24When Judah reached the lookout in the wilderness and looked for the multitude, they saw them lying on the ground as corpses; not one had survived. 25Jehoshaphat and his army came to take the booty, and found an abundance of goods, corpses, and precious objects, which they pillaged, more than they could carry off. For three days they were taking booty, there was so much of it. 26On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Blessing—for there they blessed the LORD; that is why that place is called the Valley of Blessing to this day. 27All the men of Judah and Jerusalem with Jehoshaphat at their head returned joyfully to Jeru- salem, for the LORD had given them cause for rejoicing over their enemies. 28They came to Jerusalem to the House of the LORD, to the accompan- iment of harps, lyres, and trumpets. 29The terror of God seized all the kingdoms of the lands when they heard that the LORD had fought the enemies of Israel. 30The kingdom of Jehoshaphat was untroubled, and his God granted him respite on all sides.
31bJehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for twenty-five years. His mother’s name was Azubah daughter of Shilhi. 32He followed the course of his father Asa and did not deviate from it, doing what was pleasing to the LORD. 33However, the shrines did not cease; the people still did not direct their heart toward the God of their fathers. 34As for the other events of Jehoshaphat’s reign, early and late, they are recorded in the annals of Jehu son of Hanani, which were included in the book of the kings of Israel.
35Afterward, King Jehoshaphat of Judah entered into a partnership with King Ahaziah of Israel, thereby acting wickedly. 36He joined with him in constructing ships to go to Tarshish; the ships were constructed in Ezion- geber. 37Eliezer son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehosh- aphat, “As you have made a partnership with Ahaziah, the LORD will break up your work.” The ships were wrecked and were unable to go to Tarshish.
21 aJehoshaphat slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the City of David; his son Jehoram succeeded him as king. 2He had brothers, sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariahu, Mi- chael, and Shephatiah; all these were sons of King Jehoshaphat of Israel. 3Their father gave them many gifts of silver, gold, and [other] presents, as well as fortified towns in Judah, but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram because he was the first-born.
4Jehoram proceeded to take firm hold of his father’s kingdom and put to the sword all his brothers, as well as some of the officers of Israel. 5Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. 6He followed the practices of the kings of Israel doing what the House of Ahab had done, for he married a daughter of Ahab; he did what was displeasing to the LORD. 7However, the LORD refrained from destroying the House of David for the sake of the covenant he had made with David, and in accordance with his promise to maintain a lamp for him and his descendants for all time. 8During his reign, the Edomites rebelled against Judah’s rule and set up a king of their own. 9Jehoram advanced [against them] with his officers and all his chariotry. He arose by night and attacked the Edomites, who surrounded him and the chariot commanders. 10Edom has been in rebellion against Judah, to this day; Libnah also rebelled against him at that time, because he had forsaken the LORD God of his fathers. 11Moreover, he built shrines in the hill country of Judah; he led astray the inhabitants of Jerusalem and made Judah wayward.
12A letter from Elijah the prophet came to him which read, “Thus says the LORD God of your father David: Since you have not followed the practices of your father Jehoshaphat and the practices of King Asa of Judah, 13but have followed the practices of the kings of Israel, leading astray Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem as the House of Ahab led them astray, and have also killed your brothers of your father’s house, who were better than you, 14therefore, the LORD will inflict a great blow upon your people, your sons, and your wives and all your possessions. 15As for you, you will be severely stricken with a disorder of the bowels year after year until your bowels drop out.”
16The LORD stirred up the spirit of the Philistines and the Arabs who were neighbors of the Cushites against Jehoram. 17They marched against Judah, breached its defenses, and carried off all the property that was found in the king’s palace, as well as his sons and his wives. The only son who remained was Jehoahaz, his youngest. 18After this, the LORD afflicted him with an incurable disease of the bowels. 19Some years later, when a period of two years had elapsed, his bowels dropped out because of his disease, and he died a gruesome death. His people did not make a fire for him like the fire for his fathers. 20He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. He departed un- praised,b and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.
22 aThe inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, his youngest son, king in his stead, because all the older ones had been killed by the troops that penetrated the camp with the Arabs. Ahaziah son of Jehoram reigned as king of Judah. 2Ahaziah was forty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem one year; his mother’s name was Athaliah daughter of Omri. 3He too followed the practices of the house of Ahab, for his mother counseled him to do evil. 4He did what was displeasing to the LORD, like the house of Ahab, for they became his counselors after his father’s death, to his ruination. 5Moreover, he followed their counsel and marched with Jehoram son of King Ahab of Israel to battle against King Hazael of Aram at Ramoth-gilead, where the Arameans wounded Joram. 6He returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds inflicted on him at Ramah when he fought against King Hazael of Aram. King Aza- riah son of Jehoram of Judah went down to Jezreel to visit Jehoram son of Ahab while he was ill. 7The LORD caused the downfall of Ahaziah because he visited Joram. During his visit he went out with Jehoram to Jehu son of Nimshi, whom the LORD had anointed to cut off the house of Ahab. 8In the course of bringing the house of Ahab to judgment, Jehu came upon the officers of Judah and the nephews of Ahaziah, ministers of Ahaziah, and killed them. 9He sent in search of Ahaziah, who was caught hiding in Samaria, was brought to Jehu, and put to death. He was given a burial, because it was said, “He is the son of Jehoshaphat who worshiped the LORD wholeheartedly.” So the house of Ahaziah could not muster the strength to rule.
10When Athaliah, Ahaziah’s mother, learned that her son was dead, she promptly did away with all who were of the royal stock of the house of Judah. 11But Jehoshabeath, daughter of the king, spirited away Ahaziah’s son Joash from among the princes who were being slain, and put him and his nurse in a bedroom. Jehoshabeath, daughter of King Jehoram, wife of the priest Jehoiada—she was the sister of Ahaziah—kept him hidden from Athaliah so that he was not put to death. 12He stayed with them for six years, hidden in the House of God, while Athaliah reigned over the land.
23 aIn the seventh year, Jehoiada took courage and brought the chiefs of the hundreds, Azariah son of Jeroham, Ishmael son of Jehohanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zichri, into a compact with him. 2They went through Judah and assem- bled the Levites from all the towns of Judah, and the chiefs of the clans of Israel. They came to Jerusalem 3and the entire assembly made a cove- nant with the king in the House of God. Heb said to them, “The son of the king shall be king according to the promise the LORD made concern- ing the sons of David. 4This is what you must do: One third of you, priests and Levites, who are on duty for the week, shall be gatekeepers at the thresholds; 5another third shall be stationed in the royal palace, and the other third at the Foundation Gate. All the people shall
