New Living Translation | International Standard Version |
1When Jehoshaphat died, he was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. Then his son Jehoram became the next king. | 1Jehoshaphat died, as had his ancestors, and was buried in the City of David alongside his ancestors. His son Jehoram became king in his place. |
2Jehoram’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. | 2Jehoshaphat's sons, Jehoram's brothers, included Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah, Michael, and Shephatiah. All of these were sons of Jehoshaphat, king of Israel. |
3Their 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. | 3Their father gave them many gifts made of silver, and gold, as well as valuable things, along with fortified cities in Judah, but he passed the kingdom to Jehoram because Jehoram was his firstborn. |
4But when Jehoram had become solidly established as king, he killed all his brothers and some of the other leaders of Judah. | 4But after Jehoram had assumed the throne and consolidated his rule over his father's kingdom, he executed all of his brothers, along with some of the rulers of Israel. |
5Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. | 5Jehoram was 32 years old when he became king, and he reigned for eight years in Jerusalem. |
6But 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. | 6He lived like the kings of Israel, following the example of Ahab's dynasty, since he had married Ahab's daughter, and he practiced what the LORD considered to be evil. |
7But 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. | 7Nevertheless, the Lord was unwilling to destroy David's dynasty because of the covenant that he had made with David, especially since he had promised to give him and to his sons the reigning presence of an heir forever. |
8During Jehoram’s reign, the Edomites revolted against Judah and crowned their own king. | 8Nevertheless, Edom revolted against Judah's rule and set up their own king to rule them during Jehoram's reign. |
9So 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. | 9So Jehoram invaded Edom with his commanders and his chariots by night and killed the Edomites who had surrounded him and his chariot commanders. |
10Even 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. | 10Edom remains in revolt against Judah to this day. Libnah revolted against Jehoram's rule, too, because he had abandoned the LORD God of his ancestors. |
11He 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. | 11In addition to all of this, he built high places in the mountains of Judah, led the inhabitants of Jerusalem into cultic sexual immorality, and made Judah go astray. |
12Then 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. | 12After this, a letter arrived from Elijah the prophet. It said: "This is what the LORD God of your ancestor David says: 'You haven't lived like your father Jehoshaphat and like King Asa of Judah. |
13Instead, 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. | 13Instead, you have lived like the kings of Israel by causing Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to commit cultic sexual immorality—just like Ahab's dynasty did! And you've killed your brothers who were better than you—your own father's dynasty! |
14So now the LORD is about to strike you, your people, your children, your wives, and all that is yours with a heavy blow. | 14Look what's going to happen! The LORD is going to strike your people, your children, your wives, and everything you own with a massive tragedy. |
15You yourself will suffer with a severe intestinal disease that will get worse each day until your bowels come out.” | 15And as for you, you will suffer from a serious disease of your bowels. Eventually, day-by-day you will excrete your own bowels because of this disease." |
16Then the LORD stirred up the Philistines and the Arabs, who lived near the Ethiopians, to attack Jehoram. | 16The LORD also provoked the attitude of the Philistines and the Arabs who bordered the Ethiopians against Jehoram, |
17They 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. | 17and they attacked Judah, invading it and carried off everything he owned in his royal palace, along with all of his sons and wives except for his youngest son Jehoahaz. |
18After all this, the LORD struck Jehoram with an incurable intestinal disease. | 18After all of this happened, the LORD struck him in his bowels with an incurable illness. |
19The 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. | 19In due course, as time passed, two years later his bowels came out because of his sickness and he died in agony. His people lit no memorial bonfire for him as they had done for his ancestors. |
20Jehoram 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. | 20Jehoram was 32 years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for eight years. He left this earth —to nobody's regret—and they buried him in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings. |
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. | The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. |
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