1 The people of Jerusalem made his youngest son Ahaziah king after him, because the raiders who had come with the Arabs into the camp had killed all the older ones. So Ahaziah son of Jehoram became king of Judah.
2 Ahaziah was forty-two when he became king, and he ruled one year in Jerusalem. His mother was Athaliah, daughter of Omri.
3 He too followed the ways of Ahab's house, because his mother advised him to act wickedly.
4 He did evil in the LORD's sight as Ahab's house had done, for after his father's death they became his advisers, to his destruction.
5 Following their advice, he went with Jehoram son of Ahab king of Israel to fight Hazael king of Syria at Ramoth-gilead, where the Syrians wounded Joram.
6 Joram went back to Jezreel to recover from the wounds they had inflicted on him at Ramah in his fight with Hazael king of Syria. And Azariah son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to Jezreel to visit Jehoram son of Ahab, who was ill.
7 It was God's doing that Ahaziah's visit to Joram led to his downfall. On arriving he went out with Jehoram to meet Jehu son of Nimshi, whom the LORD had anointed to destroy Ahab's house.
8 While Jehu was carrying out judgment on Ahab's house, he came upon the leaders of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah's brothers who were attending Ahaziah, and he killed them.
9 Then he looked for Ahaziah, who was caught hiding in Samaria. They brought him to Jehu and executed him. They gave him burial, saying, "He was the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the LORD with all his heart." And no one in Ahaziah's house was strong enough to hold the kingdom.
10 When Athaliah, Ahaziah's mother, saw that her son was dead, she set out to wipe out the entire royal family of the house of Judah.
11 But Jehoshabeath the king's daughter took Joash son of Ahaziah, stealing him away from among the king's sons who were about to be murdered, and put him and his nurse in a bedroom. So Jehoshabeath, daughter of King Jehoram and wife of Jehoiada the priest, who was Ahaziah's sister, hid him from Athaliah, and she did not kill him.
12 He stayed with them in God's house, hidden for six years, while Athaliah ruled the land.