Ahaziah King of Judah^(A)

²⁵ In the twelfth^(B) year of Joram son of Ahab king of Israel, Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah began to reign. ²⁶ Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem one year. His mother’s name was Athaliah,^(C) a granddaughter of Omri^(D) king of Israel. ²⁷ He followed the ways of the house of Ahab^(E) and did evil^(F) in the eyes of the Lord, as the house of Ahab had done, for he was related by marriage to Ahab’s family.

²⁸ Ahaziah went with Joram son of Ahab to war against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth Gilead.^(G) The Arameans wounded Joram; ²⁹ so King Joram returned to Jezreel^(H) to recover from the wounds the Arameans had inflicted on him at Ramoth^[a] in his battle with Hazael^(I) king of Aram.

Then Ahaziah^(J) son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to Jezreel to see Joram son of Ahab, because he had been wounded.

Jehu Kills Joram and Ahaziah^(A)

¹⁴ So Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, conspired against Joram. (Now Joram and all Israel had been defending Ramoth Gilead^(B) against Hazael king of Aram, ¹⁵ but King Joram^[a] had returned to Jezreel to recover^(C) from the wounds the Arameans had inflicted on him in the battle with Hazael king of Aram.) Jehu said, “If you desire to make me king, don’t let anyone slip out of the city to go and tell the news in Jezreel.” ¹⁶ Then he got into his chariot and rode to Jezreel, because Joram was resting there and Ahaziah^(D) king of Judah had gone down to see him.

²⁷ When Ahaziah king of Judah saw what had happened, he fled up the road to Beth Haggan.^[a] Jehu chased him, shouting, “Kill him too!” They wounded him in his chariot on the way up to Gur near Ibleam,^(A) but he escaped to Megiddo^(B) and died there. ²⁸ His servants took him by chariot^(C) to Jerusalem and buried him with his ancestors in his tomb in the City of David. ²⁹ (In the eleventh^(D) year of Joram son of Ahab, Ahaziah had become king of Judah.)