2 Chronicles 21:1 – 22:9

Jehoram (Joram) King of Judah

2 Chronicles 21

¹ Jehoshaphat rested with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the City of David. His son Jehoram ruled in his place.

² Jehoram had brothers, who were the sons of Jehoshaphat. They were Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariahu, Michael, and Shephatiah. All these were sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel. ³ Their father gave them many gifts: silver, gold, and valuable possessions, as well as fortified cities in Judah, but he gave the kingship to Jehoram because he was the firstborn.

⁴ Jehoram ascended to the throne of his father and strengthened his position. Then he killed all his brothers with the sword and also killed some of the officials of Israel.

⁵ Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he ruled as king in Jerusalem for eight years.

⁶ He walked in the way of the kings of Israel as the house of Ahab had done, because the daughter of Ahab was his wife. So he did evil in the eyes of the Lord.

⁷ But the Lord was not willing to destroy the house of David, because of the covenant he had made with David, when he promised him and his sons that he would keep a light shining for all time. ^[1]

⁸ In Jehoram’s days Edom revolted from Judah’s control and set up a king for themselves. ⁹ So Jehoram crossed over to Edom with his commanders and with all the chariots. He got up at night and attacked the Edomites who had surrounded him and his chariot officers. ¹⁰ Edom has successfully revolted from the control of Judah to this day. Libnah also revolted from his control at that time because he had forsaken the Lord, the God of his fathers.

¹¹ Jehoram also made high places in the hill country of Judah and caused those living in Jerusalem to prostitute themselves. He caused Judah to go astray.

¹² A letter came to him from Elijah the prophet which said:

¹⁶ The Lord stirred up against Jehoram the hostility ^[2] of the Philistines and the Arabs who were next to the Cushites. ¹⁷ They came up against Judah, successfully invaded it, and carried away all the possessions found at the king’s palace, as well as his sons and his wives. None of his sons were left except Jehoahaz, ^[3] the youngest.

¹⁸ After all this the Lord struck Jehoram with an incurable disease in his intestines. ¹⁹ He suffered day after day, until the end of the second year, when his intestines fell out because of the disease. He died in great pain. His people did not make a bonfire for him like the fires for his fathers.

²⁰ He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned as king in Jerusalem for eight years. He departed without anyone regretting it. He was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.

Ahaziah King of Judah

2 Chronicles 22

¹ The residents of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, Jehoram’s youngest son, king in Jehoram’s place because the raiding band, which had come to the camp with the Arabs, had killed all the older sons. So Ahaziah son of Jehoram ruled as the king of Judah.

² Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he ruled as king in Jerusalem for one year. His mother’s name was Athaliah, granddaughter of Omri.

³ He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, because his mother was advising him how to do wicked things. ⁴ He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, as the house of Ahab did, because they were his advisors after the death of his father. This led to his destruction.

⁵ He also followed their advice and went with Jehoram, ^[4] the son of Ahab, the king of Israel, to wage war against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth Gilead. The Arameans wounded Joram there. ⁶ So he returned to Jezre’el to recover from the wounds he had received at Ramah when he was fighting against Hazael king of Aram. Ahaziah ^[5] son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to visit Jehoram son of Ahab in Jezre’el because Jehoram had been wounded.

⁷ It was due to God that Ahaziah’s downfall came about when he went to visit Joram. After Ahaziah had arrived, he went out with Jehoram ^[6] to meet Jehu son of Nimshi, whom the Lord had anointed to cut off the house of Ahab. ⁸ When Jehu was carrying out judgment on the house of Ahab, he met the officials of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah’s brothers, ^[7] who attended Ahaziah, and he killed them. ⁹ He also searched for Ahaziah and captured him, while he was hiding in Samaria. ^[8] They brought him to Jehu, who put him to death. They buried him, because they said, “He is the grandson of Jehoshaphat, who sought the Lord with all his heart.” There was nobody from the house of Ahaziah strong enough to rule the kingdom.