II Chronicles 21

1. And 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. And he had brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat, Azariah, and Jehiel, and Zechariah, and Azaryahu, and Michael, and Shephatiah. All these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel.

3. And their father gave them great gifts of silver and of gold and of precious things, along with fortified cities in Judah. But the kingdom he gave to Jehoram because he was the firstborn.

4. And when Jehoram had risen up to the kingdom of his father, he made himself strong and killed all his brothers with the sword and also many 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. And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, like the house of Ahab, for he had the daughter of Ahab for a wife. And he did that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD.

7. Nevertheless, the LORD was not willing to destroy the house of David because of the covenant that He had made with David, as He promised to give a light to him and to his sons forever.

8. In his days Edom revolted from under the rule of Judah and made themselves a king.

9. And Jehoram went forth with his princes and all his chariots with him. And he rose up by night and struck the Edomites who surrounded him and the commanders of the chariots.

10. And the Edomites have been in revolt against the hand of Judah to this day. At the same time Libnah revolted from under his hand because he had forsaken the LORD God of his fathers.

11. Moreover, he made high places in the mountains of Judah, and caused the people of Jerusalem to commit fornication, and led Judah astray.

12. And a letter came to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, “Thus says the LORD 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 people of Jerusalem to go awhoring like the whoredoms of the house of Ahab, and also you have killed your brothers of your father’s house (who were better than you),

14. Behold, the LORD will strike your people with a great plague, and your sons, and your wives, and all your goods.

15. And you shall have great sickness by disease in your bowels until your bowels fall out because of the sickness day by day.”

16. And the LORD stirred up the spirit of the Philistines against Jehoram and of the Arabians who were near the Ethiopians.

17. And they came up into Judah and broke into it, and carried away all the goods that were found in the king’s house, and his sons also, and his wives so that there was not a son left with him except Ahaziah, the youngest of his sons.

18. And after this the LORD struck him in his bowels with a disease that could not be cured.

19. And it came to pass, that in the process of time, at the end of two years, his bowels fell out because of his sickness. And he died of painful diseases. And his people made no burning for him like the burning of his fathers.

20. He was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years and departed without being desired. Nevertheless, they buried him in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.