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21 1 Jehoshaphat died. 3 Jehoram succeedeth him, 4 which killeth his brethren. 6 He was brought to idolatry, 11 and succeedeth the people. 16 He is oppressed of the Philistines. 18 His miserable end.
1 Jehoshaphat then slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David: and Jehoram his son reigned in his stead.
2 And he had brethren the sons of Jehoshaphat, Azariah, and Jehiel, and Zechariah, and Azariah, and Michael, and Shephatiah. All these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of [a]Israel.
3 And their father gave them great gifts of silver and of gold, and of precious things, with strong cities in Judah, but the kingdom gave he to Jehoram: for he was the eldest.
4 (A)And Jehoram rose up upon the kingdom of his father, and made himself strong, and [b]slew all his brethren with the sword, and also of the princes of [c]Israel.
5 Jehoram was two and thirty years old, when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.
6 And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done: for he had the daughter of Ahab to [d]wife, and he wrought evil in the eyes of the Lord.
7 Howbeit the Lord would not destroy the house of David, because of the (B)covenant that he had made with David, and because he had promised to give a light to him, and to his sons forever.
8 ¶ In his days Edom rebelled from under the hand of Judah, and made a king over them.
9 And Jehoram went forth with his princes, and all his chariots with him: and he rose up by night, and smote Edom, which had compassed him in, and the captains of the chariots.
10 But Edom rebelled from under the hand of Judah unto this day. Then did [e]Libnah rebel at the same time from under his hand, because he had forsaken the Lord God of his fathers.
11 ¶ Moreover he made high places in the mountains of Judah, and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to commit [f]fornication, and compelled Judah thereto.
12 And there came a writing to him from [g]Elijah the Prophet, saying, Thus saith the Lord God of David thy father, Because thou hast not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat thy father, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah,
13 But hast walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and hast made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to go a whoring, as the house of Ahab went a whoring, and hast also slain thy brethren of thy father’s house, which were better than thou.
14 Behold, with a great plague will the Lord smite thy people, and thy children, and thy wives, and all thy substance,
15 And thou shalt be in great diseases in the disease of thy bowels, until [h]thy bowels fall out for the disease, day by day.
16 ¶ So the Lord stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines, and the Arabians that were beside the [i]Ethiopians.
17 And they came up into Judah, and brake into it, and carried away all the substance that was found in the king’s house, and his sons also, and his wives, so that there was not a son left him, save [j]Jehoahaz the youngest of his sons.
18 And after all this, the Lord smote him in his bowels with an incurable disease.
19 And in process of time, even after the end of two years, his guts fell out with his disease: so he died of sore diseases: and his people made no burning for him like the burning of his fathers.
20 When he began to reign, he was two and thirty years old, and reigned in Jerusalem eight years, [k]and lived without being desired: yet they buried him in the city of David, but not among the sepulchers of the Kings.
22 Ahaziah reigneth after Jehoram. 9 Jehu king of Israel killeth Ahaziah. 10 Athaliah putteth to death all the King’s lineage. 11 Joash escapeth.
1 And (C)the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah his youngest son King in his stead: for the army that came with [l]the Arabians to the camp, had slain all the eldest: therefore Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah reigned.
2 Two and [m]forty years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign, and he reigned [n]one year in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Athaliah the daughter [o]of Omri.
3 He walked also in the ways of the house of Ahab: for his mother counseled him to do wickedly.
4 Wherefore he did evil in the sight of the Lord, like the house of Ahab: for they were his [p]counselors after the death of his father, to his destruction.
5 And he walked after their counsel, and went with Jehoram the son of Ahab king of Israel to fight against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth Gilead: and the Aramites smote Joram.
6 ¶ And he returned to be healed in Jezreel, because of the wounds wherewith they had wounded him at Ramah, when he fought with Hazael king of Aram. Now Azariah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Jehoram the son of Ahab at Jezreel, because he was diseased.
7 And the destruction of Ahaziah [q]came of God, in that he went to Joram: for when he was come, he went forth with Jehoram against Jehu the son of Nimshi, (D)whom the Lord had anointed to destroy the house of Ahab.
