Joram was king of Judah and son of the godly king Jehoshaphat. Despite his father's example, Joram followed in the footsteps of Israel's wicked kings, influenced by his wife Athaliah, who was the daughter of Ahab. His reign was marked by idol worship, bloodshed, and military defeats.
2He had brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariahu, Michael, and Shephatiah. All of these were sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel.[^1]
[^1]: Jehoshaphat ruled Judah; here the writer calls him king of Israel, using that name for the whole covenant people.
3Their father had given them many gifts of silver and gold and precious things, along with fortified cities in Judah, but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram, because he was the firstborn.
4When Jehoram had taken hold of his father's kingdom and made himself secure, he put all his brothers to the sword, and some of the officials of Israel as well.
Joram walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done, because he married Ahab's daughter. He did what was evil in the Lord's sight.
18He followed the ways of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done, for he had married a daughter of Ahab. And he did what was evil in the eyes of the LORD.
19Yet the LORD was unwilling to destroy Judah, for the sake of his servant David, since he had promised to give him a lamp for his descendants forever.
21So Joram crossed over to Zair with all his chariots. He set out by night and struck the Edomites who had surrounded him, along with their chariot commanders, but his troops fled to their tents.
The prophet Elijah sent a letter to Joram with judgment from the Lord because of his wickedness, idolatry, and the murder of his brothers. The letter predicted a terrible disease.
12Then a letter came to him from Elijah the prophet, which said: "This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: Because you have not walked in the ways of your father Jehoshaphat or in the ways of Asa king of Judah,
13but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel and have led Judah and the people of Jerusalem into unfaithfulness, just as the house of Ahab led Israel astray, and because you have murdered your own brothers, your father's house, men better than yourself—
The Lord stirred up the anger of the Philistines and Arabs against Joram. They attacked Judah, broke into the land, and took everything they found in the king's house, including his sons and wives.
17They came up against Judah, broke into it, and carried off all the possessions found in the king's palace, together with his sons and his wives. Not a son was left to him except Jehoahaz, the youngest.
The Lord struck Joram with an incurable disease in his intestines. After two years of suffering, he died, and no one mourned for him. He was not buried in the royal tombs.
19In the course of time, at the end of two years, his bowels came out because of the disease, and he died in terrible agony. His people made no fire in his honor, as they had done for his fathers.
20He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. He passed away, to no one's regret, and they buried him in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.