And the Lord stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines,
and of the Arabians which are beside the Ethiopians: and they came up
against Judah, and raided, and carried away all the substance that was
found in the king's house, and his sons also, and his wives; so that
there was never a son left him, save Ahaziah, the youngest of his
sons. And after all this the Lord smote him in his bowels with an
incurable disease. And he died of sore {268} diseases. And his people
made no burning for him, like the burning of his fathers. Thirty and
two years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned in
Jerusalem eight years: and he departed without being desired; and they
buried him in the city of David, but not in the sepulchers of the
kings.

{269}

AHAZIAH.

(Ahaziah, the youngest son of Jehoram, next came to the throne, for it
seems that a marauding band of Arabians had actually raided Jerusalem
and had slain the older children of the king. Ahaziah was a poor weak
king who ruled weakly, and was killed, while on a visit to the king of
Israel, by Jehu, the usurper of the throne.)

And the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah his youngest son king in
his stead: for the band of men that came with the Arabians to the camp
had slain all the eldest. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah
reigned. Twenty and two years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign;
and he reigned one year in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was
Athaliah the daughter of Ahab.

He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab: for his mother was
his counselor to do wickedly. And he did that which was evil in the
sight of the Lord, as did the house of Ahab: for they were his
counselors after the death of his father, to his destruction. He
walked also after their counsel, and went with Joram the son of Ahab
king of Israel to war against Hazael king of Syria at Ramoth-gilead:
and the Syrians wounded Joram. And he returned to be healed in Jezreel
of the wounds which they had given him at Ramah, when he fought
against Hazael king of Syria. And Azariah the son of Joram king of
Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, {270} because
he was sick. Now the destruction of Ahaziah was of God, in that he
went unto Joram: for when he was come, he went out with Joram against
Jehu the son of Nimshi, whom the Lord had anointed to cut off the
house of Ahab. And the fate of Joram overtook him also, for he was
slain by the hand of Je