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Then a lettercame to him from Elijah the prophetsaying, "Thussays the LORDGod of your fatherDavid, 'Because*1you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father2and the ways of Asaking of Judah,
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but 3have walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and have caused Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to play the harlot4as the house of Ahabplayed the harlot, and you 5have alsokilled your brothers, your own family*, who were betterthan you,
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behold, the LORD is going to strike your people, your sons, your wives and all your possessions with a greatcalamity;
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and 6you will suffer severesickness, a disease of your bowels, until your bowelscome out because of the sickness, day by day.' "
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Then 7the LORDstirred up againstJehoram the spirit of the Philistines and 8the Arabswhobordered* the Ethiopians;
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and they came against Judah and invaded it, and carried away all the possessionsfound in the king'shousetogether with his sons and his wives, so that noson was left to him except*9Jehoahaz, the youngest of his sons.
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So afterallthis the LORDsmote him 10in his bowels with an incurable*sickness.
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Now it came about in the course* of time, at the end of twoyears, that his bowelscame out because of his sickness and he died in greatpain. And his peoplemadenofire for him like 11the fire for his fathers.