2 Chronicles 22 - Easy To Read Version

¹ The people of Jerusalem chose Ahaziah {\cf2\super [249]} to be the new king in Jehoram’s place. Ahaziah was Jehoram’s youngest son. The people that came with the Arab people to attack Jehoram’s camp killed all of Jehoram’s older sons. So Ahaziah began to rule in Judah.

² Ahaziah was 22 years old when he began to rule. {\cf2\super [250]} Ahaziah ruled one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Athaliah. Athaliah’s father’s name was Omri.

³ Ahaziah also lived the way Ahab’s family lived. He lived that way because his mother encouraged him to do wrong things.

⁴ Ahaziah did evil things in the Lord’s sight. That is what Ahab’s family did. Ahab’s family gave advice to Ahaziah after Ahaziah’s father died. They gave Ahaziah bad advice. That bad advice led to his death.

⁵ Ahaziah followed the advice Ahab’s family gave him. Ahaziah went with King Joram to fight against King Hazael from Aram at the town of Ramoth Gilead. Joram’s father’s name was Ahab, the king of Israel. But the Arameans wounded Joram in the battle.

⁶ Joram went back to the town of Jezreel to get well. He was wounded at Ramoth when he fought against Hazael, king of Aram.

⁷ God caused Ahaziah’s {\cf2\super [252]} death when he went to visit Joram. Ahaziah arrived and went out with Joram to meet Jehu. Jehu’s father’s name was Nimshi. The Lord chose Jehu to destroy Ahab’s family.

⁸ Jehu was punishing Ahab’s family. Jehu found the leaders of Judah and Ahaziah’s relatives that served Ahaziah. Jehu killed those leaders of Judah and Ahaziah’s relatives.

⁹ Then Jehu looked for Ahaziah. Jehu’s men caught him when he tried to hide in the town of Samaria. They brought Ahaziah to Jehu. They killed Ahaziah and buried him. They said, “Ahaziah is the descendant {\cf2\super [253]} of Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat followed the Lord with all his heart.” Ahaziah’s family had no power to hold the kingdom of Judah together.

¹⁰ Athaliah was Ahaziah’s {\cf2\super [254]} mother. When she saw that her son was dead, she killed all the king’s children in Judah.

¹¹ But Jehosheba took Ahaziah’s son Joash and hid him. Jehosheba put Joash and his nurse in the inside bedroom. Jehosheba was King Jehoram’s daughter. She was also Jehoiada’s wife. Jehoiada was a priest. And Jehosheba was Ahaziah’s sister. Athaliah did not kill Joash, because Jehosheba hid him.

¹² Joash was hidden with the priests in God’s temple {\cf2\super [255]} for six years. During that time, Athaliah ruled over the land as queen.