For a period of about 300 years kings ruled these two kingdoms without obedience to God. God could not accept the sinfulness of the people any longer. He caused the enemies of Israel—the ancient Assyrians and Egyptians—to come against them to conquer the land. He also caused the ancient nation of Babylon to rise up against Judah and carry them away as slaves. Prophet Jeremiah spoke of this time:
Therefore the LORD Almighty says this: “Because you have not listened to my words, I will summon all the peoples of the north and my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon,” declares the LORD, “and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and against all the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy them and make them an object of horror and scorn, and an everlasting ruin. I will banish from them the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, the sound of millstones and the light of the lamp. This whole country will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years. Jeremiah 25.8-11
Seventy years of slavery for the children of Abraham in Babylon was like their time of slavery in Egypt. However, after this judgment by God, there was new faith in people’s hearts. Over a number of years small groups of the Israelite people began to return to the land as God had promised. Millions of them were taken out of the land, but only about 11,000 returned seventy years later. About 2,500 years ago the prophets Ezra and Nehemiah wrote about how these few came back and rebuilt Jerusalem and the temple. God sent prophets like Zechariah, Malachi and Haggai to the people to guide them back into the right path of service to God. Then, there were no more prophets for God’s people for over 400 years.