Jehoram Reigns in Judah
1 AndJehoshaphat rested 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 thesewerethe 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 hewasthe firstborn.
4 Now when Jehoram was established over the kingdom of his father, he strengthened himself and killed all his brothers with the sword, and alsoothersof the princes of Israel.
5 Jehoramwasthirty-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 ofAhab as a wife; and he did evil in the sight of theLord.
7 Yet theLordwould not destroy the house of David, because of thecovenant that He had made with David, and since He had promised to give a lamp to him and to hissons forever.
8 In 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 theLordGod of his fathers.
11 Moreover he made high places in the mountains of Judah, and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem tocommit harlotry, and led Judah astray.
12 And a letter came to him from Elijah the prophet, saying,
Thus says theLordGod 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 havemade Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem toplay the harlot like theharlotry of the house of Ahab, and also havekilled your brothers, those of your father’s household,whowerebetter than yourself,
14 behold, theLordwill strike your people with a serious affliction—your children, your wives, and all your possessions;
15 and youwillbecomevery sick with adisease of your intestines, until your intestines come out by reason of the sickness, day by day.
16 Moreover theLordstirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines and theArabians whowerenear 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 alsohis sons and his wives, so that there was not a son left to him except Jehoahaz, the youngest of his sons.
18 After all this theLordstruck himin 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 burning for him, likethe 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.