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people of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, Jehoram’s youngest son, king in his place, because the raiders, who had come into the camp with the Arabs, had killed all the older sons. So Ahaziah son of Jehoram became the king of Judah.
2 Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Athaliah, a granddaughter of Omri.
3 He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother constantly advised him to do wickedness. 4 So he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, as the house of Ahab had done; for they were his advisors after the death of his father, to his ruin. 5 He also followed their advice and went with Jehoram son of Ahab king of Israel to wage war against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth-gilead. But the Arameans wounded Joram, 6 so he returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds that were inflicted on him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Aram.
Then Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to Jezreel to visit Joram son of Ahab because he had been wounded.
7 Through Ahaziah’s visit to Joram, his downfall was brought about by God. After Ahaziah had arrived there, he went out with Joram to meet Jehu son of Nimshi, whom the Lord had anointed to destroy the house of Ahab. 8 While Jehu was executing judgment on the house of Ahab, he found the princes of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah’s brothers, who attended Ahaziah, and he killed them. 9 Then he searched for Ahaziah, and Jehu’s men captured him while he was hiding in Samaria. He was brought to Jehu and put to death. They buried him, for they said, “He was a son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the Lord with all his heart.” So the house of Ahaziah had no one with enough power to retain the kingdom.
10 When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to destroy all the royal heirs of the house of Judah. 11 But Jehoshabeath, the king’s daughter, rescued Joash son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king’s sons who were about to be murdered, and she hid him and his nurse in a bedroom. Now Jehoshabeath was the daughter of King Jehoram and the wife of Jehoiada the priest. Since she was Ahaziah’s sister, she hid Joash from Athaliah so she could not kill him. 12 He remained hidden with them in the house of God for six years, while Athaliah reigned over the land.