¹The inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah his youngest son king in his place , because the band of men who came with the Arabians to the camp had slain all the oldest. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah reigned .

²Ahaziah was forty-two years old when he began to reign , and he reigned one year in Jerusalem . His mother’s name was Athaliah the daughter of Omri .

³He also walked in the ways of Ahab’s house , because his mother was his counsellor in acting wickedly .

⁴He did that which was evil in the LORD ’s sight , as did Ahab’s house , for they were his counsellors after the death of his father, to his destruction .

⁵He also followed their counsel , and went with Jehoram the son of Ahab king of Israel to war against Hazael king of Syria at Ramoth Gilead ; and the Syrians wounded Joram .

⁶He returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which they had given him at Ramah , when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. Azariah the son of Jehoram , king of Judah , went down to see Jehoram the son of Ahab in Jezreel , because he was sick .

⁷Now the destruction of Ahaziah was of God , in that he went to Joram ; for when he had come , he went out with Jehoram against Jehu the son of Nimshi , whom the LORD had anointed to cut off Ahab’s house .

⁸When Jehu was executing judgement on Ahab’s house , he found the princes of Judah and the sons of the brothers of Ahaziah serving Ahaziah, and killed them .

⁹He sought Ahaziah, and they caught him (now he was hiding in Samaria ), and they brought him to Jehu and killed him ; and they buried him , for they said, “He is the son of Jehoshaphat , who sought the LORD with all his heart .” The house of Ahaziah had no power to hold the kingdom .

¹⁰Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead , she arose and destroyed all the royal offspring of the house of Judah .

¹¹But Jehoshabeath , the king ’s daughter , took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stealthily rescued him from amongst the king ’s sons who were slain , and put him and his nurse in the bedroom . So Jehoshabeath , the daughter of King Jehoram , the wife of Jehoiada the priest (for she was the sister of Ahaziah), hid him from Athaliah , so that she didn’t kill him .

¹²He was with them hidden in God’s house six years while Athaliah reigned over the land.