8 Therefore when Jehu [r]executed judgment upon the house of Ahab, and found the princes of Judah and the sons of the brethren of Ahaziah that waited on Ahaziah, he slew them also.
9 And he sought Ahaziah, and they caught him where he was hid in Samaria, and brought him to Jehu, and slew him and buried him, because said they, he is the son of [s]Jehoshaphat, which sought the Lord with all his heart. So the house of Ahaziah was not able to retain the kingdom.
10 ¶ (E)Therefore when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and [t]destroyed all the king’s seed of the house of Judah.
11 But Jehoshabeath the daughter of the king, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king’s sons, that should be slain, and put him and his nurse in the bed chamber: 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 she slew him not.
12 And he was with them hid in the [u]house of God six years, while Athaliah reigned over the [v]land.
23 Joash the son of Ahaziah is made king. 15 Athaliah is put to death. 17 The temple of Baal is destroyed. 16 Jehoiada appointeth ministers in the Temple.
1 And (F)[w]in the seventh year Jehoiada waxed bold, and took the captains of hundreds, to wit, Azariah the son of Jeroham, and Ishmael the son of Jehohanan, and Azariah the son of Obed, and Maaseiah the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zichri in covenant with him.
2 And they went about in Judah, and gathered the Levites out of all the cities of Judah, and the [x]chief fathers of Israel: and they came to Jerusalem.
3 And all the congregation made a covenant with the King in the house of God: and he said unto them, Behold, the King’s son must reign, (G)as the Lord hath said of the sons of David.
4 This is it that ye shall do, The third part of you that come on the Sabbath of the Priests, and the Levites, shall be porters of the doors.
5 And another third part toward the King’s house, and another third part at the (H)gate of the [y]foundation, and all the people shall be in the courts of the house of the Lord.
6 But let none come into the house of the Lord, save the Priests, and the Levites that minister, they shall go in, for they are holy: but all the people shall keep the watch of the Lord.
7 And the Levites shall compass the King round about, and every man with his weapon in his hand, and he that entereth [z]into the house, shall be slain, and be you with the king, when he cometh in, and when he goeth out.
8 ¶ So the Levites and all Judah did according to all things that Jehoiada the Priest had commanded, and took every man his men that came on the Sabbath, with them that [aa]went out on the Sabbath: for Jehoiada the Priest did not discharge the courses.
9 And Jehoiada the Priest delivered to the captains of hundreds spears, and shields, and bucklers which had been King David’s, and were in the house of God.
10 And he caused all the people to stand (every man with his weapon in his hand) from the right side of the house, to the left side of the house by the altar and by the [ab]house round about the king.
11 Then they brought out the king’s son, and put upon him the crown and gave him the [ac]testimony, and made him King. And Jehoiada and his sons anointed him, and said, God save the king.
12 ¶ But when Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and praising the King, she came to the people into the house of the Lord.
13 And when she [ad]looked, behold, the king stood by his pillar at the entering in, and the princes and the trumpets by the King, and all the people of the land rejoiced, and blew the trumpets, and the singers were with instruments of music, and they that could sing praise: then Athaliah rent her clothes, and said, [ae]Treason, treason.
14 Then Jehoiada the Priest brought out the captains of hundreds that were governors of the host, and said unto them, Have her forth of the ranges, and he that [af]followeth her, let him die by the sword: for the Priest had said, Slay her not in the house of the Lord.
15 So they laid hands on her: and when she was come to the entering of the horse gate by the king’s house, they slew her there.
16 ¶ And Jehoiada made a [ag]covenant between him 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 [ah]destroyed, and brake his altars and his images, and slew [ai]Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars.
18 And Jehoiada appointed officers for the house of the Lord, under the [aj]hands of the Priests and Levites, whom David had distributed for the house of the Lord, to offer burnt offerings unto the Lord, (I)as it is written in the Law of Moses, with rejoicing and singing by the appointment of David.
19 And he set porters by the gates of the house of the Lord, that none that was unclean in anything, should enter in.
20 And he took the captains of hundreds, and the noble men, and the governors of the people, and all the people of the land, and he caused the king to come down out of the house of the Lord, and they went through the [ak]high gate of the king’s house, and set the king upon the throne of the kingdom.
