2 Chronicles
22
- The people of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, Jehoram's
youngest son, king in his place, since the raiders, who came with the Arabs
into the camp, had killed all the older sons. So Ahaziah son of Jehoram king
of Judah began to reign.
- Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he
became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem one year. His mother's name was Athaliah,
a granddaughter of Omri.
- He too walked in the ways of the house of
Ahab, for his mother encouraged him in doing wrong.
- He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, as
the house of Ahab had done, for after his father's death they became his advisers,
to his undoing.
- He also followed their counsel when he went
with Joram son of Ahab king of Israel to war against Hazael king of Aram at
Ramoth Gilead. The Arameans wounded Joram;
- so he returned to Jezreel to recover from
the wounds they had inflicted on him at Ramoth in his battle with Hazael king
of Aram. Then Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to Jezreel to
see Joram son of Ahab because he had been wounded.
- Through Ahaziah's visit to Joram, God brought
about Ahaziah's downfall. When Ahaziah arrived, he went out with Joram to
meet Jehu son of Nimshi, whom the LORD had anointed to destroy the house of
Ahab.
- While Jehu was executing judgment on the
house of Ahab, he found the princes of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah's relatives,
who had been attending Ahaziah, and he killed them.
- He then went in search of Ahaziah, and his
men captured him while he was hiding in Samaria. He was brought to Jehu and
put to death. They buried him, for they said, "He was a son of Jehoshaphat,
who sought the LORD with all his heart." So there was no one in the house
of Ahaziah powerful enough to retain the kingdom.
- When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw
that her son was dead, she proceeded to destroy the whole royal family of
the house of Judah.
- But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram,
took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the royal princes
who were about to be murdered and put him and his nurse in a bedroom. Because
Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram and wife of the priest Jehoiada, was
Ahaziah's sister, she hid the child from Athaliah so she could not kill him.
- He remained hidden with them at the temple
of God for six years while Athaliah ruled the land.
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