3. Jehoshaphat gave his sons many gifts of silver, gold, and valuable things, and he gave them strong, walled cities in Judah. But Jehoshaphat gave the kingdom to Jehoram, because he was the first son.
4. When Jehoram took control of his father’s kingdom, he killed all his brothers with a sword and also killed some of the leaders of Judah.
5. He was thirty-two years old when he began to rule, and he ruled eight years in Jerusalem.
6. He followed in the ways of the kings of Israel, just as the family of Ahab had done, because he married Ahab’s daughter. Jehoram did what the Lord said was wrong.
7. But the Lord would not destroy David’s family because of the agreement he had made with David. He had promised that one of David’s descendants would always rule.
8. In Jehoram’s time, Edom broke away from Judah’s rule and chose their own king.