2 Chronicles 22 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.

The people of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, Jehoram's youngest son, king in his place, because the raiding party that came with the Arabs had killed all the older sons. So Ahaziah son of Jehoram became king of Judah.

Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for one year. His mother's name was Athaliah, a granddaughter of Omri.

He also followed the ways of the house of Ahab, because his mother was his advisor in doing wrong.

He did what was wrong in Yahweh's eyes, just like the house of Ahab. After his father's death, they became his advisors — and it led to his downfall.

Following their advice, he went with Joram son of Ahab, king of Israel, to fight against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth Gilead. The Arameans wounded Joram.

Joram returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds he had received at Ramah while fighting Hazael king of Aram. Then Ahaziah son of Jehoram, king of Judah, went down to Jezreel to visit Joram son of Ahab because he was wounded.

It was God's plan that Ahaziah's visit to Joram would bring about his downfall. When he arrived, he went out with Joram to meet Jehu son of Nimshi, whom Yahweh had appointed to wipe out the house of Ahab.

While Jehu was executing judgment on the house of Ahab, he found the officials of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah's relatives who were serving Ahaziah, and he killed them.

Then he searched for Ahaziah, and they captured him while he was hiding in Samaria. They brought him to Jehu and put him to death. They did bury him, though, because they said, "He was the grandson of Jehoshaphat, who sought Yahweh with all his heart." But there was no one left in Ahaziah's family strong enough to rule the kingdom.

When Athaliah, Ahaziah's mother, saw that her son was dead, she rose up and destroyed the entire royal family of the house of Judah.

But Jehoshabeath, the king's daughter, grabbed Joash son of Ahaziah and smuggled him away from among the other royal sons who were about to be murdered. She hid him and his nurse in a bedroom. Jehoshabeath — daughter of King Jehoram and wife of Jehoiada the priest — hid him from Athaliah so she could not kill him, because he was Ahaziah's son.

He remained hidden with them in God's house for six years while Athaliah ruled the land.