Passage Resources Hebrew/Greek Your Content
Previous Next
Add parallel Print Page Options Listen to 2 Chronicles 21-23
Close NASB

2 Chronicles 21-23
New American Standard Bible

Jehoram Succeeds Jehoshaphat in Judah

21 (A)Then Jehoshaphat [a]lay down with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, and his son Jehoram became king in his place. 2 He had brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, [b]Azaryahu, Michael, and Shephatiah. All these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king (B)of Israel. 3 Their father gave them many gifts of silver, gold, and precious things, (C)with fortified cities in Judah; but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram because he was the firstborn.

4 Now when Jehoram had [c]taken over the kingdom of his father and gathered courage, he (D)killed all his brothers with the sword, and some of the leaders of Israel as well. 5 (E)Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned for eight years in Jerusalem. 6 (F)He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done, (G)for Ahab’s daughter was his wife; and he did evil in the sight of the Lord. 7 Yet the Lord was not willing to destroy the house of David because of the covenant which He had made with David, (H)and because He had promised to give a lamp to him and his sons forever.

Revolt against Judah

8 In his days (I)Edom broke away [d]from the rule of Judah, and appointed a king over themselves. 9 Then Jehoram crossed over with his commanders and all his chariots with him. And he got up at night and struck and killed the Edomites who were surrounding him, and the commanders of the chariots. 10 So Edom revolted [e]against Judah to this day. Then Libnah revolted at the same time [f]against his rule because he had abandoned the Lord God of his fathers. 11 Furthermore, (J)he made high places in the mountains of Judah, and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem (K)to be unfaithful, and led Judah astray.

12 Then a letter came to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, “This is what the Lord, the God of your father David says: ‘Because (L)you have not walked in the ways of your father Jehoshaphat (M)and the ways of Asa king of Judah, 13 but (N)have walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and have caused Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to be unfaithful (O)as the house of Ahab was unfaithful, and you (P)have also killed your brothers, [g]your own family, who were better than you, 14 behold, the Lord is going to strike your people, your sons, your wives, and all your possessions with a great plague; 15 and (Q)you will suffer [h]severe sickness, a disease of your bowels, until your bowels come out because of the sickness, day by day.’”

16 Then (R)the Lord stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines and (S)the Arabs who [i]bordered the Ethiopians; 17 and they came against Judah and invaded it, and carried away all the possessions found in the king’s house together with his sons and his wives, so that no son was left to him except [j](T)Jehoahaz, the youngest of his sons.

18 So after all this the Lord struck him (U)in his intestines with an incurable sickness. 19 Now it came about in the course of time, at the end of two years, that his bowels came out because of his sickness, and he died in great pain. And his people did not make a funeral fire for him like (V)the fire for his fathers. 20 He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for eight years; and he departed [k](W)with no one’s regret, and they buried him in the city of David, (X)but not in the tombs of the kings.

Ahaziah Succeeds Jehoram in Judah

22 (Y)Then the inhabitants of Jerusalem made [l]Ahaziah, his youngest son, king in his place, for the band of men who came with (Z)the Arabs to the camp had killed all the older sons. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah began to reign. 2 Ahaziah was [m]twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned for one year in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Athaliah, the [n]granddaughter of Omri. 3 He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor to act wickedly. 4 So he did evil in the sight of the Lord like the house of Ahab, for they were his counselors after the death of his father, to (AA)his own destruction.

Ahaziah Allies with Jehoram of Israel

5 He also walked by their counsel, and went with Jehoram the son of Ahab king of Israel to wage war against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth-gilead. But the (AB)Arameans [o]wounded [p]Joram. 6 So he returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds [q]which they had inflicted on him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Aram. And [r]Ahaziah, the son of Jehoram king of Judah, went down to see Jehoram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.

7 Now (AC)the destruction of Ahaziah was from God, in that [s]he went to Joram. For when he arrived, (AD)he went out with Jehoram against Jehu the son of Nimshi, (AE)whom the Lord had anointed to eliminate the house of Ahab.

