²⁶ Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king and he reigned for one year in Jerusalem. His mother was Athaliah, the granddaughter^[a] of King Omri of Israel.

¹¹ Elisha^[a] just stared at him until Hazael became uncomfortable.^[b] Then the prophet started crying.

Ahaziah’s Reign

22 The residents of Jerusalem made his youngest son Ahaziah king in his place, for the raiding party that invaded the camp with the Arabs had killed all the older sons.^[a] So Ahaziah son of Jehoram became king of Judah. ² Ahaziah was twenty-two^[b] years old when he became king, and he reigned for one year in Jerusalem. His mother^[c] was Athaliah, the granddaughter^[d] of Omri. ³ He followed in the footsteps of Ahab’s dynasty,^[e] for his mother gave him evil advice.^{[f] 4} He did evil in the sight of^[g] the Lord like Ahab’s dynasty because, after his father’s death, they^[h] gave him advice that led to his destruction. ⁵ He followed their advice and joined Ahab’s son King Joram^[i] of Israel in a battle against King Hazael of Syria^[j] at Ramoth Gilead in which the Syrians defeated Joram. ⁶ Joram^[k] returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds he received from the Syrians^[l] in Ramah when he fought against King Hazael of Syria. Ahaziah^[m] son of King Jehoram of Judah went down to visit Joram son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he had been wounded.^[n]

⁷ God brought about Ahaziah’s downfall through his visit to Joram.^[o] When Ahaziah^[p] arrived, he went out with Joram to meet Jehu son of Nimshi, whom the Lord had commissioned^[q] to wipe out Ahab’s family.^{[r] 8} While Jehu was dishing out punishment to Ahab’s family, he discovered the officials of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah’s relatives who were serving Ahaziah and killed them. ⁹ He looked for Ahaziah, who was captured while hiding in Samaria. They brought him to Jehu and then executed him. They did give him a burial, for they reasoned,^[s] “He is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the Lord with his whole heart.” There was no one in Ahaziah’s family strong enough to rule in his place.^[t]

Athaliah is Eliminated

¹⁰ When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she was determined to destroy the entire royal line^[u] of Judah.^{[v] 11} So Jehoshabeath,^[w] the daughter of King Jehoram,^[x] took Ahaziah’s son Joash and stole him away from the rest of the royal descendants who were to be executed. She hid him and his nurse in the room where the bed covers were stored. So Jehoshabeath the daughter of King Jehoram, wife of Jehoiada the priest and sister of Ahaziah, hid him from Athaliah so she could not execute him. ¹² He remained in hiding in God’s temple^[y] for six years while Athaliah was ruling over the land.

¹³ Then she saw^[a] the king standing by his pillar at the entrance. The officers and trumpeters stood beside the king and all the people of the land were celebrating and blowing trumpets, and the musicians with various instruments were leading the celebration. Athaliah tore her clothes and yelled, “Treason! Treason!”^{[b] 14} Jehoiada the priest sent out the officers of the units of hundreds, who were in charge of the army, and ordered them, “Bring her outside the temple to the guards.^[c] Put the sword to anyone who follows her.” The priest gave this order because he had decided she should not be executed in the Lord’s temple.^{[d] 15} They seized her and took her into the precincts of the royal palace through the horses’ entrance.^[e] There they executed her.

¹⁶ Jehoiada then drew up a covenant stipulating that he, all the people, and the king should be loyal to the Lord.^{[f] 17} All the people went and demolished^[g] the temple of Baal. They smashed its altars and idols.^[h] They killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars. ¹⁸ Jehoiada then assigned the duties of the Lord’s temple to the priests, the Levites whom David had assigned to the Lord’s temple. They were responsible for offering burnt sacrifices to the Lord with joy and music, according to^[i] the law of Moses and the edict of David. ¹⁹ He posted guards at the gates of the Lord’s temple, so no one who was ceremonially unclean in any way could enter. ²⁰ He summoned^[j] the officers of the units of hundreds, the nobles, the rulers of the people, and all the people of the land, and he then led the king down from the Lord’s temple. They entered the royal palace through the Upper Gate and seated the king on the royal throne. ²¹ All the people of the land celebrated, for the city had rest now that they had killed Athaliah.^[k]

⁷ (Wicked Athaliah and her sons had broken into God’s temple and used all the holy items of the Lord’s temple in their worship of the Baals.)