Second Book of Chronicles 23

¹ In the seventh year Jehoiada took strong measures. He sent for the commanders of hundreds, Azariah son of Jeroham, Ishmael son of Jehohanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah and Elishaphat son of Zichri, and made a pact with them.

² They went through Judah, gathering the Levites from all the towns of Judah, and the heads of the Israelite families.[*a] They came to Jerusalem,

³ and this whole assembly made a pact with the king in the Temple of God. ‘Here is the son of the king’ Jehoiada told them. ‘Let him reign, as Yahweh has promised of the sons of David!

⁴ This is what you must do: one third of you, priests, Levites and keepers of the gate, must come in for the sabbath,

⁵ one third must be at the royal palace, one third at the Gate of Foundation, and all the people will be in the court of the Temple of Yahweh.

⁶ Let no one enter the Temple of Yahweh except the priests and the Levites on duty, since they are consecrated and may enter. The people must all observe the injunctions of Yahweh.

⁷ The Levites must surround the king, each with his weapons in his hand; anyone who tries to enter the Temple is to be put to death. Wherever the king comes or goes, you must escort him.’

⁸ The Levites and all Judah carried out all the orders of Jehoiada the priest. Each brought his men, those coming off duty on the sabbath together with those mounting guard on the sabbath, for Jehoiada the priest had exempted none of the orders.

⁹ Then Jehoiada the priest issued the commanders of hundreds with King David’s spears and large and small shields, which were in the Temple of God.

¹⁰ He drew all the people up, each man with his weapon in his hand, from the south corner to the north corner of the Temple, surrounding the altar and the Temple, to form a circle round the king.

¹¹ Then Jehoiada brought out the king’s son, crowned him, and imposed the Law on him; and they proclaimed him king, Jehoiada and his sons then anointed him and shouted, ‘Long live the king!’

¹² Athaliah, on hearing the shouts of the people rushing to the king and acclaiming him, made for the Temple of Yahweh where the people were.

¹³ When she saw the king standing there at the entrance beside the pillar, with the captains and trumpeters at the king’s side, and all the country people rejoicing and sounding trumpets, and the cantors with their musical instruments leading the hymns, Athaliah tore her garments and shouted, ‘Treason, treason!’

¹⁴ Then Jehoiada the priest called out the military officers. ‘Take her outside the precincts,’ he ordered ‘and put anyone to the sword who follows her.’ For the priest had said, ‘You must not put her to death in the Temple of Yahweh’.

¹⁵ They seized her, and when she had reached the palace at the entry to the Gate of the Horses, they put her to death there.

¹⁶ Jehoiada made a covenant between the king and all the people, by which they undertook to be the people of Yahweh.

¹⁷ All the people then went to the temple of Baal and demolished it; they smashed his altars and his images and killed Mattan, priest of Baal, in front of the altars.

¹⁸ Jehoiada posted sentries to guard the Temple of Yahweh under the authority of the levitical priests. David had given the Temple of Yahweh to these as their portion, so that they could offer the holocausts of Yahweh as is laid down in the Law of Moses, with joy and song, in accordance with the orders of David.

¹⁹ He stationed gatekeepers at the gates of the Temple of Yahweh so that no one who was in any way unclean might enter.

²⁰ Then taking the commanders of hundreds, the notables, those holding public positions, and all the country people, he escorted the king down from the Temple of Yahweh. They entered the royal palace through the middle arch of the Upper Gate and seated the king on the royal throne.

²¹ All the country people were delighted, and the city made no move. Athaliah was put to death.