New Living Translation NLT
The Message Bible MSG
1 When Jehoshaphat died, he was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. Then his son Jehoram became the next king.
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Jehoshaphat died and was buried in the family cemetery in the City of David. Jehoram his son was the next king.
2 Jehoram’s brothers—the other sons of Jehoshaphat—were Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariahu, Michael, and Shephatiah; all these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Judah.
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Jehoram's brothers were Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariahu, Michael, and Shephatiah - the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Judah.
3 Their father had given each of them valuable gifts of silver, gold, and costly items, and also some of Judah’s fortified towns. However, he designated Jehoram as the next king because he was the oldest.
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Their father had lavished them with gifts - silver, gold, and other valuables, plus the fortress cities in Judah. But Jehoram was his firstborn son and he gave him the kingdom of Judah.
4 But when Jehoram had become solidly established as king, he killed all his brothers and some of the other leaders of Judah.
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But when Jehoram had taken over his father's kingdom and had secured his position, he killed all his brothers along with some of the government officials.
5 Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years.
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Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king and ruled in Jerusalem for eight years.
6 But Jehoram followed the example of the kings of Israel and was as wicked as King Ahab, for he had married one of Ahab’s daughters. So Jehoram did what was evil in the LORD ’s sight.
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He imitated Israel's kings and married into the Ahab dynasty. God considered him an evil man.
7 But the LORD did not want to destroy David’s dynasty, for he had made a covenant with David and promised that his descendants would continue to rule, shining like a lamp forever.
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But despite that, because of his covenant with David, God was not yet ready to destroy the descendants of David; he had, after all, promised to keep a light burning for David and his sons.
8 During Jehoram’s reign, the Edomites revolted against Judah and crowned their own king.
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During Jehoram's reign, Edom revolted from Judah's rule and set up their own king.
9 So Jehoram went out with his full army and all his chariots. The Edomites surrounded him and his chariot commanders, but he went out at night and attacked them under cover of darkness.
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Jehoram responded by setting out with his officers and chariots. Edom surrounded him, but in the middle of the night he and his charioteers broke through the lines and hit Edom hard.
10 Even so, Edom has been independent from Judah to this day. The town of Libnah also revolted about that same time. All this happened because Jehoram had abandoned the LORD, the God of his ancestors.
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Edom continues in revolt against Judah right up to the present. Even little Libnah revolted at that time. The evidence accumulated: Since Jehoram had abandoned God, the God of his ancestors, God was abandoning him.
11 He had built pagan shrines in the hill country of Judah and had led the people of Jerusalem and Judah to give themselves to pagan gods and to go astray.
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He even went so far as to build pagan sacred shrines in the mountains of Judah. He brazenly led Jerusalem away from God, seducing the whole country.
12 Then Elijah the prophet wrote Jehoram this letter: “This is what the LORD, the God of your ancestor David, says: You have not followed the good example of your father, Jehoshaphat, or your grandfather King Asa of Judah.
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One day he got a letter from Elijah the prophet. It read, "From God, the God of your ancestor David - a message: Because you have not kept to the ways of Jehoshaphat your father and Asa your grandfather, kings of Judah,
13 Instead, you have been as evil as the kings of Israel. You have led the people of Jerusalem and Judah to worship idols, just as King Ahab did in Israel. And you have even killed your own brothers, men who were better than you.
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but have taken up with the ways of the kings of Israel in the north, leading Judah and Jerusalem away from God, going step by step down the apostate path of Ahab and his crew - why, you even killed your own brothers, all of them better men than you! -
14 So now the LORD is about to strike you, your people, your children, your wives, and all that is yours with a heavy blow.
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God is going to afflict your people, your wives, your sons, and everything you have with a terrible plague.
15 You yourself will suffer with a severe intestinal disease that will get worse each day until your bowels come out.”
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And you are going to come down with a terrible disease of the colon, painful and humiliating."
16 Then the LORD stirred up the Philistines and the Arabs, who lived near the Ethiopians, to attack Jehoram.
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The trouble started with an invasion. God incited the Philistines and the Arabs who lived near the Ethiopians to attack Jehoram.
17 They marched against Judah, broke down its defenses, and carried away everything of value in the royal palace, including the king’s sons and his wives. Only his youngest son, Ahaziah, was spared.
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They came to the borders of Judah, forced their way in, and plundered the place - robbing the royal palace of everything in it including his wives and sons. One son, his youngest, Ahaziah, was left behind.
18 After all this, the LORD struck Jehoram with an incurable intestinal disease.
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The terrible and fatal disease in his colon followed. After about two years he was totally incontinent and died writhing in pain.
19 The disease grew worse and worse, and at the end of two years it caused his bowels to come out, and he died in agony. His people did not build a great funeral fire to honor him as they had done for his ancestors.
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His people didn't honor him by lighting a great bonfire, as was customary with his ancestors.
20 Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. No one was sorry when he died. They buried him in the City of David, but not in the royal cemetery.
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He was thirty-two years old when he became king and reigned for eight years in Jerusalem. There were no tears shed when he died - it was good riddance! - and they buried him in the City of David, but not in the royal cemetery.