Jehoram Reigns in Judah

21 And aJehoshaphat 1rested with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of David. Then Jehoram his son reigned in his place. 2 He had brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azaryahu, Michael, and Shephatiah; all these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel. 3 Their father gave them great gifts of silver and gold and precious things, with fortified cities in Judah; but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram, because he was the firstborn.

4 Now when Jehoram 2was established over the kingdom of his father, he strengthened himself and killed all his brothers with the sword, and also others of the princes of Israel.

5 bJehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. 6 And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done, for he had the daughter of cAhab as a wife; and he did evil in the sight of the Lord. 7 Yet the Lord would not destroy the house of David, because of the dcovenant that He had made with David, and since He had promised to give a lamp to him and to his esons forever.

8 fIn his days Edom revolted against Judah’s authority, and made a king over themselves. 9 So Jehoram went out with his officers, and all his chariots with him. And he rose by night and attacked the Edomites who had surrounded him and the captains of the chariots. 10 Thus Edom has been in revolt against Judah’s authority to this day. At that time Libnah revolted against his rule, because he had forsaken the Lord God of his fathers. 11 Moreover he made 3high places in the mountains of Judah, and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to gcommit harlotry, and led Judah astray.

12 And a letter came to him from Elijah the prophet, saying,

Thus says the Lord God of your father David:

Because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father, or in the ways of Asa king of Judah, 13 but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and have hmade Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to iplay the harlot like the jharlotry of the house of Ahab, and also have kkilled your brothers, those of your father’s household, who were better than yourself, 14 behold, the Lord will strike your people with a serious affliction—your children, your wives, and all your possessions; 15 and you will become very sick with a ldisease of your intestines, until your intestines come out by reason of the sickness, day by day.

16 Moreover the mLord nstirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines and the oArabians who were near the Ethiopians. 17 And they came up into Judah and invaded it, and carried away all the possessions that were found in the king’s house, and also phis sons and his wives, so that there was not a son left to him except 4Jehoahaz, the youngest of his sons.

18 After all this the Lord struck him qin his intestines with an incurable disease. 19 Then it happened in the course of time, after the end of two years, that his intestines came out because of his sickness; so he died in severe pain. And his people made no 5burning for him, like rthe burning for his fathers.

20 He was thirty-two years old when he became king. He reigned in Jerusalem eight years and, to no one’s sorrow, departed. However they buried him in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.

Ahaziah Reigns in Judah

22 Then the inhabitants of Jerusalem made aAhaziah his youngest son king in his place, for the raiders who came with the bArabians into the camp had killed all the colder sons. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram, king of Judah, reigned. 2 Ahaziah was 1forty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was dAthaliah the 2granddaughter of Omri. 3 He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother advised him to do wickedly. 4 Therefore he did evil in the sight of the Lord, like the house of Ahab; for they were his counselors after the death of his father, to his destruction. 5 He also followed their advice, and went with 3Jehoram the son of Ahab king of Israel to war against Hazael king of Syria at Ramoth Gilead; and the Syrians wounded Joram. 6 eThen he returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds which he had received at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And 4Azariah the son of Jehoram, king of Judah, went down to see Jehoram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.

7 His going to Joram fwas God’s occasion for Ahaziah’s 5downfall; for when he arrived, ghe went out with 6Jehoram against Jehu the son of Nimshi, hwhom the Lord had anointed to 7cut off the house of Ahab. 8 And it happened, when Jehu was iexecuting judgment on the house of Ahab, and jfound the princes of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah’s brothers who served Ahaziah, that he killed them. 9 kThen he searched for Ahaziah; and they caught him (he was hiding in Samaria), and brought him to Jehu. When they had killed him, they buried him, “because,” they said, “he is the son of lJehoshaphat, who msought the Lord with all his heart.”

So the house of Ahaziah had no one to assume power over the kingdom.

Athaliah Reigns in Judah

10 nNow when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal heirs of the house of Judah. 11 But 8Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took oJoash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king’s sons who were being murdered, and put him and his nurse in a bedroom. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of King Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest (for she was the sister of Ahaziah), hid him from Athaliah so that she did not kill him. 12 And he was hidden with them in the house of God for six years, while Athaliah reigned over the land.