Antiquities Book 9, Chapter 5
Concerning The Wickedness Of Jehoram King Of Jerusalem; His Defeat And Death.
1. Now Jehoram the king of Jerusalem, for we have said before that he
had the same name with the king of Israel, as soon as he had taken the
government upon him, betook himself to the slaughter of his brethren,
and his father's friends, who were governors under him, and thence made
a beginning and a demonstration of his wickedness; nor was he at all
better than those kings of Israel who at first transgressed against the
laws of their country, and of the Hebrews, and against God's worship.
And it was Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab, whom he had married, who
taught him to be a bad man in other respects, and also to worship
foreign gods. Now God would not quite root out this family, because of
the promise he had made to David. However, Jehoram did not leave off the
introduction of new sorts of customs to the propagation of impiety, and
to the ruin of the customs of his own country. And when the Edomites
about that time had revolted from him, and slain their former king, who
was in subjection to his father, and had set up one of their own
choosing, Jehoram fell upon the land of Edom, with the horsemen that
were about him, and the chariots, by night, and destroyed those that lay
near to his own kingdom, but did not proceed further. However, this
expedition did him no service, for they all revolted from him, with
those that dwelt in the country of Libnah. He was indeed so mad as to
compel the people to go up to the high places of the mountains, and
worship foreign gods.
2. As he was doing this, and had entirely cast his own country laws out
of his mind, there was brought him an epistle from Elijah the prophet 14
which declared that God would execute great judgments upon him, because
he had not imitated his own fathers, but had followed the wicked courses
of the kings of Israel; and had compelled the tribe of Judah, and the
citizens of Jerusalem, to leave the holy worship of their own God, and
to worship idols, as Ahab had compelled the Israelites to do, and
because he had slain his brethren, and the men that were good and
righteous. And the prophet gave him notice in this epistle what
punishment he should undergo for these crimes, namely, the destruction
of his people, with the corruption of the king's own wives and children;
and that he should himself die of a distemper in his bowels, with long
torments, those his bowels falling out by the violence of the inward
rottenness of the parts, insomuch that, though he see his own misery, he
shall not be able at all to help himself, but shall die in that manner.
This it was which Elijah denounced to him in that epistle.
3. It was not long after this that an army of those Arabians that lived
near to Ethiopia, and of the Philistines, fell upon the kingdom of
Jehoram, and spoiled the country and the king's house. Moreover, they
slew his sons and his wives: one only of his sons was left him, who
escaped the enemy; his name was Ahaziah; after which calamity, he
himself fell into that disease which was foretold by the prophet, and
lasted a great while, [for God inflicted this punishment upon him in his
belly, out of his wrath against him,] and so he died miserably, and saw
his own bowels fall out. The people also abused his dead body; I suppose
it was because they thought that such his death came upon him by the
wrath of God, and that therefore he was not worthy to partake of such a
funeral as became kings. Accordingly, they neither buried him in the
sepulchers of his fathers, nor vouchsafed him any honors, but buried him
like a private man, and this when he had lived forty years, and reigned
eight. And the people of Jerusalem delivered the government to his son
Ahaziah.
had the same name with the king of Israel, as soon as he had taken the
government upon him, betook himself to the slaughter of his brethren,
and his father's friends, who were governors under him, and thence made
a beginning and a demonstration of his wickedness; nor was he at all
better than those kings of Israel who at first transgressed against the
laws of their country, and of the Hebrews, and against God's worship.
And it was Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab, whom he had married, who
taught him to be a bad man in other respects, and also to worship
foreign gods. Now God would not quite root out this family, because of
the promise he had made to David. However, Jehoram did not leave off the
introduction of new sorts of customs to the propagation of impiety, and
to the ruin of the customs of his own country. And when the Edomites
about that time had revolted from him, and slain their former king, who
was in subjection to his father, and had set up one of their own
choosing, Jehoram fell upon the land of Edom, with the horsemen that
were about him, and the chariots, by night, and destroyed those that lay
near to his own kingdom, but did not proceed further. However, this
expedition did him no service, for they all revolted from him, with
those that dwelt in the country of Libnah. He was indeed so mad as to
compel the people to go up to the high places of the mountains, and
worship foreign gods.
2. As he was doing this, and had entirely cast his own country laws out
of his mind, there was brought him an epistle from Elijah the prophet 14
which declared that God would execute great judgments upon him, because
he had not imitated his own fathers, but had followed the wicked courses
of the kings of Israel; and had compelled the tribe of Judah, and the
citizens of Jerusalem, to leave the holy worship of their own God, and
to worship idols, as Ahab had compelled the Israelites to do, and
because he had slain his brethren, and the men that were good and
righteous. And the prophet gave him notice in this epistle what
punishment he should undergo for these crimes, namely, the destruction
of his people, with the corruption of the king's own wives and children;
and that he should himself die of a distemper in his bowels, with long
torments, those his bowels falling out by the violence of the inward
rottenness of the parts, insomuch that, though he see his own misery, he
shall not be able at all to help himself, but shall die in that manner.
This it was which Elijah denounced to him in that epistle.
3. It was not long after this that an army of those Arabians that lived
near to Ethiopia, and of the Philistines, fell upon the kingdom of
Jehoram, and spoiled the country and the king's house. Moreover, they
slew his sons and his wives: one only of his sons was left him, who
escaped the enemy; his name was Ahaziah; after which calamity, he
himself fell into that disease which was foretold by the prophet, and
lasted a great while, [for God inflicted this punishment upon him in his
belly, out of his wrath against him,] and so he died miserably, and saw
his own bowels fall out. The people also abused his dead body; I suppose
it was because they thought that such his death came upon him by the
wrath of God, and that therefore he was not worthy to partake of such a
funeral as became kings. Accordingly, they neither buried him in the
sepulchers of his fathers, nor vouchsafed him any honors, but buried him
like a private man, and this when he had lived forty years, and reigned
eight. And the people of Jerusalem delivered the government to his son
Ahaziah.