2 Chronicles 21
He Departed with No One’s Regret
← 2 Chronicles 20 · 2 Chronicles: all chapters · 2 Chronicles 22 →
Joram King of Judah
21:1Jehoshaphat fell asleep with his fathers and was buried beside his fathers in David’s city. His son Joram reigned in his place.
21:2He had six brothers, sons of Jehoshaphat: Azarias, Iiel, Zacharias, Azarias, Michael, and Saphatias. All these were sons of Jehoshaphat king of Judah.
21:3Their father gave them many gifts: silver, gold, and weapons, along with walled cities in Judah. But he gave the kingdom to Joram, because he was the firstborn.
21:4Joram rose over his kingdom and grew strong. He killed all his brothers with the sword, and some of Israel’s rulers.
21:5When Joram was thirty-two years old, he was established over his kingdom, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.
21:6He walked in the way of Israel’s kings, as Ahab’s house had done, because Ahab’s daughter was his wife. He did what was evil before the Lord.
21:7Yet the Lord was unwilling to destroy David’s house because of the covenant He had made with David, and as He had told him, to give him and his sons a lamp always.
Edom Breaks Away
21:8In those days Edom broke away from Judah, and they set a king over themselves.
21:9Joram went out with the rulers, with all the cavalry accompanying him. He rose by night and struck Edom, which was surrounding him, and the chariot commanders. The people fled to their tents.
21:10Edom has remained apart from Judah to this day. At that same time Lomna rebelled from his hand, because he had abandoned the Lord, the God of his fathers.
21:11He also made high places in Judah’s cities, caused Jerusalem’s inhabitants to prostitute themselves, and led Judah astray.
The Letter of Elias the Prophet
21:12A written message came to him from Elias the prophet, saying, “Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: Because you have not walked in the way of Jehoshaphat your father or in the ways of Asa king of Judah,
21:13but have walked in the ways of Israel’s kings and caused Judah and Jerusalem’s inhabitants to prostitute themselves as Ahab’s house caused prostitution, and because you have killed your brothers, your father’s sons, who were better than you,
21:14look: the Lord will strike you with a great blow in your people, your sons, your wives, and all your belongings.
21:15You yourself will be in a grievous sickness, a disease of the belly, until your belly comes out with the sickness, from day to day.”
The Foreigners Plunder Jerusalem
21:16The Lord stirred up against Joram the foreigners, the Arabs, and the neighbors of the Ethiopians.
21:17They came up against Judah and overpowered it. They carried away all the belongings they found in the king’s house, his sons, and his daughters. No son remained to him except Ahaziah, the youngest of his sons.
The Sickness and Death of Joram
21:18After all this, the Lord struck him in his belly with a sickness for which there was no cure.
21:19As day followed day, when the time of the days came, two days, his belly came out with the disease, and he died in grievous sickness. His people made no funeral procession like the procession for his fathers.
21:20He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. He departed without praise and was buried in David’s city, but not in the tombs of the kings.
← 2 Chronicles 20 · 2 Chronicles: all chapters · 2 Chronicles 22 →
Saints Translation · Liturgical reading edition · V1 · working draft awaiting specialist review.