THIS Third Part contains the history of the Israelites under their kings from the Accession of the first king, Saul, B.C. 1075, to the Babylonian Captivity under the last king, Sedecias, B.C. 586, nearly 500 years. This period may be divided into three. During the first 100 years the three first kings ruled over the twelve tribes. Then the kingdom was divided, and for the next 255 years ten tribes were governed by the kings of Israel. After the overthrow of the kingdom of Israel the kingdom of Juda went on for another 135 years.
To make the history of this period more easy, the plan has been adopted of so arranging the readings as to give a continuous history of the kings of Juda from Saul to Sedecias. The reigns of the kings of Israel, if we except Jeroboam, Achab, and Jehu, are unimportant, and a clear view of the history is more easily obtained by describing the events of the kingdom of Israel in the account of the reign of the king of Juda for the time being.
The history of this period is contained in the Books of the Kings and the first and second Books of Paralipomenon. Of the four Books of Kings, the two first are attributed to Samuel, and the two last were probably written by the Prophet Jeremiah. The Books of Paralipomenon, or 'things left out,' are also called the Books of Chronicles. They were probably written by Esdras the Scribe, and are supplementary to the Books of Kings. The readings in this Part are therefore taken from the Books of Kings or Paralipomenon, according as the events are more fully narrated, or more easily understood in the one or the other.