1Then Jehoshaphat rested with his ancestors and was buried with them in the City of David. And Jehoram his son succeeded him as king. 2Jehoram’s brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat, were Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariahu, Michael and Shephatiah. All these were sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel.21:2 That is, Judah, as frequently in 2 Chronicles 3Their father had given them many gifts of silver and gold and articles of value, as well as fortified cities in Judah, but he had given the kingdom to Jehoram because he was his firstborn son.
Jehoram king of Judah
4When Jehoram established himself firmly over his father’s kingdom, he put all his brothers to the sword along with some of the officials of Israel. 5Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for eight years. 6He followed the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for he married a daughter of Ahab. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. 7Nevertheless, because of the covenant the Lord had made with David, the Lord was not willing to destroy the house of David. He had promised to maintain a lamp for him and his descendants for ever.
8In the time of Jehoram, Edom rebelled against Judah and set up its own king. 9So Jehoram went there with his officers and all his chariots. The Edomites surrounded him and his chariot commanders, but he rose up and broke through by night. 10To this day Edom has been in rebellion against Judah.
Libnah revolted at the same time, because Jehoram had forsaken the Lord, the God of his ancestors. 11He had also built high places on the hills of Judah and had caused the people of Jerusalem to prostitute themselves and had led Judah astray.
12Jehoram received a letter from Elijah the prophet, which said:
‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: “You have not followed the ways of your father Jehoshaphat or of Asa king of Judah. 13But you have followed the ways of the kings of Israel, and you have led Judah and the people of Jerusalem to prostitute themselves, just as the house of Ahab did. You have also murdered your own brothers, members of your own family, men who were better than you. 14So now the Lord is about to strike your people, your sons, your wives and everything that is yours, with a heavy blow. 15You yourself will be very ill with a lingering disease of the bowels, until the disease causes your bowels to come out.” ’
16The Lord aroused against Jehoram the hostility of the Philistines and of the Arabs who lived near the Cushites. 17They attacked Judah, invaded it and carried off all the goods found in the king’s palace, together with his sons and wives. Not a son was left to him except Ahaziah,21:17 Hebrew Jehoahaz, a variant of Ahaziah the youngest.
18After all this, the Lord afflicted Jehoram with an incurable disease of the bowels. 19In the course of time, at the end of the second year, his bowels came out because of the disease, and he died in great pain. His people made no funeral fire in his honour, as they had for his predecessors.
20Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for eight years. He passed away, to no-one’s regret, and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.
1约沙法与祖先同眠后，葬在大卫城他的祖坟里。他儿子约兰继位。
犹大王约兰
2亚撒利雅、耶歇、撒迦利雅、亚撒列夫、米迦勒和示法提雅是约兰的兄弟、犹大王约沙法的儿子。 3他们的父亲赐给他们许多金银、财宝和犹大境内的坚城，但将王位赐给了约兰，因为他是长子。 4约兰登基，巩固了王位后，就用刀杀了他所有的兄弟和一些以色列首领。 5约兰三十二岁登基，在耶路撒冷执政八年。 6他与亚哈家一样步以色列诸王的后尘，因为他娶了亚哈的女儿为妻，做耶和华视为恶的事。 7但耶和华不愿毁灭大卫家，因为祂曾与大卫立约，应许让大卫和他的子孙永远做王。
8约兰执政期间，以东人反叛犹大，自己立王。 9约兰率将领及所有战车前去讨伐，结果被以东人包围。但他们乘夜突出重围。 10以东人至今仍脱离犹大的统治，立拿人也在那时候叛变了，因为约兰背弃了他祖先的上帝耶和华。 11约兰在犹大的山上修建丘坛，引诱耶路撒冷的居民和犹大人与假神苟合。
12以利亚先知写信给约兰说：“你祖先大卫的上帝耶和华这样说，‘因为你没有效法你父亲约沙法，也没有效法犹大王亚撒， 13而是重蹈以色列诸王的覆辙，与亚哈家一样，引诱犹大人和耶路撒冷的居民与假神苟合，还杀了比你好的兄弟。 14因此，耶和华要降大灾祸给你的人民、儿女、妻妾及一切所有。 15你必患严重的肠病，并且日益加重，直到你的肠子掉出来。’”
16耶和华驱使非利士人和古实附近的阿拉伯人攻打约兰。 17他们起兵攻打犹大，侵入境内，掳走了王宫里的所有财物以及约兰的儿子和妻妾，只留下他最小的儿子约哈斯。
18这事以后，耶和华使约兰患了无法医治的肠病， 19日益加重，两年后肠子掉了出来，他痛苦地死去了。他的百姓没有像对待他祖先那样向他焚火致哀。 20约兰三十二岁登基，在耶路撒冷执政八年。他死后无人向他致哀。他葬在大卫城，但没有葬在王陵里。
