2 Chronicles 21

¹And Jehoshaphat lay down with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, and Jehoram his son reigned in his place.

²And he had brothers, sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah, Michael, and Shephatiah — all these were sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel.

³Their father gave them many gifts of silver and gold and precious things, along with fortified cities in Judah; but the kingdom he gave to Jehoram, for he was the firstborn.

⁴And when Jehoram rose to power over his father's kingdom and had established himself, he killed all his brothers with the sword, and also some of the officials of Israel.

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

⁶He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab did, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife, and he did what was evil in the eyes of the LORD.

⁷Yet the Lord was not willing to destroy the house of David, because of the covenant he had made with David and as he had promised to give him and his sons a lamp for all time.

⁸In his days Edom rebelled from under the hand of Judah, and they set up a king over themselves.

⁹So Jehoram crossed over with his commanders and all his chariotry; and he rose at night and struck the Edomites who had surrounded him and the commanders of the chariotry.

¹⁰And Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, to this day. At that time Libnah revolted from under his hand, because he forsook the Lord, the God of his fathers.

¹¹He also built high places in the hills of Judah, and led the inhabitants of Jerusalem into whoredom, and led Judah astray.

¹²And there came to him a letter 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 —'

¹³But you walked in the way of the kings of Israel and led Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem into unfaithfulness, like the house of Ahab did, and you also killed your brothers, your father's family, who were better than you.

¹⁴Behold, the LORD will strike your people, your sons, your wives, and all your possessions with a great plague.

¹⁵And you yourself will suffer a severe illness, a disease of your intestines, until your intestines come out because of the disease, day after day.

¹⁶And the Lord stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines and of the Arabs who are near the Cushites.

¹⁷And they came up against Judah and broke through it, and took captive all the property that was found in the king's house, and also his sons and his wives; and no son was left to him except Jehoahaz, the youngest of his sons.

¹⁸And after all this the Lord struck him in his bowels with a sickness that had no remedy.

¹⁹And it was, after some time, at the end of two years, that his bowels came out with his sickness; and he died in evil diseases. And his people did not make for him a burning, like the burning of his fathers.

²⁰He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. He departed without being desired, and they buried him in the city of David, though not in the tombs of the kings.