It was his youngest son, Ochozias, that the citizens of Jerusalem made king in his place. All his elder brothers had been killed by Arab freebooters, that fell on the camp where they were lodged; and so Ochozias became Joram’s heir, and reigned in Juda.

When he came to the throne, he had lived (twice) a score of years and two,✻ and his reign at Jerusalem lasted but a year. His mother’s name was Athalia, descended from Amri.

He too followed the example of Achab’s line, his mother prompting him to impious deeds.

Little wonder if he defied the Lord’s will no less than Achab’s race, since these were his counsellors, to his undoing, after his father died.

He shared, too, their designs, and marched with the king of Israel, Joram that was son to Achab, against Hazael, king of Syria. They met at Ramoth-Galaad, and there Joram was wounded by the Syrians,

so that he must go back to Jezrahel to recover; wounds a many he had received in the battle we speak of. And when Joram, son of Achab, lay sick at Jezrahel, Ochozias son of Joram king of Juda came there to visit him.✻

It was the divine will, for Ochozias’ punishment, that he should pay Joram this visit, and with him should offer battle to Jehu, son of Namsi, whom the Lord had anointed king to make an end of Achab’s line.

Jehu it was that fell in with the princes of Juda, sons of Ochozias’ kinsmen and courtiers of his, and slew them, at the time when he was exterminating the line of Achab;

Jehu it was that made enquiry after Ochozias himself, who was found still hiding in the kingdom of Samaria, and so brought before him and slain. Yet he was given burial; was he not descended from king Josaphat, a king who had set his whole heart on following the Lord?✻

Little hope there seemed then of Juda being governed any longer by Ochozias’ kindred.

The more so because his mother, Athalia, no sooner heard the news of her son’s death, than she set about exterminating all the blood royal of Joram’s dynasty.

Only Joas, Ochozias’ son, was rescued by the princess Josabeth, who stole him away while all the other princes were being slain, and hid him, with his nurse, in the room where the bedding was stored up. This Josabeth, who hid him, was a daughter of king Joram’s, sister to Ochozias and wife to the high priest Joiada. Joas, then, escaped murder at Athalia’s hands,

and for the six years of her life that remained he was hidden away in the house of God.