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Line 1: − : ''For the king of the [[Southern Kingdom]], see [[Ahaziah]].'' − '''King Ahaziah of Israel''' ([[Hebrew]] '''אחזיהו המלך''' held by [[YHWH]]) (898-896 BC according to [[James Ussher|Ussher]],<ref name=Ussher>[[James Ussher]], ''[[The Annals of the World]]'', [[Larry Pierce]], ed., Green Forest, AR: Master Books, 2003 (ISBN 0890513600), pghh. 521-523</ref> or 853-852 BC according to [[Edwin R. Thiele|Thiele]]<ref name=Wood>Leon J. Wood, ''A Survey of Israel's History'', rev. ed. David O'Brien, Grand Rapids, MI: Academie Books, 1986 (ISBN 031034770X), pp. 267-268</ref><ref name=2pi>Author unknown. "[http://www.2pi.info/bible/exhort/VisJudgement/index.html Visible Judgment]: [http://www.2pi.info/bible/exhort/VisJudgement/ReignofAhaziah.html The Reign of Ahaziah]." ''2π Bible Pages''. Retrieved June 19, 2007.</ref>) was the eighth king of the [[Northern Kingdom]] of [[Israel]].<ref name=WebBible>Authors unknown. "[http://www.christiananswers.net/dictionary/ahaziah.html Entry for Ahaziah]." WebBible Encyclopedia. Retrieved June 15, 2007.</ref><ref name=Columbia>Authors unknown. "[http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/people/A0802802.html Entry for Ahaziah]." ''The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia'', 6th ed. [[Columbia University]] Press, 2007. Retrieved June 15, 2007.</ref> He succeeded his father [[Ahab]] and in fact served the first year of his two-year reign as [[viceroy]] under [[Ahab]]. − − == Family == − This Ahaziah was the son of Ahab by Ahab's wife [[Jezebel]], and a member of the ill-fated [[House of Omri]]. He had about seventy brothers, including [[Jehoram of Israel|Jehoram]], his eventual successor. − − == Reign == − In the twenty-first year of his reign, Ahab made his son Ahaziah his viceroy. Then, within a year, Ahab was dead. Upon his death, the [[Moab|Moabites]], which had been the Northern Kingdom's vassals, revolted.<ref>{{Bible ref|book=II_Kings|chap=1|verses=1}}</ref><ref name=WebBible/> − − Ahaziah did as much evil in the sight of [[God]] as did his father Ahab, in that he continued to worship [[Baal]] himself and to encourage his subjects to do the same.<ref name=2pi/> The Bible condemns him in strong terms for leading his entire kingdom to [[sin]]. − − He attempted twice to revive the maritime trade in the [[Red Sea]], by making an alliance with King [[Jehoshaphat]] of the [[Southern Kingdom]]. Jehoshaphat agreed the first time, but the trade fleet was wrecked before it even got out of harbor.<ref name=WebBible/> Ahaziah tried to persuade Jehoshaphat to build another fleet, but Jehoshaphat refused. − − == Death == − Ahaziah fell through a lattice in a high room of his palace in [[Samaria]]. He sent messengers to ask at [[Ekron]] of the god [[Baalzebub]] (literally, "The Lord of the [[Housefly|Flies]]") whether he would recover.<ref name=WebBible/><ref name=2pi/> − − But those messengers never arrived at Ekron. They came back to Ahaziah and said that a stranger had intercepted them and told them to bring back a dire message: that Ahaziah would never get out of his bed, and would die in it. Ahaziah pressed them to describe this man, and from their description he determined that the man was none other than [[Elijah]], who had troubled his father's peace at various times during his reign. − − Ahaziah sent a [[platoon]]-sized force of fifty soldiers to arrest Elijah. They did not come back. Ahaziah sent another, with the same result. The third platoon, however, brought Elijah back into the presence of the king--but definitely ''not'' under arrest. − − Elijah did not spare Ahaziah's feelings or his royal prerogatives. He asked straight-out whether it was because [[God]] had no more presence in the Northern Kingdom that Ahaziah had to ask Baalzebub about his recovery. Elijah then told Ahaziah directly: he would never get out of bed.<ref name=WebBible/><ref name=2pi/> − − And he did not. Ahaziah died after a brief and mostly miserable two-year reign. He left no issue, and therefore his brother [[Jehoram of Israel|Jehoram]] succeeded him. − − == References == − <references/> − − == See Also == − * [[Ahab]] − * [[Jehoram of Israel]] − * [[Elijah]] − * [[Jehoshaphat]] − * [[Northern Kingdom]] − * [[Southern Kingdom]] − * [[Biblical chronology dispute]] − − − [[Category:Biblical persons]] − [[Category:Kings of Israel]]
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