1 The inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah his youngest son king in his place, because the band of men who came with the Arabians to the camp had slain all the oldest. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah reigned. 2 Ahaziah 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. 3 He also walked in the ways of Ahab’s house, because his mother was his counselor in acting wickedly. 4 He did that which was evil in the LORD’s sight, as did Ahab’s house, for they were his counselors after the death of his father, to his destruction. 5 He also followed their counsel, and went with Jehoram the son of Ahab king of Israel to war against Hazael king of Syria at Ramoth Gilead, and the Syrians wounded Joram. 6 He returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which they had given him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. Azariah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Jehoram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.

7 Now the destruction of Ahaziah was of God, in that he went 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 Ahab’s house. 8 When Jehu was executing judgment on Ahab’s house, he found the princes of Judah and the sons of the brothers of Ahaziah, serving Ahaziah, and killed them. 9 He sought Ahaziah, and they caught him (now he was hiding in Samaria), and they brought him to Jehu, and killed him; and they buried him, for they said, "He is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the LORD with all his heart." The house of Ahaziah had no power to hold the kingdom.

10 Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal offspring of the house of Judah. 11 But Jehoshabeath, the king’s daughter, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stealthily rescued him from among the king’s sons who were slain, and put him and his nurse in the bedroom. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of king Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest (for she was the sister of Ahaziah), hid him from Athaliah, so that she didn’t kill him. 12 He was with them hidden in God’s house six years while Athaliah reigned over the land.

1 A população de Jerusalém pôs Acazias no trono, que era o filho mais novo do rei antecedente; porque os bandos de pilhagem dos árabes tinham morto todos os outros filhos.

2 Acazias tinha vinte e dois anos quando começou a reinar. Reinou durante um ano em Jerusalém. O nome da sua mãe era Atalia, neta de Omri.

3 Também ele se comportou perversamente, nos moldes da vida de Acabe, a conselho mesmo da própria mãe.

4 Essa influência maléfica da vida de Acabe sobre ele deve-se em grande parte também ao facto de os membros da família de Acabe se terem tornado seus conselheiros, depois da morte do pai; e foi assim que o conduziram à ruína.

5 Seguindo os maus conselhos deles, Acazias fez aliança com o rei Jorão de Israel, o filho de Acabe, e que estava em guerra contra Hazael, rei da Síria. Acazias levou o seu exército a juntar-se com Jorão, na batalha de Ramote-Gileade. O rei Jorão de Israel ficou ferido, e regressou a Jezreel para se restabelecer. Acazias foi visitá-lo, mas isto revelou-se ter sido um erro fatal, pois Deus tinha decidido castigar Acazias pela sua aliança com Jorão. Durante essa visita, Acazias foi com Jorão desafiar Jeú (filho de Ninsi), a quem o Senhor tinha indicado para pôr fim à dinastia de Acabe.

8 Enquanto Jeú estava perseguindo e matando os membros e amigos da família de Acabe, encontrou os sobrinhos de Acazias, príncipes de Judá, e matou-os.

9 Tendo-se posto, ele e os seus homens, à procura de Acazias, acharam-no escondido na cidade de Samaria. Foi trazido a Jeú, que o matou.

10 Apesar de tudo, fizeram-lhe um enterro real, porque sempre se tratava de um neto do rei Jeosafá -o homem que ferverosamente serviu o Senhor. Nenhum dos seus filhos, comm excepção de Joás, lhe sobreviveu; porque a avó deles, Atalia, os matou ao ouvir as notícias da morte do seu filho Acazias.

11 Joás foi salvo pela sua tia Jeosabeate, irmã do rei Acazias, que o escondeu num armazém do templo; era filha do rei Jeroão e mulher do sacerdote Jeoiada. Joás ficou ali escondido no templo durante seis anos; ocupavam-se dele a ama e os tios. Entretanto Atalia governava como rainha regente.