2 Chronicles 21

Jehoram Kills His Brothers

1Jehoshaphat lay down with his ancestors and was buried with them in the City of David, and Jehoram his son became king in his place. 2He had brothers, sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariahu, Michael and Shephatiah. All of these were sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel.* 3Their father had given them lavish gifts of silver and gold and other treasures, along with fortified cities in Judah; but the kingdom he gave to Jehoram, because he was the firstborn. 4When Jehoram had risen to his father’s kingdom and made himself secure, he put all his brothers to the sword, and some of the officers of Israel as well. 5Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. 6He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for a daughter of Ahab was his wife; and he did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh. 7Yet Yahweh was unwilling to ruin the house of David, because of the covenant he had cut with David and his promise to give him and his sons a lamp for all time. 8In his days Edom rebelled against the rule of Judah and set up a king of their own. 9So Jehoram crossed over with his officers and all his chariots. He rose in the night and struck down the Edomites who had surrounded him, and their chariot commanders with them. 10Even so, Edom has stayed in revolt against the rule of Judah to this day. At that same time Libnah revolted against his rule, because he had abandoned Yahweh, the God of his ancestors. 11He also made high places in the hills of Judah, led the inhabitants of Jerusalem into prostitution and pulled Judah astray.

The Letter of Elijah

12A letter reached him from Elijah the prophet: “This is what Yahweh, the God of David your father, says: Because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah, 13but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel and have dragged Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem into prostitution, just as the house of Ahab did, and because you killed your own brothers, your father’s house, men better than you — 14Yahweh is about to strike a heavy blow at your people, your sons, your wives and everything you own. 15And you yourself will suffer a severe sickness, a disease of the bowels, until your bowels come out from the sickness, day after day.” 16Yahweh stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines and of the Arabs who live beside the Cushites. 17They marched up against Judah, broke into it and carried off all the property they found in the king’s house, along with his sons and his wives; not a son was left him except Jehoahaz, the youngest. 18After all this, Yahweh struck him in his bowels with a sickness for which there was no cure. 19In the course of time, as the end of two years came, his bowels came out because of his sickness, and he died in terrible pain. His people made no fire for him such as they had made for his ancestors. 20He was thirty-two when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. He went out unmourned, and they buried him in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.