Ahaziah's evil deeds — active apostasy — 'And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, as the house of Ahab had done, for they were his counselors after the death of his father, to his destruction' (ויעשׂ הרע בעיני יהוה כבית אחאב כי הם היו יועציו אחרי מות אביו לשׁמדו). The phrase 'they were his counselors... to his destruction' (היו יועציו לשׁמדו) indicates that the northern alliance (the house of Ahab) actively counsels him toward ruin. The noun שׁמדו (destruction, loss) is used; his counselors guide him toward his own undoing. The Chronicler emphasizes that this is not passive apostasy but active evil, continually reinforced by his advisors. The accession of a young, impressionable king under the influence of northern-aligned counselors creates conditions for rapid decline.

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