Jehu Murders Princes of Judah

8 (AF)And it came about, when Jehu was executing judgment on the house of Ahab, that he found the princes of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah’s brothers attending to Ahaziah, and killed them. 9 (AG)He also searched for Ahaziah, and they caught him while he was hiding in Samaria; they brought him to Jehu, put him to death, (AH)and buried him. For they said, “He is the son of Jehoshaphat, (AI)who sought the Lord with all his heart.” So there was no one of the house of Ahaziah to retain the power of the kingdom.

10 (AJ)Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she rose and eliminated all the royal [t]children of the house of Judah. 11 But Jehoshabeath the king’s daughter took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king’s sons who were being put to death, and placed him and his nurse in the bedroom. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of King Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest (for she was the sister of Ahaziah), hid him from Athaliah so that she would not put him to death. 12 He kept himself hidden with them in the house of God for six years while Athaliah reigned over the land.

Jehoiada Sets Joash on the Throne of Judah

23 (AK)Now in the seventh year, Jehoiada gathered his courage, and took captains of hundreds: Azariah the son of Jeroham, Ishmael the son of Johanan, Azariah the son of Obed, Maaseiah the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zichri, and they entered into a covenant with him. 2 And they went throughout Judah and gathered the Levites from all the cities of Judah, and the heads of the fathers’ households of (AL)Israel, and they came to Jerusalem. 3 Then all the assembly made a covenant with the king in the house of God. And [u]Jehoiada said to them, “Behold, the king’s son shall reign, (AM)as the Lord has spoken concerning the sons of David. 4 This is the thing which you shall do: a third of you, of the priests and Levites (AN)who come in on the Sabbath, shall be gatekeepers, 5 and a third shall be at the king’s house, and a third at the Gate of the Foundation; and all the people shall be in the courtyards of the house of the Lord. 6 But no one is to enter the house of the Lord except the priests and (AO)the ministering Levites; they may enter, for they are holy. And all the people are to keep the command of the Lord. 7 The Levites will surround the king, each man with his weapons in his hand; and whoever enters the house is to be put to death. Therefore be with the king when he comes in and when he goes out.”

8 The Levites and all Judah did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded. And each one of them took his men who were to come in on the Sabbath, with those who were to go out on the Sabbath, for Jehoiada the priest did not dismiss any of (AP)the divisions. 9 Then Jehoiada the priest gave the captains of hundreds the spears and the shields and quivers which had been King David’s, which were in the house of God. 10 He stationed all the people, each man with his weapon in his hand, from the right [v]side of the house to the left [w]side of the house, by the altar and by the house, around the king. 11 Then they brought out the king’s son and put the crown on him, and gave him (AQ)the testimony and made him king. And Jehoiada and his sons anointed him and said, “(AR)Long live the king!”

Athaliah Murdered

12 When Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and praising the king, she went into the house of the Lord to the people. 13 She looked, and behold, the king was standing by his pillar at the entrance, and the captains and the [x]trumpeters were beside the king. And all the people of the land rejoiced and blew trumpets, the singers with their musical instruments [y]leading the praise. Then Athaliah tore her clothes and said, “Conspiracy! Conspiracy!” 14 And Jehoiada the priest brought out the captains of hundreds who were appointed over the army, and said to them, “Bring her out [z]between the ranks, and whoever follows her is to be put to death with the sword.” For the priest said, “You shall not put her to death in the house of the Lord.” 15 So they [aa]seized her, and when she arrived at the entrance of (AS)the Horse Gate of the king’s house, they (AT)put her to death there.

