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17 Jehoram
was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight
years. 18 But Jehoram followed the example of
the kings of Israel and was as wicked as King
Ahab, for he had married one of Ahab’s daughters. So Jehoram did what was evil in the Lord’s
sight. 19 But the Lord did not want to destroy Judah, for he had promised his servant David that
his descendants would continue to rule, shining like a lamp forever.
20 During Jehoram’s reign, the Edomites revolted against Judah and crowned their own
king. 21 So Jehoram* went with all his chariots
to attack the town of Zair.* The Edomites surrounded him and his chariot commanders, but
he went out at night and attacked them* under
cover of darkness. But Jehoram’s army deserted him and fled to their homes. 22 So Edom
has been independent from Judah to this day.
The town of Libnah also revolted about that
same time.
23 The rest of the events in Jehoram’s reign
and everything he did are recorded in The Book
of the History of the Kings of Judah. 24 When Jehoram died, he was buried with his ancestors in
the City of David. Then his son Ahaziah became
the next king.
Ahaziah Rules in Judah
25 Ahaziah son of Jehoram began to rule over Judah in the twelfth year of the reign of Joram son
of Ahab, king of Israel.
26 Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he
became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem one
year. His mother was Athaliah, a granddaughter
of King Omri of Israel. 27 Ahaziah followed the
evil example of King Ahab’s family. He did what
was evil in the Lord’s sight, just as Ahab’s family had done, for he was related by marriage to
the family of Ahab.
28 Ahaziah joined Joram son of Ahab in his
war against King Hazael of Aram at Ramothgilead. When the Arameans wounded King
Joram in the battle, 29 he returned to Jezreel to
recover from the wounds he had received at Ramoth.* Because Joram was wounded, King Ahaziah of Judah went to Jezreel to visit him.
Jehu Anointed King of Israel
Meanwhile, Elisha the prophet had summoned a member of the group of prophets.
“Get ready to travel,”* he told him, “and take
this flask of olive oil with you. Go to Ramothgilead, 2 and find Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, son
of Nimshi. Call him into a private room away
from his friends, 3 and pour the oil over his head.
Say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: I anoint
9
8:21a Hebrew Joram, a variant spelling of Jehoram; also in
8:23, 24. 8:21b Greek version reads Seir. 8:21c Or he went
out and escaped. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
8:29 Hebrew Ramah, a variant spelling of Ramoth.
9:1 Hebrew Bind up your loins. 9:15 Hebrew Jehoram,
a variant spelling of Joram; also in 9:17, 21, 22, 23, 24.
2 KING S 9
you to be the king over Israel.’ Then open the
door and run for your life!”
4 So the young prophet did as he was told
and went to Ramoth-gilead. 5 When he arrived
there, he found Jehu sitting around with the
other army officers. “I have a message for you,
Commander,” he said.
“For which one of us?” Jehu asked.
“For you, Commander,” he replied.
6 So Jehu left the others and went into the
house. Then the young prophet poured the oil
over Jehu’s head and said, “This is what the
Lord, the God of Israel, says: I anoint you king
over the Lord’s people, Israel. 7 You are to destroy the family of Ahab, your master. In this
way, I will avenge the murder of my prophets
and all the Lord’s servants who were killed
by Jezebel. 8 The entire family of Ahab must be
wiped out. I will destroy every one of his male
descendants, slave and free alike, anywhere
in Israel. 9 I will destroy the family of Ahab as
I destroyed the families of Jeroboam son of Nebat and of Baasha son of Ahijah. 10 Dogs will eat
Ahab’s wife Jezebel at the plot of land in Jezreel, and no one will bury her.” Then the young
prophet opened the door and ran.
11 Jehu went back to his fellow officers, and
one of them asked him, “What did that madman
want? Is everything all right?”
“You know how a man like that babbles on,”
Jehu replied.
12 “You’re hiding something,” they said.
“Tell us.”
So Jehu told them, “He said to me, ‘This is
what the Lord says: I have anointed you to be
king over Israel.’”
13 Then they quickly spread out their cloaks
on the bare steps and blew the ram’s horn,
shouting, “Jehu is king!”
Jehu Kills Joram and Ahaziah
14 So Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi,
led a conspiracy against King Joram. (Now Joram had been with the army at Ramoth-gilead,
defending Israel against the forces of King Hazael of Aram. 15 But King Joram* was wounded in
the fighting and returned to Jezreel to recover
from his wounds.) So Jehu told the men with
him, “If you want me to be king, don’t let anyone leave town and go to Jezreel to report what
we have done.”
16 Then Jehu got into a chariot and rode to
Jezreel to find King Joram, who was lying there
wounded. King Ahaziah of Judah was there, too,
for he had gone to visit him. 17 The watchman on
the tower of Jezreel saw Jehu and his company
approaching, so he shouted to Joram, “I see a
company of troops coming!”
“Send out a rider to ask if they are coming in
peace,” King Joram ordered.
18 So a horseman went out to meet Jehu and