2 Chronicles: Chapter 21
1. Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried
with his fathers in the city of David: and Jehoram his son reigned in his
place.
2. He had brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat:
Azariah, and Jehiel, and Zechariah, and Azariah, and Michael, and Shephatiah; all
these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel.
3. Their father gave them great gifts, of silver,
and of gold, and of precious things, with fortified cities in Judah: but the
kingdom gave he to Jehoram, because he was the firstborn.
4. Now when Jehoram was risen up over the kingdom of
his father, and had strengthened himself, he killed all his brothers with the
sword, and various also of the princes of Israel.
5. Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he began to
reign; and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.
6. He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as
did the house of Ahab; for he had the daughter of Ahab as wife: and he did that
which was evil in the sight of The Lord.
7. However The Lord would not destroy the house of
David, because of the covenant that he had made with David, and as he promised to
give a lamp to him and to his children always.
8. In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of
Judah, and made a king over themselves.
9. Then Jehoram passed over with his captains, and
all his chariots with him: and he rose up by night, and struck the Edomites who
surrounded him, along with the captains of the chariots.
10. So Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah to
this day: then did Libnah revolt at the same time from under his hand, because
he had forsaken The Lord, the God of his fathers.
11. Moreover he made high places in the mountains of
Judah, and made the inhabitants of Jerusalem to play the prostitute, and led
Judah astray.
12. There came a writing to him from Elijah the
prophet, saying, Thus says The Lord, the God of David your father, Because you have
not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father, nor in the ways of Asa king
of Judah,
13. but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel,
and have made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to play the prostitute, like
as the house of Ahab did, and also have slain your brothers of your father's
house, who were better than yourself:
14. behold, The Lord will strike with a great plague
your people, and your children, and your wives, and all your substance;
15. and you shall have great sickness by disease of
your bowels, until your bowels fall out by reason of the sickness, day by day.
16. The Lord stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of
the Philistines, and of the Arabians who are beside the Ethiopians:
17. and they came up against Judah, and broke 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 never a son left him, save
Jehoahaz, the youngest of his sons.
18. After all this The Lord struck him in his bowels
with an incurable disease.
19. It happened, in process of time, at the end of two
years, that his bowels fell out by reason of his sickness, and he died of sore
diseases. His people made no burning for him, like the burning of his fathers.
20. Thirty-two years old was he when he began to
reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years: and he departed without being
desired; and they buried him in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the
kings.