2 Chronicles 22

¹ 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 killed all the older sons. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah reigned. ² Ahaziah was forty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Athaliah the daughter of Omri.

³ He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab; for his mother was his counselor to do wickedly. ⁴ He did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, as did the house of Ahab; for they were his counselors after the death of his father, to his destruction. ⁵ He walked also after their counsel, and went with Jehoram the son of Ahab king of Israel to war against Hazael king of Syria at Ramoth Gilead; and the Syrians wounded Joram.

⁶ He returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which were given him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick. ⁷ Now the destruction of Ahaziah was of God, in that he went to Joram; for when he was come, he went out with Jehoram against Jehu the son of Nimshi, whom Yahweh had anointed to cut off the house of Ahab.

⁸ It came to pass, when Jehu was executing judgment on the house of Ahab, and found the princes of Judah, and the sons of the brothers of Ahaziah, who ministered to Ahaziah, that he killed them. ⁹ He sought Ahaziah, and they caught him (now he was hiding in Samaria), and brought him to Jehu, and killed him; and they buried him, because, said they, “He is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought Yahweh with all his heart.” There was no one of the house of Ahaziah who had power to hold the kingdom.

¹⁰ Now 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. ¹¹ But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king’s sons who were slain, and put him and his nurse in the bedchamber. 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 didn’t kill him. ¹² He was with them hidden in God’s house six years, while Athaliah reigned over the land.