23 In the seventh year that Queen Athaliah ruled Judah, the priest Jehoiada decided to be brave. He made an agreement with some officers in the army. Each of these men had authority over 100 soldiers. They were: Jeroham's son Azariah, Jehohanan's son Ishmael, Obed's son Azariah, Adaiah's son Maaseiah and Zikri's son Elishaphat. 2 They travelled around all the land of Judah. They brought together the Levites from the different cities and the leaders of Israel's clans. They all came to Jerusalem. 3 They met together in God's temple to make a promise to the new king.
Jehoiada said to them, ‘Here is the king's son. [ a ] He must become king, as the Lord promised that David's descendants would be. 4 This is what you must do: The priests and Levites who come to work on the Sabbath day must make three groups. One group must be guards who watch at the doors of the temple. 5 Another group will watch at the king's palace. The third group will stand at the Foundation Gate. All the other men will stand in the yards around the Lord 's temple. 6 Only the priests and the Levites who have work there on that day may go into the Lord 's temple. They may go in because they have made themselves clean to serve God. All the other people must do the jobs that the Lord has given to them. 7 The Levites must stand around the king. Each man must hold his weapon in his hand. If anyone tries to come into the temple, you must kill them. You must stay near to the king everywhere that he goes.’
8 The Levites and all the men of Judah did what Jehoiada the priest told them to do. Each officer brought his group of men. That included the men who worked on the Sabbath and those who did not. Jehoiada the priest did not allow any of the groups of men to go home. 9 Then Jehoiada gave some weapons that were in God's temple to the officers. He gave them the spears and the shields that had belonged to King David. 10 Then he put the men in their proper places around the king. They all held their weapons in their hands. They stood in a line from the south side of the temple to the north side. They were around the altar at the front of the temple.
11 Jehoiada and his sons brought the king's son out of the temple room. They put the crown onto Joash's head. They gave him a copy of the royal covenant. They poured olive oil on his head to show that he was now the king. They shouted, ‘May the king have a long life!’
12 Queen Athaliah heard the soldiers and the people as they shouted and praised the new king. So she went to the Lord 's temple where all the people were. 13 Then she saw the king! He was standing in the king's place beside the pillar at the entrance of the temple. [ b ] The army officers and the men with trumpets were standing beside the king. All the people of Judah were shouting with joy. There were musicians making music with trumpets and other musical instruments. They helped the people to sing and to praise God.
When Athaliah saw this, she was very upset. She tore her clothes. She shouted, ‘Treason! Treason!’ [ c ]
14 Jehoiada the priest sent a message to the army officers who had authority over groups of 100 soldiers. He told them, ‘Bring her out of the temple to the line of guards outside. Use your swords to kill anyone who follows her.’ That was because Jehoiada had said, ‘You must not kill her inside the Lord 's temple.’ 15 So they took hold of Athaliah. They took her through the gate for the king's horses into the yard of the palace. They killed her there.
16 Jehoiada prepared a covenant with the Lord . He, all the people and the king agreed to serve the Lord as his people. 17 All the people went to the temple of Baal. They destroyed it. They completely knocked down its altars and idols. They killed Baal's priest, Mattan, in front of Baal's altars.
18 Then Jehoiada gave jobs to the priests and the Levites to do in the Lord 's temple. That was the work that King David had told them to do in the temple. They had to offer burnt offerings as sacrifices to the Lord , and they had to praise him with happy songs. They did the things that Moses had written in God's law and that David had taught. 19 Jehoiada put guards at the gates of the Lord 's temple. They would stop anyone who was unclean from going in.
20 Jehoiada called together the officers of army groups, the important men, the government officers and all the other people. Jehoiada led them all to bring the king down from the Lord 's temple into the palace. They went into the palace through the Higher Gate. They put Joash on the royal throne as king.
21 All the people were very happy. There was no longer any trouble in Jerusalem now that they had killed Athaliah as her punishment.
23 After six years, Jehoiada showed his strength and made an agreement with the captains. These captains were Azariah son of Jeroham, Ishmael son of Jehohanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zicri. 2 They went around in Judah and gathered the Levites from all the towns of Judah. They also gathered the leaders of the families of Israel. Then they went to Jerusalem. 3 All the people meeting together made an agreement with the king in God’s Temple.
