Jehoram Succeeds Jehoshaphat in Judah

1Then Jehoshaphat [a]lay down with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, and his son Jehoram became king in his place. 2He had brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, [b]Azaryahu, Michael, and Shephatiah. All these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel. 3Their father gave them many gifts of silver, gold, and precious things, with fortified cities in Judah; but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram because he was the firstborn.

4Now when Jehoram had [c]taken over the kingdom of his father and gathered courage, he killed all his brothers with the sword, and some of the leaders of Israel as well. 5Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned for eight years in Jerusalem. 6He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done, for Ahab’s daughter was his wife; and he did evil in the sight of the LORD. 7Yet the LORD was not willing to destroy the house of David because of the covenant which He had made with David, and because He had promised to give a lamp to him and his sons forever.

Revolt against Judah

8In his days Edom broke away [d]from the rule of Judah, and appointed a king over themselves. 9Then Jehoram crossed over with his commanders and all his chariots with him. And he got up at night and struck and killed the Edomites who were surrounding him, and the commanders of the chariots. 10So Edom revolted [e]against Judah to this day. Then Libnah revolted at the same time [f]against his rule because he had abandoned the LORD God of his fathers. 11Furthermore, he made high places in the mountains of Judah, and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to be unfaithful, and led Judah astray.

12Then a letter came to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, “This is what the LORD, the God of your father David says: ‘Because you have not walked in the ways of your father Jehoshaphat and the ways of Asa king of Judah, 13but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and have caused Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to be unfaithful as the house of Ahab was unfaithful, and you have also killed your brothers, [g]your own family, who were better than you, 14behold, the LORD is going to strike your people, your sons, your wives, and all your possessions with a great plague; 15and you will suffer [h]severe sickness, a disease of your bowels, until your bowels come out because of the sickness, day by day.’”

16Then the LORD stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines and the Arabs who [i]bordered the Ethiopians; 17and they came against Judah and invaded it, and carried away all the possessions found in the king’s house together with his sons and his wives, so that no son was left to him except [j]Jehoahaz, the youngest of his sons.

18So after all this the LORD struck him in his intestines with an incurable sickness. 19Now it came about in the course of time, at the end of two years, that his bowels came out because of his sickness, and he died in great pain. And his people did not make a funeral fire for him like the fire for his fathers. 20He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for eight years; and he departed [k]with no one’s regret, and they buried him in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.