21
1 Jehoshaphat slept
with his fathers,
and was buried
with his fathers
in David’s city;
and Jehoram his
son reigned in
his place.
2 He
had brothers, the
sons of
Jehoshaphat: Azariah,
Jehiel, Zechariah,
Azariah, Michael,
and Shephatiah.
All these were
the sons of
Jehoshaphat king
of Israel.
3 Their father
gave them great
gifts of silver,
of gold, and
of precious things,
with fortified
cities in Judah;
but he gave
the kingdom to
Jehoram, because
he was the
firstborn.
4 Now
when Jehoram had
risen up over
the kingdom of
his father, and
had strengthened
himself, he killed
all his brothers
with the sword,
and also some
of the princes
of Israel.
5 Jehoram
was thirty-two
years old when
he began to reign,
and he reigned
eight years in
Jerusalem.
6 He
walked in the
way of the
kings of Israel,
as did Ahab’s
house, for he
had Ahab’s daughter
as his wife. He
did that which
was evil in
the LORD’s sight.
7 However the
LORD would not
destroy David’s
house, because of
the covenant that
he had made
with David, and
as he promised
to give a
lamp to him
and to his
children always.
8 In
his days Edom
revolted from
under the hand
of Judah, and
made a king
over themselves.
9 Then
Jehoram went there
with his captains
and all his
chariots with him.
He rose up
by night and
struck the Edomites
who surrounded him,
along with the
captains of the
chariots.
10 So Edom
has been in
revolt from under
the hand of
Judah to this
day. Then Libnah
revolted at the
same time from
under his hand,
because he had
forsaken the LORD,
the God of
his fathers.
11 Moreover
he made high
places in the
mountains of Judah,
and made the
inhabitants of
Jerusalem play the
prostitute, and
led Judah astray.
12 A
letter came to
him from Elijah
the prophet, saying, “the
LORD, the God
of David
your father, says, ‘Because
you have not
walked in the
ways of
Jehoshaphat your father,
nor in the
ways of Asa king
of Judah,
13 but
have walked in
the way of
the kings of
Israel, and have
made Judah and
the inhabitants of
Jerusalem to play
the prostitute
like Ahab’s house
did, and also
have slain
your brothers of
your father’s house,
who were better
than yourself,
14 behold,
the LORD will
strike your people
with a great
plague, including
your children,
your wives, and
all your
possessions;
15 and
you will have
great sickness
with a disease
of your bowels,
until your bowels
fall out by
reason of the
sickness, day by
day.’ ”
16 The
LORD stirred up
against Jehoram
the spirit of
the Philistines
and of the
Arabians who are
beside the
Ethiopians;
17 and
they came up
against Judah,
broke into it,
and carried away
all the
possessions that
were found in
the king’s house,
including his sons
and his wives, so
that there was
no son left
to him except
Jehoahaz, the
youngest of his
sons.
18 After all
this the LORD
struck him in
his bowels with
an incurable disease.
19 In
process of time,
at the end
of two years,
his bowels fell
out by reason
of his sickness,
and he died
of severe diseases.
His people made
no burning for
him, like the
burning of
his fathers.
20 He
was thirty-two
years old when
he began to
reign, and he
reigned in
Jerusalem eight
years. He departed
with no one’s
regret. They
buried him in
David’s city, but
not in the
tombs of the
kings.