The Books of Kings can be viewed as an overview of the time from the end of David’s reign (961 BCE) through the fall of Judah to the Babylonians in 587 BCE and the release of King Jehoiachin several years later. The purpose of the books is not to give a detailed account of events but to provide a survey that can show the pattern of fidelity and infidelity that the author sees for this period.
The first eleven chapters of 1 Kings covers the reign of Solomon. 1 Kings 12 through 2 Kings 17 tell the story of the Divided Kingdom until the fall of Israel (the Northern Kingdom) to the Assyrians in 722—721 BCE. The final chapters of 2 Kings (18—25) tell the story of the Southern Kingdom (Judah) after the fall of its northern neighbor, Israel.