1 Jehoshaphat died and was buried beside his ancestors in Jerusalem, and his son Jehoram became king.
King Jehoram of Judah
(2 Kings 8.16-24)2 King Jehoshaphat had seven sons: Jehoram, Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah, Michael, and Shephatiah. 3 Jehoshaphat gave each of them silver and gold, as well as other valuable gifts. He also put them in charge of the fortified cities in Judah, but he had chosen his oldest son Jehoram to succeed him as king.
4 After Jehoram had taken control of Judah, he had his brothers killed, as well as some of the nation's leaders. 5 He was 32 years old when he became king, and he ruled eight years from Jerusalem.
6 Jehoram married Ahab's daughter and followed the sinful example of Ahab's family and the other kings of Israel. He disobeyed the Lord by doing wrong, 7 but because the Lord had made a solemn promise to King David that someone from his family would always rule in Judah, he refused to wipe out David's descendants.
8 While Jehoram was king, the people of Edom rebelled and chose their own king. 9 Jehoram, his officers, and his cavalry marched to Edom, where the Edomite army surrounded them. He escaped during the night, 10 but Judah was never able to regain control of Edom. Even the town of Libnah rebelled at that time.
Those things happened because Jehoram had turned away from the Lord, the God his ancestors had worshiped. 11 Jehoram even built local shrines in the hills of Judah and let the people sin against the Lord by worshiping foreign gods.
12 One day, Jehoram received a letter from Elijah the prophet that said:
I have a message for you from the Lord God your ancestor David worshiped. He knows that you have not followed the example of Jehoshaphat your father or Asa your grandfather. 13 Instead you have acted like those sinful kings of Israel and have encouraged the people of Judah to stop worshiping the Lord, just as Ahab and his descendants did. You even murdered your own brothers, who were better men than you.
14 Because you have done these terrible things, the Lord will severely punish the people in your kingdom, including your own family, and he will destroy everything you own. 15 You will be struck with a painful stomach disease and suffer until you die.
16 The Lord later caused the Philistines and the Arabs who lived near the Ethiopians to become angry with Jehoram. 17 They invaded Judah and stole the royal property from the palace, and they led Jehoram's wives and sons away as prisoners. The only one left behind was Ahaziah, his youngest son.
18 After this happened, the Lord struck Jehoram with an incurable stomach disease. 19 About two years later, Jehoram died in terrible pain. No bonfire was built to honor him, even though the people had done this for his ancestors.
20 Jehoram was 32 years old when he became king, and he ruled 8 years from Jerusalem. He died, and no one even felt sad. He was buried in Jerusalem, but not in the royal tombs.
1 Iehosphaphat then slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the citie of Dauid: and Iehoram his sonne reigned in his steade. 2 And he had brethren the sonnes of Iehoshaphat, Azariah, and Iehiel, and Zechariah, and Azariah, and Michael, and Shephatiah. All these were the sonnes of Iehoshaphat King of Israel. 3 And their father gaue them great giftes of siluer and of golde, and of precious things, with strong cities in Iudah, but the kingdome gaue he to Iehoram: for he was the eldest. 4 And Iehoram rose vp vpon the kingdom of his father, and made himselfe strong, and slew all his brethren with the sworde, and also of the princes of Israel. 5 Iehoram was two and thirtie yeere olde, when he began to reigne, and he reigned eyght yeere in Ierusalem. 6 And he walked in the way of the Kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done: for he had the daughter of Ahab to wife, and he wrought euill in the eyes of the Lord. 7 Howbeit the Lord would not destroy the house of Dauid, because of the couenant that he had made with Dauid, and because he had promised to giue a light to him, and to his sonnes for euer. 8 In his dayes Edom rebelled from vnder the hand of Iudah, and made a King ouer them. 9 And Iehoram went forth with his princes, and all his charets with him: and hee rose vp by night, and smote Edom, which had compassed him in, and the captaines of the charets. 10 But Edom rebelled from vnder the hande of Iudah vnto this day. then did Libnah rebell at the same time from vnder his hand, because he had forsaken the Lord God of his fathers. 11 Moreouer hee made hie places in the mountaines of Iudah, and caused the inhabitants of Ierusalem to commit fornication, and compelled Iudah thereto. 12 And there came a writing to him from Elijah the Prophet, saying, Thus sayth the Lord God of Dauid thy father, Because thou hast not walked in the wayes of Iehoshaphat thy father, nor in the wayes of Asa King of Iudah, 13 But hast walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and hast made Iudah and the inhabitantes of Ierusalem to go a whoring, as the house of Ahab went a whoring, and hast also slaine thy brethre of thy fathers house, which were better then thou, 14 Beholde, with a great plague will the Lord smite thy people, and thy children, and thy wiues, and all thy substance, 15 And thou shalt be in great diseases in the disease of thy bowels, vntill thy bowels fall out for the disease, day by day. 16 So the Lord stirred vp against Iehoram the spirite of the Philistims, and the Arabians that were beside the Ethiopians. 17 And they came vp into Iudah, and brake into it, and caryed away all the substance that was found in the Kings house, and his sonnes also, and his wiues, so that there was not a sonne left him, saue Iehoahaz, the yongest of his sonnes. 18 And after all this, the Lord smote him in his bowels with an incurable disease. 19 And in processe of time, euen after the end of two yeeres, his guttes fell out with his disease: so he dyed of sore diseases: and his people made no burning for him like the burning of his fathers. 20 When he began to reigne, he was two and thirtie yeere olde, and reigned in Ierusalem eight yeere, and liued without being desired: yet they buryed him in the citie of Dauid, but not among the sepulchres of the Kings.