Our Father Brings Down Ahaziah's Evil Reign
Ahaziah reigns one year, counselled by his mother Athaliah to do evil, and dies in Jehu's purge. Athaliah then kills the royal family — all but one baby, hidden by the priest's wife in our Father's house for six years while she rules.
22 1The people of Jerusalem made his youngest son Ahaziah king in his place, since the raiders who came with the Arabs into the camp had killed all the older sons. So Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah became king. 2Ahaziah became king at twenty-two and reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother was Athaliah, granddaughter of Omri. 3He too followed the ways of Ahab's house, for his mother counseled him to do evil. 4He did evil in our Father's eyes, like Ahab's house, for after his father's death they were his counselors, to his ruin. 5He followed their advice too, joining Joram son of Ahab, Israel's king, to fight Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth-gilead, where the Arameans wounded Joram. 6So he returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds he received at Ramah fighting Hazael king of Aram. Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to Jezreel to see Joram son of Ahab, because he was wounded.
7Ahaziah's downfall came from our Father when he visited Joram. On arriving, he went out with Jehoram against Jehu son of Nimshi, whom our Father had anointed to destroy the house of Ahab. 8As Jehu carried out judgment on Ahab's house, he found Judah's officials and Ahaziah's nephews who served Ahaziah, and killed them. 9He searched for Ahaziah, who was captured while hiding in Samaria. They brought him to Jehu and killed him, then buried him, saying, "He is Jehoshaphat's son, who sought our Father with all his heart." So Ahaziah's house had no one strong enough to hold the kingdom.
A Child Hidden in Our Father's House
10When Athaliah, Ahaziah's mother, saw her son was dead, she set out to destroy all the royal offspring of Judah's house. 11But Jehoshabeath the king's daughter took Joash son of Ahaziah, stealing him from among the royal sons about to be killed, and hid him with his nurse in a bedroom. So Jehoshabeath, King Jehoram's daughter, Jehoiada the priest's wife and Ahaziah's sister, hid him from Athaliah, so she did not kill him. 12He stayed hidden with them in the house of our Father six years while Athaliah reigned over the land.
