2 Kings 8:16-29

Contemporary English Version

King Jehoram of Judah

(2 Chronicles 21.2-20)

¹⁶ Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat became king of Judah in Joram's fifth year as king of Israel, while Jehoshaphat was still king of Judah.^{[a] 17} Jehoram was 32 years old when he became king, and he ruled 8 years from Jerusalem.

¹⁸ Jehoram disobeyed the Lord by doing wrong. He married Ahab's daughter and was as sinful as Ahab's family and the kings of Israel. ^19 (A) But the Lord refused to destroy Judah, because he had promised his servant David that someone from his family would always rule in Judah.

^20 (B) While Jehoram was king, the people of Edom rebelled and chose their own king. ²¹ So Jehoram^[b] and his cavalry marched to Zair, where the Edomite army surrounded him and his commanders. During the night he attacked the Edomites, but he was defeated, and his troops escaped to their homes.^{[c] 22} Judah was never able to regain control of Edom. Even the town of Libnah^[d] rebelled at that time.

²³ Everything else Jehoram did while he was king is written in The History of the Kings of Judah. ²⁴ Jehoram died and was buried beside his ancestors in Jerusalem.^[e] His son Ahaziah then became king.

King Ahaziah of Judah

(2 Chronicles 22.1-6)

²⁵ Ahaziah son of Jehoram became king of Judah in the twelfth year of Joram's rule in Israel. ²⁶ Ahaziah was 22 years old when he became king, and he ruled from Jerusalem for only one year. His mother was Athaliah, a granddaughter of King Omri of Israel. ²⁷ Since Ahaziah was related to Ahab's family,^[f] he acted just like them and disobeyed the Lord by doing wrong.

²⁸ Ahaziah went with King Joram of Israel to attack King Hazael and the Syrian troops at Ramoth in Gilead. Joram was wounded in that battle, ²⁹ so he went to the town of Jezreel to recover. Ahaziah went there to visit him.