Old Testament · 25 chapters
2 Kings.
Second Kings follows the divided kingdoms toward the fall of Samaria and Jerusalem. Prophetic warnings, moments of reform, and persistent unfaithfulness explain the exile while leaving a small opening for future hope.
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Chapter 1.
Ahaziah seeks an answer from a foreign god after an injury. Elijah announces his death and confronts the soldiers sent to seize him.
Read chapter 25 versesChapter 2.
Elijah is taken up, and Elisha receives confirmation of his prophetic succession. Early signs include healing polluted water and judgment near Bethel.
Read chapter 27 versesChapter 3.
Israel, Judah, and Edom campaign against Moab but face a water crisis. Elisha announces provision and victory, though the campaign ends in a disturbing scene at Moab’s wall.
Read chapter 44 versesChapter 4.
Elisha’s ministry brings oil to a widow, a son and restoration to a Shunammite woman, and food during scarcity. The stories emphasize provision amid vulnerable circumstances.
Read chapter 27 versesChapter 5.
Naaman is healed of leprosy after obeying Elisha’s simple instruction to wash in the Jordan. Gehazi’s deception for personal gain ends with severe consequences.
Read chapter 33 versesChapter 6.
Elisha retrieves a lost axe head and repeatedly frustrates Syria’s military plans. A later siege leaves Samaria desperate and the king blaming the prophet.
Read chapterChapter 7.
Elisha announces sudden relief from the famine, and four men discover the Syrian camp abandoned. The city receives food, fulfilling both the promise and a warning about unbelief.
Read chapter 29 versesChapter 8.
The Shunammite woman’s property is restored, and Elisha announces Hazael’s future rule in Syria. The chapter also recounts troubled reigns in Judah.
Read chapter 37 versesChapter 9.
Jehu is anointed king and begins overthrowing Ahab’s dynasty. Joram, Ahaziah, and Jezebel die as earlier prophetic judgments unfold.
Read chapter 36 versesChapter 10.
Jehu destroys Ahab’s remaining household and the worshipers of Baal. Yet his continued support of the golden calves leaves his reform incomplete.
Read chapter 21 versesChapter 11.
Athaliah seizes power, but the child Joash is hidden and preserved. Jehoiada later installs him as king and renews the covenant.
Read chapter 21 versesChapter 12.
Joash arranges repairs to the temple and improves the handling of donated funds. His reign later faces foreign pressure and ends in assassination.
Read chapter 25 versesChapter 13.
Israel suffers under Syrian oppression during the reigns of Jehoahaz and Joash. Elisha’s final prophetic act promises victories, and even his burial is associated with restored life.
Read chapter 29 versesChapter 14.
Amaziah’s successes in Judah give way to defeat after he challenges Israel. The chapter also describes Jeroboam II’s expansion of Israel’s territory.
Read chapter 38 versesChapter 15.
Brief accounts trace several rulers in Judah and Israel, including repeated northern assassinations. Assyrian pressure increases as the northern kingdom becomes unstable.
Read chapter 20 versesChapter 16.
Ahaz adopts foreign worship practices and seeks Assyrian help against his enemies. He reshapes temple arrangements after seeing an altar in Damascus.
Read chapter 41 versesChapter 17.
Assyria captures Samaria and exiles the northern kingdom. The chapter explains Israel’s fall through persistent covenant unfaithfulness and describes the region’s later mixed worship.
Read chapter 37 versesChapter 18.
Hezekiah begins reforming Judah and trusts God amid Assyrian expansion. Assyria’s spokesman then threatens Jerusalem and challenges the people’s confidence in divine help.
Read chapter 37 versesChapter 19.
Hezekiah brings the Assyrian threat before God, and Isaiah announces deliverance. The invading army is struck, and Sennacherib later dies in his own land.
Read chapter 21 versesChapter 20.
God grants Hezekiah recovery from illness and a confirming sign. His display of royal wealth to Babylonian visitors prompts a warning about future exile.
Read chapter 26 versesChapter 21.
Manasseh leads Judah into grave idolatry and violence, provoking warnings of judgment. His son Amon follows the same path and is assassinated.
Read chapter 20 versesChapter 22.
During temple repairs, the book of the law is found and read to Josiah. The king humbles himself and seeks God’s word through Huldah.
Read chapter 37 versesChapter 23.
Josiah renews the covenant, removes idolatrous practices, and celebrates Passover. His death is followed by rulers caught between Egyptian power and approaching judgment.
Read chapter 20 versesChapter 24.
Babylon’s pressure intensifies through successive Judean reigns. Jerusalem’s leading people and treasures are taken into exile, and Zedekiah becomes king.
Read chapter 30 versesChapter 25.
Jerusalem falls after siege, the temple is destroyed, and many survivors are exiled. The book closes with Jehoiachin’s release from prison in Babylon.
Read chapterKing James Version (KJV). Bible text supplied by eBible.org and the CrossWire Bible Society. Summaries are written with AI assistance and are separate from Scripture. Read the chapter itself when considering its meaning.