Jehoiada said to the people, “The king’s son will rule. That is what the Lord promised about David’s descendants. 4 Now, this is what you must do: One-third of you priests and Levites who go on duty on the Sabbath will guard the doors. 5 And one-third of you will be at the king’s palace, and one-third of you will be at the Foundation Gate. But all the other people will stay in the yards of the Lord ’s Temple. 6 Only the priests and Levites who serve in the Lord ’s Temple are permitted to enter it. They are the only ones who have been made holy. Don’t let anyone else enter. All the others must do only the work the Lord has given them. 7 The Levites must stay near the king. Every man must have his sword with him. If anyone tries to enter the Temple, kill that person. You must stay with the king everywhere he goes.”
8 The Levites and all the people of Judah obeyed all that Jehoiada the priest commanded. Jehoiada the priest did not excuse anyone from the groups of the priests. So each captain and all his men came in on the Sabbath with those who went out on the Sabbath. 9 Jehoiada the priest gave the spears and the large and small shields that belonged to King David to the officers. The weapons were kept in God’s Temple. 10 Then Jehoiada told the men where to stand. Every man had his weapon in his hand. The men stood all the way from the right side of the Temple to the left side of the Temple. They stood near the altar and the Temple, and near the king. 11 They brought out the king’s son and put the crown on him. They gave him a copy of the agreement. [ a ] Then they made Joash king. Jehoiada and his sons anointed Joash and said, “Long live the king!”
12 Athaliah heard the noise of the people running to the Temple and praising the king. She came into the Lord ’s Temple to the people. 13 She looked and saw the king standing by his column at the front entrance. The officers and the men who blew trumpets were near the king. The people of the land were happy and blowing trumpets. The singers were playing on instruments of music. They led the people in singing praises. Then Athaliah tore her clothes [ b ] and said, “Treason! Treason!” [ c ]
14 Jehoiada the priest brought out the army captains. He said to them, “Take Athaliah outside among the army. Use your swords to kill anyone who follows her.” Then the priest warned the soldiers, “Don’t kill Athaliah in the Lord ’s Temple.” 15 Then those men grabbed Athaliah when she came to the entrance of the Horse Gate at the king’s palace. Then they killed her there.
16 Then Jehoiada made an agreement with all the people and the king. They all agreed that they all would be the Lord ’s people. 17 All the people went into the temple of the idol Baal and tore it down. They also broke the altars and idols that were in Baal’s temple. They killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars of Baal.
18 Then Jehoiada chose the priests to be responsible for the Lord ’s Temple. The priests were Levites, and David had given them the job of being responsible for the Lord ’s Temple. They were to offer the burnt offerings to the Lord the way the Law of Moses commanded. They offered the sacrifices with much joy and singing the way David commanded. 19 Jehoiada put guards at the gates of the Lord ’s Temple to prevent any unclean person from entering the Temple.
20 Jehoiada took the army captains, the leaders, the rulers of the people, and all the people of the land with him. Then Jehoiada took the king out of the Lord ’s Temple. They went through the Upper Gate to the king’s palace and put the king on the throne. 21 All the people of Judah were very happy, and the city of Jerusalem had peace because Athaliah was killed with a sword.
23 And in the seventh year Jehoiada strengthened himself, and took the captains of hundreds, Azariah the son of Jeroham, and Ishmael the son of Jehohanan, and Azariah the son of Obed, and Maaseiah the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zichri, into covenant with him.
2 And they went about in Judah, and gathered the Levites out of all the cities of Judah, and the chief of the fathers of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem.
3 And all the congregation made a covenant with the king in the house of God. And he said unto them, Behold, the king's son shall reign, as the Lord hath said of the sons of David.
4 This is the thing that ye shall do; A third part of you entering on the sabbath, of the priests and of the Levites, shall be porters of the doors;
5 And a third part shall be at the king's house; and a third part at the gate of the foundation: and all the people shall be in the courts of the house of the Lord .
6 But let none come into the house of the Lord , save the priests, and they that minister of the Levites; they shall go in, for they are holy: but all the people shall keep the watch of the Lord .
7 And the Levites shall compass the king round about, every man with his weapons in his hand; and whosoever else cometh into the house, he shall be put to death: but be ye with the king when he cometh in, and when he goeth out.
8 So the Levites and all Judah did according to all things that Jehoiada the priest had commanded, and took every man his men that were to come in on the sabbath, with them that were to go out on the sabbath: for Jehoiada the priest dismissed not the courses.