21 Then all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet [al]after that they had slain Athaliah with the sword.
24 Joash repaireth the house of the Lord. 17 After the death of Jehoiada he falleth to idolatry. 21 He stoneth to death Zechariah the Prophet. 25 Joash is killed of his own servants. 27 After him reigneth Amaziah.
1 Joash (J)was seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem: and his mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba.
2 And Joash did uprightly in the sight of the Lord all the days of [am]Jehoiada the Priest.
3 And Jehoiada [an]took him two wives, and he begat sons and daughters.
4 ¶ And afterward it came into Joash’s mind to renew the house of the Lord.
5 And he assembled the Priests and the Levites, and said to them, Go out unto the cities of Judah, and gather of all [ao]Israel money to repair the house of your God, from year to year, and haste the thing, but the Levites hasted not.
6 Therefore the king called Jehoiada the [ap]chief, and said unto him, Why hast thou not required of the Levites to bring in out of Judah and Jerusalem (K)the tax of Moses the servant of the Lord, and of the Congregation of Israel, for the Tabernacle of the testimony?
7 For [aq]wicked Athaliah, and her children brake up the house of God: and all the things that were dedicated for the house of the Lord, did they bestow upon Baal.
8 Therefore the king commanded, (L)and they made a chest, and set it at the gate of the house of the Lord without.
9 And they made proclamation through Judah and Jerusalem, to bring unto the Lord (M)the tax of Moses the servant of God, laid upon Israel in the wilderness.
10 And all the princes and all the people rejoiced, and brought in, and cast into the chest, until they had finished.
11 And when it was time, [ar]they brought the chest unto the King’s officer by the hand of the Levites: and when they saw that there was much silver, then the King’s Scribe (and one appointed by the high Priest) came and emptied the chest, and took it, and carried it to his place again: thus they did day by day, and gathered silver in abundance.
12 And the King and [as]Jehoiada gave it to such as did the labor and work in the house of the Lord, and hired masons and carpenters to repair the house of the Lord: they gave it also to workers of iron and brass, to repair the house of the Lord.
13 So the workmen wrought, and the work [at]amended through their hands: and they restored the house of God to his state, and strengthened it.
14 And when they had finished it, they brought the rest of the silver before the king and Jehoiada, and he made thereof [au]vessels for the house of the Lord, even vessels to minister, both mortars and incense cups, and vessels of gold, and of silver: and they offered burnt offerings in the house of the Lord continually all the days of Jehoiada.
15 ¶ But Jehoiada waxed old and was full of days, and died. An hundred and thirty years old was he when he died.
16 And they buried him in the city of David with the [av]kings, because he had done good in Israel, and toward God and his house.
17 ¶ And after the death of Jehoiada, came the [aw]princes of Judah, and did reverence to the king, and the king hearkened unto them.
18 And they left the house of the Lord God of their fathers, and served groves and idols: and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem, because of this their trespass.
19 And God sent Prophets among them, to bring them again unto the Lord: and they [ax]made protestation among them, but they would not hear.
20 And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the Priest, which stood [ay]above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the Lord? surely ye shall not prosper: because ye have forsaken the Lord, he also hath forsaken you.
21 Then they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the [az]commandment of the king, in the court of the house of the Lord.
22 Thus Joash the king remembered not the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but slew his son. And when he died, he said, The Lord [ba]look upon it and require it.
23 ¶ And when the year was out, the host of Aram came up against him, and they came against Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people, and sent all the spoil of them unto the king of Damascus.
24 Though the army of Aram came with a small company of men, yet the Lord delivered a very great army into their hand, because they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers: and they [bb]gave sentence against Joash.
25 And when they were departed from him, (for they left him in great diseases) his own servants conspired against him for the blood of the [bc]children of Jehoiada the Priest, and slew him on his bed, and he died, and they buried him in the city of David: but they buried him not in the sepulchers of the kings.
26 And these are they that conspired against him, Zabad the son of Shimrath an Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith a Moabitess.
27 But [bd]his sons, and the sum of the tax gathered by him, and the [be]foundation of the house of God, behold, they are written in the story of the book of the Kings. And Amaziah his son reigned in his stead.
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