The Assyrian invasion moved southward from the northern kingdom of Israel toward Judah, successfully capturing all the fortified cities of Judah. Jerusalem remained the only holdout, facing a delegation from the Assyrian army led by the Rabshakeh, a high-ranking officer. The Rabshakeh urged the Judeans to surrender, promising a comfortable life in the Assyrian Empire through resettlement, using prophetic language of peace and prosperity to persuade them. Under the Babylonian Empire, Judah faced severe decline and eventual destruction due to persistent disobedience. God, having given ample warnings through His prophets, responded with great destruction under Nebuchadnezzar. The sins of Judah were deemed far worse than those of Israel or even Sodom, leading to widespread death and captivity. Many thousands perished in battle, famine, and disease during the sieges of Jerusalem, and the small remnant was taken captive to Babylon. A pitiful few remained in the land under Governor Gedeliah, who was soon assassinated, prompting the remaining Jews to flee to Egypt against God's advice. The land lay desolate for seventy years to fulfill the Sabbaths it had been denied. The captivity of Judah unfolded in multiple deportations by Nebuchadnezzar over approximately twenty years, beginning in 604 BC with the first deportation of young nobility, including Daniel and his companions. Subsequent revolts led to further deportations in 597 BC, capturing 10,000 including Jehoiachin and likely Ezekiel, and in 586 BC, when Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed, and most remaining citizens were slain or taken captive. A final small deportation occurred around 582 or 581 BC in retaliation for Gedeliah's murder. The Persian Empire, successor to Babylon, reversed the longstanding policy of enforced resettlement, allowing displaced peoples, including the Jews, to return to their homelands. This return, beginning in 538 BC under Sheshbazzar and continuing under Zerubbabel in 530 BC, saw about 50,000 Jews, Levites, and Benjaminites resettle in Judah. Later returns under Ezra in 458 or 457 BC and Nehemiah in 445 or 444 BC further bolstered the population, though exact numbers for Nehemiah's group are unrecorded. The Temple was completed in 515 BC, and the wall around Jerusalem was rebuilt by Nehemiah in 444 BC. Despite the return, the remnant of Judah quickly reverted to the sinful behaviors of their ancestors. Prophets like Haggai and Zechariah, active during the Temple's rebuilding, sternly called for repentance, rebuking the people for selfishness, neglect of God's house, and empty rituals. Nehemiah scolded them for failing to tithe and keep the Sabbath, while Malachi listed numerous sins including corrupt priesthood, cheating, divorce, and contempt toward God. The returned Jews showed no true repentance or change from their forefathers' ways. Ultimately, after 500 years back in the land, the Jews faced God's wrath again for their continued sinfulness and rejection of their Messiah. The return from exile did, however, enable the birth of the Son of God among the descendants of David in Bethlehem, His ministry throughout Israel, and His sacrificial death near Jerusalem, fulfilling ancient prophecies. Following the establishment of the church by Christ and the apostles, the remnant of Judah was once more sent into exile, a state persisting for nearly 2,000 years.