1The people of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, his youngest son, king in his place. The band of men who came with the Arabians to the camp had killed all the older sons. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah became king.
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 too walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother advised him to do wickedly.
4So he did evil in the sight of the LORD, like the house of Ahab. After his father died, they were his advisers, and they brought about his ruin.
5He also followed their advice. He went with Jehoram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, to make war against Hazael king of Syria at Ramothgilead, and the Syrians wounded Joram.
6So he returned to Jezreel to be healed of the wounds he was given at Ramah, when he fought with Hazael king of Syria. And Azariah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Jehoram the son of Ahab at Jezreel, because he was sick.
7Ahaziah's ruin came from God, through his going 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 the house of Ahab.
8While Jehu was carrying out judgment on the house of Ahab, he found the princes of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah's brothers, who served Ahaziah, and he killed them.
9Then he looked for Ahaziah. They caught him, for he was hiding in Samaria, and they brought him to Jehu. When they had killed him, they buried him. They said, "He is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the LORD with all his heart." So the house of Ahaziah had no power to hold on to the kingdom.
10But when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she rose up and destroyed all the royal children of the house of Judah.
11But Jehoshabeath, the king's daughter, took Joash the son of Ahaziah. She stole him away from among the king's sons who were being killed, and put him and his nurse in a bedroom. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of king Jehoram and the wife of Jehoiada the priest, hid him from Athaliah, for she was the sister of Ahaziah. And Athaliah did not kill him.
12He was hidden with them in the house of God for six years, and Athaliah reigned over the land.