274 BATTLES OF THE BIBLE.

Grandfather. Nothing. That pious king died in the
eighth year of Jehoram, king of Israel, and was suc-
ceeded by his son, also called Jehoram. ‘The first act
of Jehoram was an act of cruelty ;—he put to death all
his brethren, and many of the princes of Israel.

Marianne. That was strange, grandfather, that he
should be so bad a king, when his father had been so
good a man.

Grandfather. We are told that “he walked in the
way of the kings of Israel,” because the daughter of ©
Ahab was his wife. Because he wandered from the
ways of the Lord, trouble came upon him. The Edom-
ites revolted ; they cast off the yoke of the descendants
of Jacob, as had been foretold by Isaac their father, in
the blessing he gave to Esau. Jehoram made an attempt
to subdue them, but failed. Libnah also, a city of Judah
which belonged to the Levites, cast off the authority of
the king.

George. I hope that foolish king did not live long;
surely the next one would do better.

Grandfather. Jehoram did not reign long—eight years
in all, and four years after his father’s death. But his
successor was not much better than he. He also walked
in the ways of the house of Ahab, with which he was
connected. We do not hear of any war in which he
engaged. But he went to visit the king of Israel, after
he had been fighting with the Syrians. The armies of
Israel had gone to besiege Ramoth-Gilead, which was
in the hands of Hazael, king of Syria. The king was