1 And Jehoshaphat went to rest with his fathers, and his body was put into the earth in the town of David. And Jehoram his son became king in his place.

2 And he had brothers, sons of Jehoshaphat, Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah, Michael, and Shephatiah; all these were sons of Jehoshaphat, king of Israel.

3 And their father gave them much silver and gold and things of great value, as well as walled towns in Judah; but the kingdom he gave to Jehoram, because he was the oldest.

4 Now when Jehoram had taken his place over his father's kingdom, and had made his position safe, he put all his brothers to death with the sword, as well as some of the princes of Israel.

5 Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king; and he was ruling in Jerusalem for eight years.

6 He went in the ways of the kings of Israel, and did as the family of Ahab did, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife; and he did evil in the eyes of the Lord.

7 But it was not the Lord's purpose to send destruction on the family of David, because of the agreement he had made with David, when he said he would give to him and to his sons a light for ever.

8 In his time Edom made themselves free from the rule of Judah, and took a king for themselves.

9 Then Jehoram went over with his captains and all his war-carriages ... made an attack by night on the Edomites, whose forces were all round him ... on the captains of the war-carriages.

10 So Edom made themselves free from the rule of Judah, to this day: and at the same time Libnah made itself free from his rule; because he was turned away from the Lord, the God of his fathers.

11 And more than this, he made high places in the mountains of Judah, teaching the people of Jerusalem to go after false gods, and guiding Judah away from the true way.

12 And a letter came to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, The Lord, the God of your father David, says, Because you have not kept to the ways of your father Jehoshaphat or the ways of Asa, king of Judah,

13 But have gone in the way of the kings of Israel, and have made Judah and the people of Jerusalem go after false gods, as the family of Ahab did: and because you have put to death your father's sons, your brothers, who were better than yourself:

14 Now, truly, the Lord will send a great destruction on your people and your children and your wives and everything which is yours:

15 And you yourself will undergo the cruel pains of a disease in your stomach, so that day by day your inside will be falling out because of the disease.

16 Then the Philistines and the Arabians, who are by Ethiopia, were moved by the Lord to make war on Jehoram;

17 And they came up against Judah, forcing a way into it, and took away all the goods in the king's house, as well as his sons and his wives; so that he had no son but only Jehoahaz, the youngest.

18 And after all this the Lord sent on him a disease of the stomach from which it was impossible for him to be made well.

19 And time went on, and after two years, his inside falling out because of the disease, he came to his death in cruel pain. And his people made no burning for him like the burning made for his fathers.

20 He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he was ruling in Jerusalem for eight years: and at his death he was not regretted; they put his body into the earth in the town of David, but not in the resting-place of the kings.

1 Quando morreu, Jeosafá foi enterrado no cemitério dos reis, em Jerusalém. O seu filho Jeorão tomou o seu lugar no trono de Judá. Os seus irmãos - os outros filhos de Jeosafá - eram: Azarias, Jeiel, Zacarias, Asarias, Micael e Sefatias.

3 O pai tinha dado a cada um valiosos presentes em dinheiro e em jóias, assim como o senhorio sobre algumas das cidades fortificadas de Judá. Contudo o trono foi para Jeorão, porque era o mais velho. Mas quando este último se sentiu confirmado solidamente como rei, matou os irmãos, e muitos outros líderes de Israel.

5 Tinha trinta e dois anos quando começou a reinar. Reinou oito anos em Jerusalém. Foi tão mau como os reis de Israel. Assemelhou-se ao ímpio Acabe; até porque tinha casado com uma das suas filhas. Toda a sua vida foi um constante desfiar de maldades.

7 No entanto o Senhor não tinha intenção de terminar com a dinastia de David, pois fizera com este uma aliança em como haveria sempre um descendente seu sobre o trono.

8 O rei de Edom revoltou-se e declarou independência, face a Judá. Jeorão atacou-o com todo o exército, equipado com carros de combate, progredindo de noite; e quase conseguiram dominá-los. Mas o certo é que Edom acabou por sair vitorioso, e conseguiu, até hoje, libertar-se do jugo de Judá. Também Libna se revoltou. Tudo isso porque Jeorão desprezou o Senhor Deus dos seus pais. E mais ainda: construiu altares aos ídolos, no cimo das elevações de Judá, e levou a população de Jerusalém a prestar-lhe culto - foi mesmo uma imposição que fez ao povo de Jerusalém e de Judá.

12 Elias o profeta escreveu-lhe a seguinte carta: O Senhor Deus do teu antepassado David diz que, devido a não andares nos caminhos de Jeosafá, teu pai, e nos do rei Asa, antes te tornaste tão perverso como os reis de Israel e fizeste com que o povo de Jerusalém e de Judá adorassem ídolos, tal como nos tempos do rei Acabe, e visto que mataste os teus irmãos, que eram melhores do que tu, agora o Senhor destruirá a tua nação com uma grande praga. Tanto tu, como os teus filhos, as tuas mulheres e tudo o que tens se perderá. Serás ferido com uma enfermidade intestinal e as entranhas rebentar-te-ão.

16 O Senhor suscitou a revolta nos filisteus e nos árabes, vizinhos dos etíopes, levando-os a atacarem Jeorão. Marcharam contra Judá, atravessaram a fronteira, e levaram tudo o que havia de valioso no palácio real, mais ainda seus filhos e mulheres; só o mais novo, Jeoacaz , conseguiu escapar.

18 Foi após isto que Jeová o feriu com a tal doença intestinal incurável. Com a evolução do mal, ao fim de dois anos, os intestinos rebentaram-lhe e morreu no meio de tremendos sofrimentos. Não se lhe fizeram sequer as cerimónias fúnebres habituais, com queima de aromas, aquando do seu funeral.

20 Tinha trinta e dois anos de idade quando começou a reinar. Reinou oito anos em Jerusalém, e morreu sem deixar saudades. Foi enterrado em Jerusalém, mas não no cemitério real.