1Then Jehoshaphat lay down with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the City of David; and Jehoram his son reigned in his place.
2He had brothers, sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah, Michael, and Shephatiah—all these were sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel.
3Their father gave them many gifts of silver and gold and precious things, together with fortified cities in Judah; but the kingdom he gave to Jehoram, for he was the firstborn.
4When Jehoram had risen over his father’s kingdom and strengthened himself, he killed all his brothers with the sword, and also some of the officials of Israel.
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 destroy the house of David, for the sake of the covenant that he had cut with David, and because he had said he would give a lamp to him and to his sons for all the days.
8In his days Edom rebelled from under the hand of Judah, and they set a king over themselves.
9So Jehoram crossed over with his officials, and all his chariotry with him; and he rose by night and struck down the Edomites who had surrounded him and the chariot commanders.
10So Edom rebelled from under the hand of Judah to this day. Then Libnah rebelled at that time from under his hand, because he had forsaken Yahweh, the God of his fathers.
11He also made high places on the mountains of Judah, and led the inhabitants of Jerusalem into prostitution, and drove Judah astray.
12Then a writing came to him from Elijah the prophet, saying: Thus says Yahweh, 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,
13but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and led Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem into prostitution, as the house of Ahab led into prostitution; and you have also killed your brothers, your father’s house, who were better than you—
14behold, Yahweh is about to strike a great plague on your people, on your children, on your wives, and on all your possessions.
15And you yourself will suffer many sicknesses, with a disease of your bowels, until your bowels come out because of the disease, day after day.
16So Yahweh stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines and the Arabs who were beside the Cushites.
17They came up against Judah and broke into it, and carried off all the possessions found in the king’s house, and also his sons and his wives; and no son was left to him except Jehoahaz, the youngest of his sons.
18And after all this, Yahweh struck him in his bowels with a disease for which there was no healing.
19And it happened, in the course of time, at the time of the end of two years, that his bowels came out because of his disease, and he died in agony from severe diseases. His people made no fire for him like the fire for his fathers.
20He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. He departed with no one’s regret, and they buried him in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.
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