9 Moreover Jehoiada the priest delivered to the captains of hundreds spears, and bucklers, and shields, that had been king David's, which were in the house of God.
10 And he set all the people, every man having his weapon in his hand, from the right side of the temple to the left side of the temple, along by the altar and the temple, by the king round about.
11 Then they brought out the king's son, and put upon him the crown, and gave him the testimony, and made him king. And Jehoiada and his sons anointed him, and said, God save the king.
12 Now when Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and praising the king, she came to the people into the house of the Lord :
13 And she looked, and, behold, the king stood at his pillar at the entering in, and the princes and the trumpets by the king: and all the people of the land rejoiced, and sounded with trumpets, also the singers with instruments of musick, and such as taught to sing praise. Then Athaliah rent her clothes, and said, Treason, Treason.
14 Then Jehoiada the priest brought out the captains of hundreds that were set over the host, and said unto them, Have her forth of the ranges: and whoso followeth her, let him be slain with the sword. For the priest said, Slay her not in the house of the Lord .
15 So they laid hands on her; and when she was come to the entering of the horse gate by the king's house, they slew her there.
16 And Jehoiada made a covenant between him, and between all the people, and between the king, that they should be the Lord 's people.
17 Then all the people went to the house of Baal, and brake it down, and brake his altars and his images in pieces, and slew Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars.
18 Also Jehoiada appointed the offices of the house of the Lord by the hand of the priests the Levites, whom David had distributed in the house of the Lord , to offer the burnt offerings of the Lord , as it is written in the law of Moses, with rejoicing and with singing, as it was ordained by David.
19 And he set the porters at the gates of the house of the Lord , that none which was unclean in any thing should enter in.
20 And he took the captains of hundreds, and the nobles, and the governors of the people, and all the people of the land, and brought down the king from the house of the Lord : and they came through the high gate into the king's house, and set the king upon the throne of the kingdom.
21 And all the people of the land rejoiced: and the city was quiet, after that they had slain Athaliah with the sword.
23 ( A ) Now in the seventh year, Jehoiada gathered his courage, and took captains of hundreds: Azariah the son of Jeroham, Ishmael the son of Johanan, Azariah the son of Obed, Maaseiah the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zichri, and they entered into a covenant with him. 2 And they went throughout Judah and gathered the Levites from all the cities of Judah, and the heads of the fathers’ households of ( B ) Israel, and they came to Jerusalem. 3 Then all the assembly made a covenant with the king in the house of God. And [ a ] Jehoiada said to them, “Behold, the king’s son shall reign, ( C ) as the Lord has spoken concerning the sons of David. 4 This is the thing which you shall do: a third of you, of the priests and Levites ( D ) who come in on the Sabbath, shall be gatekeepers, 5 and a third shall be at the king’s house, and a third at the Gate of the Foundation; and all the people shall be in the courtyards of the house of the Lord . 6 But no one is to enter the house of the Lord except the priests and ( E ) the ministering Levites; they may enter, for they are holy. And all the people are to keep the command of the Lord . 7 The Levites will surround the king, each man with his weapons in his hand; and whoever enters the house is to be put to death. Therefore be with the king when he comes in and when he goes out.”
8 The Levites and all Judah did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded. And each one of them took his men who were to come in on the Sabbath, with those who were to go out on the Sabbath, for Jehoiada the priest did not dismiss any of ( F ) the divisions. 9 Then Jehoiada the priest gave the captains of hundreds the spears and the shields and quivers which had been King David’s, which were in the house of God. 10 He stationed all the people, each man with his weapon in his hand, from the right [ b ] side of the house to the left [ c ] side of the house, by the altar and by the house, around the king. 11 Then they brought out the king’s son and put the crown on him, and gave him ( G ) the testimony and made him king. And Jehoiada and his sons anointed him and said, “ ( H ) Long live the king!”
12 When Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and praising the king, she went into the house of the Lord to the people. 13 She looked, and behold, the king was standing by his pillar at the entrance, and the captains and the [ d ] trumpeters were beside the king. And all the people of the land rejoiced and blew trumpets, the singers with their musical instruments [ e ] leading the praise. Then Athaliah tore her clothes and said, “Conspiracy! Conspiracy!” 14 And Jehoiada the priest brought out the captains of hundreds who were appointed over the army, and said to them, “Bring her out [ f ] between the ranks, and whoever follows her is to be put to death with the sword.” For the priest said, “You shall not put her to death in the house of the Lord .” 15 So they [ g ] seized her, and when she arrived at the entrance of ( I ) the Horse Gate of the king’s house, they ( J ) put her to death there.
