2 Chronicles 21:12-20

Christian Standard Bible

Elijah’s Letter to Jehoram

¹² Then a letter came to Jehoram from the prophet Elijah, saying:

This is what the Lord, the God of your ancestor David says: “Because you have not walked in the ways of your father Jehoshaphat^(A) or in the ways of King Asa of Judah^{(B) 13} but have walked in the ways of the kings of Israel,^(C) have caused Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to prostitute themselves like the house of Ahab^(D) prostituted itself, and also have killed your brothers,^(E) your father’s family, who were better than you, ¹⁴ the Lord is now about to strike your people, your sons, your wives, and all your possessions with a horrible affliction. ¹⁵ You yourself will be struck with many illnesses, including a disease of the intestines, until your intestines come out day after day because of the disease.”^(F)

Jehoram’s Last Days

¹⁶ The Lord roused the spirit of the Philistines and the Arabs^(G) who lived near the Cushites to attack Jehoram.^{(H) 17} So they went to war against Judah and invaded it. They carried off all the possessions found in the king’s palace and also his sons and wives; not a son was left to him except Jehoahaz,^[a](I) his youngest son.

¹⁸ After all these things, the Lord afflicted him in his intestines with an incurable disease. ¹⁹ This continued day after day until two full years passed. Then his intestines came out because of his disease, and he died from severe^[b] illnesses. But his people did not hold a fire in his honor like the fire in honor of his predecessors.^(J)

²⁰ Jehoram^(K) was thirty-two years old when he became king; he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. He died to no one’s regret^[c](L) and was buried in the city of David but not in the tombs of the kings.^(M)