Jehoiada kills Athaliah and the priest of Baal
1
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.
The priest, Jehoiada, called the captains and Levites to God's house in 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.
He said to them,
God has said that Joash, Ahaziah's son, will be king.
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.
You will form three groups:
one to guard the doors of God's house,
another to guard the king's house,
and the other to guard the gate.
6But 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.
Only the priests can enter God's house.
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.
Anyone else who tries to enter will be killed.
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.
Then they put a crown on the king's son's head, 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.
When Athaliah heard the people singing and blowing trumpets,
she tore her clothes, and said,
Treason! Treason!
15So 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.
Then they grabbed her and killed her. [
1]
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.
Jehoiada made all the people tell the king that they would be God's people.
17Then 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.
They destroyed Baal's house, altars, and images.
And killed Baal's priest, Mattan. [2]
21And all the people of the land rejoiced: and the city was quiet, after
that they had slain Athaliah with the sword.
Then everyone rejoiced and was quiet.