1The people of Jerusalem made Jehoram’s youngest son Ahaziah king in his place, because the raiders who came to the camp with the Arabs had killed all the older sons. So Jehoram’s son Ahaziah became king of Judah. 2Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he began to rule. He ruled for one year in Jerusalem. His mother was Athaliah, the granddaughter of Omri. 3Ahaziah also followed the ways of Ahab’s family, because his mother gave him advice that led him to sin. 4He did what Jehovah considered evil the same as Ahab’s family had done. After his father died, they advised him to do what Ahab’s family had done. They did this to destroy him. 5He followed their advice. He joined King Joram of Israel in a war against King Hazael of Syria. The armies clashed at Ramoth in Gilead, and Joram was wounded in battle. 6He returned to the city of Jezreel to recover from his wounds. Ahaziah went there to visit him. 7God used this visit to Joram to bring about Ahaziah’s downfall. While Ahaziah was there, a man named Jehu confronted him and Joram. Jehu was the son of Nimshi, whom Jehovah chose to destroy the dynasty of Ahab. 8Jehu carried out God’s sentence on the dynasty. He came across a group made up of Judean leaders and of Ahaziah’s nephews that had accompanied Ahaziah on his visit. Jehu killed them all. 9A search was made for Ahaziah. He was found hiding in Samaria. They took him to Jehu and put him to death. But they did bury his body out of respect for his grandfather King Jehoshaphat, who had done all he could to serve Jehovah. No member of Ahaziah’s family was left who could rule the kingdom. 10When King Ahaziah’s mother Athaliah learned of her son’s murder, she gave orders for all the members of the royal family of Judah to be killed. 11Ahaziah had a half sister, Jehosheba, who was married to a priest named Jehoiada. She secretly rescued one of Ahaziah’s sons, Joash, took him away from the other princes who were about to be murdered. She hid him and a nurse in a bedroom at the Temple. By keeping him hidden, she saved him from death at the hands of Athaliah. 12For six years he remained there in hiding, while Athaliah ruled as queen.