The inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah his youngest son king in his place; for the band of men who came with the Arabians to the camp had slain all the eldest. So Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah reigned. 2Ahaziah was forty-two years old when he began to reign; and he reigned one year in Jerusalem: and his mother’s name was Athaliah daughter of Omri. 3He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab; for his mother was his counsellor to act wickedly. 4He did that which was evil in the sight of YAHWEH1, as did the house of Ahab; for they were his counsellors after the death of his father, to his destruction. 5He walked also after their counsel, and went with Jehoram son of Ahab king of Israel to fight against Hazael king of Syria at Ramoth-Gilead: and the Syrians wounded Joram. 6He returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which they had given him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. Azariah son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Jehoram son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.
7Now the destruction of Ahaziah was from God2, in that he went to Joram: for when he came, he went out with Jehoram against Jehu son of Nimshi, whom YAHWEH had anointed to cut off the house of Ahab. 8When Jehu was executing judgment on the house of Ahab, he found the princes of Judah, and the sons of the brothers of Ahaziah, ministering to Ahaziah, and killed them. 9He sought Ahaziah, and they caught him (now he was hiding in Samaria), and they brought him to Jehu, and killed him; and they buried him, for they said, “He is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought YAHWEH with all his heart.” The house of Ahaziah had no power to hold the kingdom.
10Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal seed of the house of Judah. 11But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took Joash son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king’s sons who were slain, and put him and his nurse in the bedroom. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of king Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest (for she was the sister of Ahaziah), hid him from Athaliah, so that she did not kill him. 12He was with them hidden in the House of God for six years: and Athaliah reigned over the land.
- 22:4 YAHWEH, God’s personal Name revealed to Prophet Musa in the Taurat, Exodus 3:15: ‘God said moreover to Musa, “You shall tell Bani-Israel this, ‘YAHWEH, the God of your fathers, the God of Ibrahim, the God of Ishaq, and the God of Yaqub, has sent me to you.’ This is my Name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered to all generations.”’ ↩︎
- 22:7 God, English translation of elohim. Elohim (Hebrew) is related to allah (Arabic) and alaha (Syriac), all of which translate as “God,” and refer to the one true God. ↩︎