Reforms Carried Out

16 Then (AU)Jehoiada made a covenant between himself and all the people and the king, that they would be the Lord’s people. 17 And all the people went to the house of Baal and tore it down, and they broke in pieces his altars and his images, and (AV)killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. 18 Moreover, Jehoiada placed the offices of the house of the Lord under the [ab]authority of (AW)the Levitical priests, (AX)whom David had assigned over the house of the Lord, to offer the burnt offerings of the Lord, as it is written in the Law of Moses—(AY)with rejoicing and singing according to the [ac]order of David. 19 He stationed (AZ)the gatekeepers of the house of the Lord, so that no one would enter who was in any way unclean. 20 (BA)He took the captains of hundreds, the nobles, the rulers of the people, and all the people of the land, and brought the king down from the house of the Lord, and went through the upper gate to the king’s house. And they seated the king upon the royal throne. 21 So (BB)all of the people of the land rejoiced and the city was at rest. For they had put Athaliah to death with the sword.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 21:1 I.e., died
  2. 2 Chronicles 21:2 Or Azariah
  3. 2 Chronicles 21:4 Lit risen
  4. 2 Chronicles 21:8 Lit from under the hand of
  5. 2 Chronicles 21:10 Lit from under the hand of
  6. 2 Chronicles 21:10 Lit from under his hand
  7. 2 Chronicles 21:13 Lit your father’s house
  8. 2 Chronicles 21:15 Lit in many sicknesses
  9. 2 Chronicles 21:16 Lit were at the hand of
  10. 2 Chronicles 21:17 In 2 Chr 22:1, Ahaziah
  11. 2 Chronicles 21:20 Lit without desire
  12. 2 Chronicles 22:1 In 2 Chr 21:17, Jehoahaz
  13. 2 Chronicles 22:2 As in some ancient versions and 2 Kin 8:26; MT 42 years
  14. 2 Chronicles 22:2 Lit daughter
  15. 2 Chronicles 22:5 Lit struck
  16. 2 Chronicles 22:5 I.e., Jehoram
  17. 2 Chronicles 22:6 Lit with which...struck
  18. 2 Chronicles 22:6 As in 2 Kin 8:29; MT Azariah
  19. 2 Chronicles 22:7 Lit to go
  20. 2 Chronicles 22:10 Lit seed
  21. 2 Chronicles 23:3 Lit he
  22. 2 Chronicles 23:10 Lit shoulder
  23. 2 Chronicles 23:10 Lit shoulder
  24. 2 Chronicles 23:13 Lit trumpets
  25. 2 Chronicles 23:13 Lit and leading for praising
  26. 2 Chronicles 23:14 Lit from within
  27. 2 Chronicles 23:15 Lit put hands to her
  28. 2 Chronicles 23:18 Lit hand
  29. 2 Chronicles 23:18 Lit hands of
Close NLT

2 Chronicles 21-23
New Living Translation

Jehoram Rules in Judah

21 When Jehoshaphat died, he was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. Then his son Jehoram became the next king.

2 Jehoram’s brothers—the other sons of Jehoshaphat—were Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariahu, Michael, and Shephatiah; all these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Judah.[a] 3 Their father had given each of them valuable gifts of silver, gold, and costly items, and also some of Judah’s fortified towns. However, he designated Jehoram as the next king because he was the oldest. 4 But when Jehoram had become solidly established as king, he killed all his brothers and some of the other leaders of Judah.

5 Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. 6 But Jehoram followed the example of the kings of Israel and was as wicked as King Ahab, for he had married one of Ahab’s daughters. So Jehoram did what was evil in the Lord’s sight. 7 But the Lord did not want to destroy David’s dynasty, for he had made a covenant with David and promised that his descendants would continue to rule, shining like a lamp forever.

8 During Jehoram’s reign, the Edomites revolted against Judah and crowned their own king. 9 So Jehoram went out with his full army and all his chariots. The Edomites surrounded him and his chariot commanders, but he went out at night and attacked them[b] under cover of darkness. 10 Even so, Edom has been independent from Judah to this day. The town of Libnah also revolted about that same time. All this happened because Jehoram had abandoned the Lord, the God of his ancestors. 11 He had built pagan shrines in the hill country of Judah and had led the people of Jerusalem and Judah to give themselves to pagan gods and to go astray.

12 Then Elijah the prophet wrote Jehoram this letter:

“This is what the Lord, the God of your ancestor David, says: You have not followed the good example of your father, Jehoshaphat, or your grandfather King Asa of Judah. 13 Instead, you have been as evil as the kings of Israel. You have led the people of Jerusalem and Judah to worship idols, just as King Ahab did in Israel. And you have even killed your own brothers, men who were better than you. 14 So now the Lord is about to strike you, your people, your children, your wives, and all that is yours with a heavy blow. 15 You yourself will suffer with a severe intestinal disease that will get worse each day until your bowels come out.”

