“Surely at the command of the LORD it came upon Judah, to remove them from His sight because of the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done, and also for the innocent blood which he shed, for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; and the LORD would not forgive” (2 Kings 24:3–4).

An often overlooked aspect of the Hebrew Bible is that the first half—from Genesis to 2 Kings—forms a single, continuous narrative (*note to reader: the canonical order of the Hebrew Bible is different than the canonical order of the Christian OT, even though the books are exactly the same). The seamless literary stitching from book to book in the Hebrew Bible suggests that this structure is not only intentional but also essential for proper interpretation. In other words, Genesis through 2 Kings is meant to be read as a unified whole.

With this in mind, it is likely no coincidence that this “book” both begins and ends with exile to Babylon due to disobedience. Adam and Eve are expelled from the Garden of Eden because they disobeyed God’s command (Genesis 1–3). In parallel, Israel and Judah are exiled from the Promised Land for the very same reason. Adam’s descendants, persisting in rebellion, are scattered from Eden all the way to Babylon (Genesis 11). Similarly, Judah—descended from Abraham—is ultimately sent into exile in Babylon (2 Kings 24–25).

This broader literary framework makes the reference to the shedding of innocent blood in 2 Kings 24:3–4 at the end of the story particularly striking. It recalls the first time such a transgression occurred—when Cain murdered Abel at the beginning of this story. As a result, Cain was cursed and driven from the presence of God (Genesis 4:10–12). In both stories, the shedding of innocent blood leads to divine judgment and exile.

But here the story takes an astonishing turn. Against all expectation—and beyond anything we could imagine—God chooses to use this same kind of moral tragedy as the very means of our redemption. In Isaiah 53, it is the innocent Servant of the LORD who is put to death, so that the guilty may be forgiven. Amazing grace, indeed—how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.