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 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 forever.
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 honor, as they had for his predecessors.
20Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem 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約沙法與祖先同眠後，葬在大衛城他的祖墳裡。他兒子約蘭繼位。
猶大王約蘭
2亞撒利雅、耶歇、撒迦利雅、亞撒列夫、米迦勒和示法提雅是約蘭的兄弟、猶大王約沙法的兒子。 3他們的父親賜給他們許多金銀財寶和猶大境內的堅城，但將王位賜給了約蘭，因為他是長子。 4約蘭登基，鞏固了王位後，就用刀殺了他所有的兄弟和一些以色列的首領。 5約蘭三十二歲登基，在耶路撒冷執政八年。 6他與亞哈家一樣步以色列諸王的後塵，因為他娶了亞哈的女兒為妻，做耶和華視為惡的事。 7但耶和華不願毀滅大衛家，因為祂曾與大衛立約，應許讓大衛和他的子孫永遠做王。
8約蘭執政期間，以東人脫離猶大的統治，自己立王。 9約蘭率將領及所有戰車前去討伐，結果被以東人包圍。但他們乘夜突出重圍。 10以東人至今仍脫離猶大的統治，立拿人也在那時候叛變了，因為約蘭背棄了他祖先的上帝耶和華。 11約蘭在猶大的山上修建邱壇，引誘耶路撒冷的居民與假神苟合，使猶大人步入歧途。
12以利亞先知寫信給約蘭說：「你祖先大衛的上帝耶和華說，『你沒有效法你父親約沙法，也沒有效法猶大王亞撒， 13而是重蹈以色列諸王的覆轍，與亞哈家一樣，引誘猶大人和耶路撒冷的居民與假神苟合，還殺了比你好的兄弟。 14因此，耶和華要降大災禍給你的人民、兒女、妻妾及一切所有。 15你必患嚴重的腸病，並且日益加重，直到你的腸子掉出來。』」
16耶和華驅使非利士人和古實附近的阿拉伯人攻打約蘭。 17他們起兵攻打猶大，侵入境內，擄走了王宮裡的所有財物以及約蘭的兒子和妻妾，只留下他最小的兒子約哈斯。
18這事以後，耶和華使約蘭患了無法醫治的腸病， 19日益加重，兩年後腸子掉了出來，他痛苦地死去。他的百姓沒有像對待他祖先那樣向他焚火致哀。 20約蘭三十二歲登基，在耶路撒冷執政八年。他死後無人向他致哀。他葬在大衛城，但沒有葬在王陵裡。