16 Then the Lord stirred up the Philistines and the Arabs, who lived near the Ethiopians,[c] to attack Jehoram. 17 They marched against Judah, broke down its defenses, and carried away everything of value in the royal palace, including the king’s sons and his wives. Only his youngest son, Ahaziah,[d] was spared.

18 After all this, the Lord struck Jehoram with an incurable intestinal disease. 19 The disease grew worse and worse, and at the end of two years it caused his bowels to come out, and he died in agony. His people did not build a great funeral fire to honor him as they had done for his ancestors.

20 Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. No one was sorry when he died. They buried him in the City of David, but not in the royal cemetery.

Ahaziah Rules in Judah

22 Then the people of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, Jehoram’s youngest son, their next king, since the marauding bands who came with the Arabs[e] had killed all the older sons. So Ahaziah son of Jehoram reigned as king of Judah.

2 Ahaziah was twenty-two[f] years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem one year. His mother was Athaliah, a granddaughter of King Omri. 3 Ahaziah also followed the evil example of King Ahab’s family, for his mother encouraged him in doing wrong. 4 He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, just as Ahab’s family had done. They even became his advisers after the death of his father, and they led him to ruin.

5 Following their evil advice, Ahaziah joined Joram,[g] the son of King Ahab of Israel, in his war against King Hazael of Aram at Ramoth-gilead. When the Arameans[h] wounded Joram in the battle, 6 he returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds he had received at Ramoth.[i] Because Joram was wounded, King Ahaziah[j] of Judah went to Jezreel to visit him.

7 But God had decided that this visit would be Ahaziah’s downfall. While he was there, Ahaziah went out with Joram to meet Jehu grandson of Nimshi,[k] whom the Lord had appointed to destroy the dynasty of Ahab.

8 While Jehu was executing judgment against the family of Ahab, he happened to meet some of Judah’s officials and Ahaziah’s relatives[l] who were traveling with Ahaziah. So Jehu killed them all. 9 Then Jehu’s men searched for Ahaziah, and they found him hiding in the city of Samaria. They brought him to Jehu, who killed him. Ahaziah was given a decent burial because the people said, “He was the grandson of Jehoshaphat—a man who sought the Lord with all his heart.” But none of the surviving members of Ahaziah’s family was capable of ruling the kingdom.

Queen Athaliah Rules in Judah

10 When Athaliah, the mother of King Ahaziah of Judah, learned that her son was dead, she began to destroy the rest of Judah’s royal family. 11 But Ahaziah’s sister Jehosheba,[m] the daughter of King Jehoram, took Ahaziah’s infant son, Joash, and stole him away from among the rest of the king’s children, who were about to be killed. She put Joash and his nurse in a bedroom. In this way, Jehosheba, wife of Jehoiada the priest and sister of Ahaziah, hid the child so that Athaliah could not murder him. 12 Joash remained hidden in the Temple of God for six years while Athaliah ruled over the land.

Revolt against Athaliah

23 In the seventh year of Athaliah’s reign, Jehoiada the priest decided to act. He summoned his courage and made a pact with five army commanders: Azariah son of Jeroham, Ishmael son of Jehohanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zicri. 2 These men traveled secretly throughout Judah and summoned the Levites and clan leaders in all the towns to come to Jerusalem. 3 They all gathered at the Temple of God, where they made a solemn pact with Joash, the young king.

Jehoiada said to them, “Here is the king’s son! The time has come for him to reign! The Lord has promised that a descendant of David will be our king. 4 This is what you must do. When you priests and Levites come on duty on the Sabbath, a third of you will serve as gatekeepers. 5 Another third will go over to the royal palace, and the final third will be at the Foundation Gate. Everyone else should stay in the courtyards of the Lord’s Temple. 6 Remember, only the priests and Levites on duty may enter the Temple of the Lord, for they are set apart as holy. The rest of the people must obey the Lord’s instructions and stay outside. 7 You Levites, form a bodyguard around the king and keep your weapons in hand. Kill anyone who tries to enter the Temple. Stay with the king wherever he goes.”

