe that such an all-inclusive program of idolatry can be implemented in light of the recent deliverance from the Assy…