Ahaziah Reigns over Judah

1Then the inhabitants of Jerusalem made [†]Ahaziah, his youngest son, king in his place, for the band of men who came with the Arabs to the camp had killed all the older sons. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah became king. 2Ahaziah was [†]twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Athaliah, the [†]granddaughter of Omri. 3He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor to do wickedly. 4And he did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh like the house of Ahab, for they were his counselors after the death of his father, to his destruction.

Ahaziah Goes with Jehoram of Israel

5He also walked according to their counsel, and went with Jehoram the son of Ahab king of Israel to wage war against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth-gilead. But the [†]Arameans struck [†]Joram. 6So he returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which they caused by striking him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Aram. And [†]Ahaziah, the son of Jehoram king of Judah, went down to see Jehoram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.

7Now the downfall of Ahaziah was from God, in that [†]he went to Joram. And when he came, he went out with Jehoram against Jehu the son of Nimshi, whom Yahweh had anointed to cut off the house of Ahab.

Jehu Kills the Princes of Judah

8Now it happened when Jehu was executing judgment on the house of Ahab, he found the princes of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah’s brothers attending to Ahaziah, and killed them. 9And he sought Ahaziah, and they caught him while he was hiding himself in Samaria; they brought him to Jehu, put him to death, and buried him. For they said, “He is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought Yahweh with all his heart.” So there was no one of the house of Ahaziah to retain the power of the kingdom.

10Now Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son had died. So she rose and destroyed all the royal seed of the house of Judah. 11But Jehoshabeath the king’s daughter took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king’s sons who were being put to death, and put him and his nurse in the bedroom. 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 did not put him to death. 12So he was hidden with them in the house of God six years while Athaliah was reigning over the land.