8 So the Levites and all the people of Judah did everything as Jehoiada the priest ordered. The commanders took charge of the men reporting for duty that Sabbath, as well as those who were going off duty. Jehoiada the priest did not let anyone go home after their shift ended. 9 Then Jehoiada supplied the commanders with the spears and the large and small shields that had once belonged to King David and were stored in the Temple of God. 10 He stationed all the people around the king, with their weapons ready. They formed a line from the south side of the Temple around to the north side and all around the altar.

11 Then Jehoiada and his sons brought out Joash, the king’s son, placed the crown on his head, and presented him with a copy of God’s laws.[n] They anointed him and proclaimed him king, and everyone shouted, “Long live the king!”

The Death of Athaliah

12 When Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and the shouts of praise to the king, she hurried to the Lord’s Temple to see what was happening. 13 When she arrived, she saw the newly crowned king standing in his place of authority by the pillar at the Temple entrance. The commanders and trumpeters were surrounding him, and people from all over the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets. Singers with musical instruments were leading the people in a great celebration. When Athaliah saw all this, she tore her clothes in despair and shouted, “Treason! Treason!”

14 Then Jehoiada the priest ordered the commanders who were in charge of the troops, “Take her to the soldiers in front of the Temple,[o] and kill anyone who tries to rescue her.” For the priest had said, “She must not be killed in the Temple of the Lord.” 15 So they seized her and led her out to the entrance of the Horse Gate on the palace grounds, and they killed her there.

Jehoiada’s Religious Reforms

16 Then Jehoiada made a covenant between himself and the king and the people that they would be the Lord’s people. 17 And all the people went over to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They demolished the altars and smashed the idols, and they killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars.

18 Jehoiada now put the priests and Levites in charge of the Temple of the Lord, following all the directions given by David. He also commanded them to present burnt offerings to the Lord, as prescribed by the Law of Moses, and to sing and rejoice as David had instructed. 19 He also stationed gatekeepers at the gates of the Lord’s Temple to keep out those who for any reason were ceremonially unclean.

20 Then the commanders, nobles, rulers, and all the people of the land escorted the king from the Temple of the Lord. They went through the upper gate and into the palace, and they seated the king on the royal throne. 21 So all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was peaceful because Athaliah had been killed.

Footnotes

  1. 21:2 Masoretic Text reads of Israel; also in 21:4. The author of Chronicles sees Judah as representative of the true Israel. (Some Hebrew manuscripts, Greek and Syriac versions, and Latin Vulgate read of Judah.)
  2. 21:9 Or he went out and escaped. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
  3. 21:16 Hebrew the Cushites.
  4. 21:17 Hebrew Jehoahaz, a variant spelling of Ahaziah; compare 22:1.
  5. 22:1 Or marauding bands of Arabs.
  6. 22:2 As in some Greek manuscripts and Syriac version (see also 2 Kgs 8:26); Hebrew reads forty-two.
  7. 22:5a Hebrew Jehoram, a variant spelling of Joram; also in 22:6, 7.
  8. 22:5b As in two Hebrew manuscripts and Latin Vulgate (see also 2 Kgs 8:28); Masoretic Text reads the archers.
  9. 22:6a Hebrew Ramah, a variant spelling of Ramoth.
  10. 22:6b As in some Hebrew manuscripts, Greek and Syriac versions, and Latin Vulgate (see also 2 Kgs 8:29); most Hebrew manuscripts read Azariah.
  11. 22:7 Hebrew descendant of Nimshi; compare 2 Kgs 9:2, 14.
  12. 22:8 As in Greek version (see also 2 Kgs 10:13); Hebrew reads and sons of the brothers of Ahaziah.
  13. 22:11 As in parallel text at 2 Kgs 11:2; Hebrew lacks Ahaziah’s sister and reads Jehoshabeath [a variant spelling of Jehosheba].
  14. 23:11 Or a copy of the covenant.
  15. 23:14 Or Bring her out from between the ranks; or Take her out of the Temple precincts. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
Next
2 Chronicles 20
2 Chronicles 24
Next
dropdown
New American Standard Bible (NASB)

New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.

New American Standard Bible is made available by The Lockman Foundation
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.