2 Chronicles 21

1Jehoshaphat lay down with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, and Jehoram his son reigned in his place.

2He had brothers, sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah, Michael, and Shephatiah—all these were sons of Jehoshaphat, king of Israel.

3Their father gave them many gifts of silver, gold, and precious things, along with fortified cities in Judah, but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram because he was the firstborn.

4When Jehoram arose over his father's kingdom and strengthened himself, he killed all his brothers with the sword, and also some princes of Israel.

5Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.

6He followed the ways of Israel's kings, as Ahab's house had done, because he had married Ahab's daughter, and he did evil in the eyes of Yahweh.

7However, Yahweh was unwilling to destroy the house of David for the sake of the covenant that he cut with David, and as he vowed to grant him a lamp along with his sons always.

8During his days Edom rebelled from under Judah's hand and set a king over themselves.

9Jehoram crossed over with his captains and all his chariots with him, and rose up by night and struck the Edomites surrounding him, along with the captains of the chariots.

10Edom rebelled from under Judah's hand to this day, and at that time Libnah rebelled from under his hand, because he had abandoned Yahweh, the God of his fathers.

11He also made high places in the mountains of Judah, caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to prostitute themselves, and drove Judah astray.

12A letter came to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, "Thus Yahweh, God of David your father, declares: Because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father, nor in the ways of Asa, king of Judah,"

13You have walked in the way of Israel's kings and caused Judah and Jerusalem's inhabitants to prostitute themselves like the prostitution of Ahab's house, and also killed your brothers of your father's house, who were better than you.

14Behold, Yahweh will strike your people with a great plague, your sons, your wives, and all your possessions.

15You will have great sickness from a disease in your bowels until your bowels come out because of the sickness, day by day.

16Yahweh roused against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines and the Arabians alongside the Cushites.

17They went up against Judah, breached it, and carried off all the possessions found in the king's house, along with his sons and his wives, so that no son was left to him except Jehoahaz, the youngest of his sons.

18After all this Yahweh struck him in his bowels with a disease beyond remedy.

19After some time, at the end of two years, his bowels came out with his sickness, and he died of grievous diseases. His people made no burning for him, like the burning of his fathers.

20He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. He departed unmourned, and they buried him in the city of David, but not in the kings' tombs.