2 Chronicles Chapter 22

Ahaziah Rules Judah

¹ Then the people in Jerusalem made Ahaziah/Jehoahaz, his youngest son, king. The band of men that came with the Arabs to the camp had killed the older sons. ² Ahaziah was 22 and ruled for 1 year in Jerusalem. His mother was Athaliah, granddaughter of Omri. ³ To his destruction, he also followed Ahab’s practices because his mother gave him bad advice. ⁴ He sinned in ⁵ going with Jehoram son of Ahab to fight Hazael, king of Aram, at Ramoth-gilead. But the Arameans wounded Joram/Jehoram. ⁶ He came back to heal in Jezreel from his wounds at Ramah. Ahaziah son of Joram/Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram/Jehoram in Jezreel because he was wounded.       2 Ch 22:1-6

⁷ The destruction of Ahaziah was from God for going to Joram/Jehoram. He went out with Jehoram against Jehu son of Nimshi that the LORD had anointed to eliminate Ahab’s family. ⁸ When Jehu was executing judgment on that family, he found Judah’s officials and the sons of Ahaziah’s brothers serving Ahaziah and killed them. ⁹ His men also looked for Ahaziah and caught him hiding in Samaria. They brought him to Jehu, put him to death, and buried him; because they said, “He is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the LORD with all his heart.” There wasn’t anybody from Ahaziah’s family capable of ruling the kingdom. 

Queen Athaliah Rules Judah

¹⁰ When his mother Athaliah saw he was dead, she killed the royal offspring in Judah. ¹¹ But Jehoshabeath, King Joram/Jehoram’s daughter, stole Ahaziah’s son Joash from among the king’s sons—who were being murdered—and placed him and his nurse in a bedroom. Jehoshabeath, wife of Jehoiada the priest and Ahaziah’s sister, hid him so Athaliah couldn’t kill him. ¹² They hid him in God’s Temple for 6 years while Athaliah ruled the country.                                                                                                                       2 Ch 22:7-12