Ahaziah succeeding reigneth wickedly.

1 ¶ And the inhabitantsºª of Jerusalemº made¹ª² Ahaziahº his youngestº sonº kingºª in his stead:² for² the band of menº that cameºª with the Arabiansº to the campº had slainºª all² the eldest.º So Ahaziahº the sonº of Jehoramº kingº of Judahº reigned.ºª 2 Fortyº and twoº yearsº oldº [was] Ahaziahº when he began to reign,ºª and he reignedºª oneº yearº in Jerusalem.º His mother'sº nameº also [was] Athaliahº the daughterº of Omri.º 3 He² also² walkedºª in the waysº of the houseº of Ahab:º for² his motherº was² his counsellorºª to do wickedly.ºª 4 Wherefore he didºª evilº in the sightº of the LORDº like the houseº of Ahab:º for² they² were² his counsellorsºª afterº the deathº of his fatherº to his destruction.º

In his confederacy with Joram the son of Ahab, he is slain by Jehu.

5 ¶ He walkedºª also² after their counsel,º and went¹ª² with² Jehoramº the sonº of Ahabº kingº of Israelº to warº against² Hazaelº kingº of Syriaº at Ramothgilead:º¹ and the Syrians¹² smoteºª² Joram.º 6 And he returnedºª to be healedºª in Jezreelº because of² the woundsº which² were givenºª him at Ramah,º when he foughtºª² with Hazaelº kingº of Syria.º And Azariahº the sonº of Jehoramº kingº of Judahº went downºª to seeºª² Jehoramº the sonº of Ahabº at Jezreel,º because² he² was sick.ºª 7 And the destructionº of Ahaziahº was² of Godº² by comingºª to² Joram:º for when he was come,ºª he went outºª with² Jehoramº against² Jehuº the sonº of Nimshi,º whom² the LORDº had anointedºª to cut offºª² the houseº of Ahab.º 8 And it came to pass,² that, when Jehuº was executing judgmentºª upon² the houseº of Ahab,º and foundºª² the princesº of Judah,º and the sonsº of the brethrenº of Ahaziah,º that ministeredºª to Ahaziah,º he slewºª them. 9 And he soughtºª² Ahaziah:º and they caughtºª him, (for he² was hidºª in Samaria,)º and broughtºª him to² Jehu:º and when they had slainºª him, they buriedºª him: Because,² saidºª they, he² [is] the sonº of Jehoshaphat,º who² soughtºª² the LORDº with all² his heart.º So the houseº of Ahaziahº had no² powerº to keep¹ª still² the kingdom.º

Athaliah, destroying all the seed royal, save Joash, whom Jehoshabeath his aunt hid, usurped the kingdom.

10 ¶ But when Athaliahº the motherº of Ahaziahº sawºª that² her sonº was dead,ºª she aroseºª and destroyedºª² all² the seedº royalº of the houseº of Judah.º 11 But Jehoshabeath,º the daughterº of the king,º tookºª² Joashº the sonº of Ahaziah,º and stoleºª him from amongº² the king'sº sonsº that were slain,ºª and putºª him and his nurseºª in a bedchamber.ºº So Jehoshabeath,º the daughterº of kingº Jehoram,º the wifeº of Jehoiadaº the priest,º (for² she² was² the sisterº of Ahaziah,)º hidºª him fromº² Athaliah,º so that she slewºª him not.² 12 And he was² with² them hidºª in the houseº of Godº sixº years:º and Athaliahº reignedºª over² the land.º