16 Then ( K ) Jehoiada made a covenant between himself and all the people and the king, that they would be the Lord ’ s people. 17 And all the people went to the house of Baal and tore it down, and they broke in pieces his altars and his images, and ( L ) killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. 18 Moreover, Jehoiada placed the offices of the house of the Lord under the [ h ] authority of ( M ) the Levitical priests, ( N ) whom David had assigned over the house of the Lord , to offer the burnt offerings of the Lord , as it is written in the Law of Moses— ( O ) with rejoicing and singing according to the [ i ] order of David. 19 He stationed ( P ) the gatekeepers of the house of the Lord , so that no one would enter who was in any way unclean. 20 ( Q ) He took the captains of hundreds, the nobles, the rulers of the people, and all the people of the land, and brought the king down from the house of the Lord , and went through the upper gate to the king’s house. And they seated the king upon the royal throne. 21 So ( R ) all of the people of the land rejoiced and the city was at rest. For they had put Athaliah to death with the sword.
23 In the seventh year Jehoiada showed his strength. He made a covenant with the commanders of units of a hundred: Azariah son of Jeroham, Ishmael son of Jehohanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zikri. 2 They went throughout Judah and gathered the Levites ( A ) and the heads of Israelite families from all the towns. When they came to Jerusalem, 3 the whole assembly made a covenant ( B ) with the king at the temple of God.
Jehoiada said to them, “The king’s son shall reign, as the Lord promised concerning the descendants of David. ( C ) 4 Now this is what you are to do: A third of you priests and Levites who are going on duty on the Sabbath are to keep watch at the doors, 5 a third of you at the royal palace and a third at the Foundation Gate, and all the others are to be in the courtyards of the temple of the Lord . 6 No one is to enter the temple of the Lord except the priests and Levites on duty; they may enter because they are consecrated, but all the others are to observe ( D ) the Lord ’s command not to enter. [ a ] 7 The Levites are to station themselves around the king, each with weapon in hand. Anyone who enters the temple is to be put to death. Stay close to the king wherever he goes.”
8 The Levites and all the men of Judah did just as Jehoiada the priest ordered. ( E ) Each one took his men—those who were going on duty on the Sabbath and those who were going off duty—for Jehoiada the priest had not released any of the divisions. ( F ) 9 Then he gave the commanders of units of a hundred the spears and the large and small shields that had belonged to King David and that were in the temple of God. 10 He stationed all the men, each with his weapon in his hand, around the king—near the altar and the temple, from the south side to the north side of the temple.
11 Jehoiada and his sons brought out the king’s son and put the crown on him; they presented him with a copy ( G ) of the covenant and proclaimed him king. They anointed him and shouted, “Long live the king!”
12 When Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and cheering the king, she went to them at the temple of the Lord . 13 She looked, and there was the king, ( H ) standing by his pillar ( I ) at the entrance. The officers and the trumpeters were beside the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets, and musicians with their instruments were leading the praises. Then Athaliah tore her robes and shouted, “Treason! Treason!”
14 Jehoiada the priest sent out the commanders of units of a hundred, who were in charge of the troops, and said to them: “Bring her out between the ranks [ b ] and put to the sword anyone who follows her.” For the priest had said, “Do not put her to death at the temple of the Lord .” 15 So they seized her as she reached the entrance of the Horse Gate ( J ) on the palace grounds, and there they put her to death.
16 Jehoiada then made a covenant ( K ) that he, the people and the king [ c ] would be the Lord ’s people. 17 All the people went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed the altars and idols and killed ( L ) Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars.
18 Then Jehoiada placed the oversight of the temple of the Lord in the hands of the Levitical priests, ( M ) to whom David had made assignments in the temple, ( N ) to present the burnt offerings of the Lord as written in the Law of Moses, with rejoicing and singing, as David had ordered. 19 He also stationed gatekeepers ( O ) at the gates of the Lord ’s temple so that no one who was in any way unclean might enter.
20 He took with him the commanders of hundreds, the nobles, the rulers of the people and all the people of the land and brought the king down from the temple of the Lord . They went into the palace through the Upper Gate ( P ) and seated the king on the royal throne. 21 All the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was calm, because Athaliah had been slain with the sword. ( Q )
