2 Chronicles 22

22 ¹ The people of Jerusalem made Ahaziah his youngest son king in his place, for the raiding band that had come with the Arabs into the camp had killed all the older sons. So Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah became king. ² Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Athaliah, the granddaughter of Omri. ³ He too walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor in doing evil. ⁴ He did evil in the eyes of our Father, like the house of Ahab, for they were his counselors after the death of his father, to his ruin. ⁵ He also followed their counsel and went with Joram son of Ahab king of Israel to war against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth-gilead, where the Arameans wounded Joram. ⁶ So he returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds he had received at Ramah when he fought against Hazael king of Aram. And Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to Jezreel to see Joram son of Ahab, because he was wounded.

⁷ The downfall of Ahaziah came from our Father when he went to visit Joram. For when he arrived, he went out with Jehoram against Jehu son of Nimshi, whom our Father had anointed to destroy the house of Ahab. ⁸ While Jehu was executing judgment on the house of Ahab, he found the officials of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah's brothers, who served Ahaziah, and he killed them. ⁹ Then he searched for Ahaziah, and they captured him while he was hiding in Samaria. They brought him to Jehu and put him to death, and they buried him, for they said, "He is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought our Father with all his heart." So the house of Ahaziah had no one strong enough to hold the kingdom.

A Child Hidden in Our Father's House

¹⁰ When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she set out to destroy all the royal offspring of the house of Judah. ¹¹ But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the king's sons who were about to be killed, and she hid him and his nurse in a bedroom. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of King Jehoram and wife of Jehoiada the priest — for she was Ahaziah's sister — hid him from Athaliah, and Athaliah did not kill him. ¹² He remained with them, hidden in the house of our Father, for six years while Athaliah reigned over the land.