The closing chapters of II Kings chronicles the last of the Southern Kings. After a 31 year respite from an all too familiar pattern evil of the kings, the last ones in the line after Josiah were evil to the core.

God's Judgment was now going to come upon Judah, and in the process the line of kings through Solomon would be forever broken. Though the reign of Manasseh was singled out for its extreme wickedness, the truth is the nation had provoked God consistently since the days of Rehoboam. God had pronounced His judgment, though Manasseh repented, there would still be consequence. God can be merciful, gracious and forgiving, but consequences being ignored is not the rule of a just judge. So the nation would be captive.

There is so much culmination of prophecy in these chapters, both from that time and even to current times if these chapters are fully understood. God is never taken by surprise, nor does He need to adjust on the fly. All is known to Him and things happened as God knew they would for the reasons they did.