2 *Chronicles 23

₁In the 7th year that Athaliah ruled the land, the priest Jehoiada decided to make an agreement with the leaders of the officers of the army. The leaders were Azariah, son of Jeroham, Ishmael, son of Jehohanan, Azariah, son of Obed, Maaseiah, son of Adaiah and Elishaphat, son of Zikri. ₂They went to all the places in the land_of_Judah and they called all the Levites and the chiefs of all the towns in Judah to come together in Jerusalem. ₃All the people of the congregation came to the temple and they made an agreement with the king. Jehoiada said to them: ‘Here is the son of the king. He must be king. The Lord has promised this to the descendants of David. ₄Listen to what you must do: A 3rd of all the priests and Levites who come to work on the Sabbath day must be guards at the gates. ₅A 3rd of you must be at the palace and a 3rd of you must be at the Foundation Gate. All the other people must be guards in the courtyards of the temple. ₆You must not let anyone come into the temple. Only the priests and Levites who work there may come in because they are purified. All the other people must stay outside and do what God says in his laws. ₇The Levites must stand around the king and each one must have his weapon in his hand. They must kill anyone who tries to go into the temple. They must go with the king wherever he goes.’

₈The Levites and priests did everything that the priest Jehoiada told them to do. Each officer told his men to stay there on the Sabbath day, both the men who had finished their work and the men who were on guard. They did not go home. ₉The priest Jehoiada gave spears and shields that had belonged to David to the chief_officers. The shields were still in the temple. ₁₀He told the men to guard the king, and each one had his weapon in his hand. They stood around the king from the southern side to the northern side of the temple. They were standing near the altar and the temple.

₁₁Then Jehoiada took the prince outside and they put a crown on his head. They gave him a letter in which it was written that they had chosen him to be their king. They had also written in the letter what he had to do. Jehoiada and the priests then anointed Joash and they said: ‘Long live the king.’

₁₂Athaliah heard the people shouting as they ran to the king and praised him. She went to the temple where all the people were. ₁₃When she came there, she saw the king standing at the pillar near the door. The leaders and the people who blew the trumpets were with the king. All the people of the land rejoiced and they blew the trumpets. The people who had to sing played their musical_instruments and they were leading the people in praising the Lord.

Athaliah tore her clothes and shouted: ‘You have betrayed me. You have betrayed me.’

₁₄The priest Jehoiada told the officers and the chief officers: ‘Take her away from the people and kill everyone who goes with her.’

The priest said: ‘You must kill her, but not here at the temple.’

₁₅They grabbed Athaliah and took her to the Horse Gate, near the palace and they killed her. ₁₆Jehoiada made an agreement with the people, the king and himself. They promised that they would be people of the Lord. ₁₇Then all the people went to the temple of Baal and destroyed it. They cut down the altars and idols and they killed Mattan, the priest of Baal, at the altars. ₁₈Jehoiada told the priests of the Levi tribe to look after the temple and to work there. David had chosen priests to work at the temple. The priests had to sacrifice burnt-offerings for the Lord as it was written in the laws of Moses. They had to be happy and sing while they were working. That is what David had told them to do. ₁₉Jehoiada chose guards to stand at the doors of the temple to see that no one who was impure could come into the temple. ₂₀Then Jehoiada took the chief_officers, the leaders and rulers of the people, and all the important people of the land. They went into the temple and they led the king out to the palace through the Upper Gate. Then they told the king to sit on the royal throne. ₂₁All the people of the land rejoiced. There was peace and the people in the city were happy because Athaliah had been killed.