< 2 Chronicles 23 >
1 And in the seventh year Jehoiada has strengthened himself, and takes the heads of the hundreds, even Azariah son of Jeroham, and Ishmael son of Jehohanan, and Azariah son of Obed, and Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zichri, into the covenant with him.
And in the eighth year Jodae strengthened [himself], and took the captains of hundreds, Azarias the son of Joram, and Ismael the son of Joanan, and Azarias the son of Obed, and Maasaeas the son of Adia, and Elisaphan the son of Zacharias, with him to the house of the Lord.
2 And they go around in Judah, and gather the Levites out of all the cities of Judah, and heads of the fathers of Israel, and come to Jerusalem,
And they went round about Juda, and gathered the Levites out of all the cities of Juda, and heads of the families of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem.
3 and all the assembly make a covenant in the house of God with the king, and he says to them, “Behold, the son of the king reigns, as YHWH spoke concerning the sons of David.
and all the congregation of Juda made a covenant with the king in the house of God. And he showed them the king's son, and said to them, Behold, let the king's son reign, as the Lord said concerning the house of David.
4 This [is] the thing that you do: the third of you, going in on the Sabbath, of the priests, and of the Levites, [are] for gatekeepers of the thresholds,
Now this [is] the thing which you shall do. Let a third part of you, [even] of the priests and of the Levites, enter in on the sabbath, even into the gates of the entrances;
5 and the third [are] at the house of the king, and the third at the Foundation Gate, and all the people [are] in the courts of the house of YHWH.
and let a third part be in the house of the king; and another third at the middle gate: and all the people in the courts of the Lord's house.
6 And none enter the house of YHWH except the priests, and those ministering of the Levites (they go in for they [are] holy), and all the people keep the watch of YHWH;
And let not [any one] enter into the house of the Lord, except the priests and the Levites, and the servants of the Levites; they shall enter in, because they are holy: and let all the people keep the watch of the Lord.
7 and the Levites have surrounded the king all around, each with his weapon in his hand, and he who has gone into the house is put to death; and be with the king in his coming in and in his going out.”
And the Levites shall compass the king round about, every man's weapon in his hand; and whoever [else] goes into the house shall die: but they shall be with the king when he goes out, and when he comes in.
8 And the Levites and all Judah do according to all that Jehoiada the priest has commanded, and each takes his men going in on the Sabbath, with those going out on the Sabbath, for Jehoiada the priest has not let away the divisions.
And the Levites and all Juda did according to all that the priest Jodae commanded them, and they took each his men from the beginning of the sabbath to the end of the sabbath, for Jodae the priest did not dismiss the courses.
9 And Jehoiada the priest gives to the heads of the hundreds the spears, and the shields, and the bucklers that [are] King David’s, that [are] in the house of God;
And Jodae gave to the men the swords, and the shields, and the arms, which [had] belonged to King David, in the house of God.
10 and he stations the whole of the people, and each [with] his dart in his hand, from the right shoulder of the house to the left shoulder of the house, at the altar, and at the house, by the king, all around.
And he set the whole people, every man with his arms, from the right side of the house to the left side of the altar and the house, over against the king round about.
11 And they bring out the son of the king, and put the crown on him, and [give him] the Testimony, and cause him to reign; and Jehoiada and his sons anoint him, and say, “Let the king live!”
And he brought out the king's son, and put on him the crown and the testimony, and Jodae the priest and his sons proclaimed him king, and anointed him, and said, Long live the king!
12 And Athaliah hears the voice of the people who are running, and who are praising the king, and she comes to the people [in] the house of YHWH,
And Gotholia heard the sound of the people running, and acknowledging and praising the king: and she went in to the king into the house of the Lord.
13 and sees, and behold, the king is standing by his pillar in the entrance, and the heads, and the trumpets [are] by the king, and all the people of the land rejoicing and shouting with trumpets, and the singers with instruments of song, and the teachers, to praise, and Athaliah tears her garments and says, “Conspiracy! Conspiracy!”
And she looked, and, behold, the king [stood] in his place, and the princes and trumpets were at the entrance, and the princes were round the king: and all the people of the land rejoiced, and sounded the trumpets, and there were the singers singing with instruments, and singing hymns of praise. and Gotholia tore her robe, and cried, you surely are plotting against [me].
14 And Jehoiada the priest brings out the heads of the hundreds, inspectors of the force, and says to them, “Take her out from within the rows, and he who has gone after her is put to death by the sword”; for the priest said, “Do not put her to death [in] the house of YHWH.”
And Jodae the priest went forth, and Jodae the priest charged the captains of hundreds, even the captains of the host, and said to them, Thrust her forth outside the house, and follow her, and let her be slain with the sword. For the priest said, Let her not be slain in the house of the Lord.
15 And they make sides for her, and she comes to the entrance of the Horse Gate at the house of the king, and they put her to death there.
So they let her go [out]; and she went through the horsemen's gate of the house of the king, and they killed her there.
16 And Jehoiada makes a covenant between him, and between all the people, and between the king, to be for a people to YHWH;
And Jodae made a covenant between himself, and the people, and the king, that the people should be the Lord's.
17 and all the people enter the house of Ba‘al, and break it down, indeed, they have broken his altars and his images, and they have slain Mattan priest of Ba‘al before the altars.
And all the people of the land went into the house of Baal, and tore down it and its altars, and they ground his images to powder, and they killed Matthan the priest of Baal before his altars.
18 And Jehoiada puts the offices of the house of YHWH into the hand of the priests, the Levites, whom David had apportioned over the house of YHWH, to cause the burnt-offerings of YHWH to ascend, as written in the Law of Moses, with joy, and with singing, by the hands of David;
And Jodae the priest committed the works of the house of the Lord into the and of the priests and Levites, and he re-established the courses of the priests and Levites which David appointed over the house of the Lord, and [he appointed them] to offer whole burnt offerings to the Lord, as it is written in the law of Moses, with gladness, and with songs by the hand of David.
19 and he stations the gatekeepers over the gates of the house of YHWH, and the unclean in anything do not go in.
And the porters stood at the gates of the house of the Lord, that no one unclean in any respect should enter in.
20 And he takes the heads of the hundreds, and the majestic ones, and the rulers among the people, and all the people of the land, and brings down the king from the house of YHWH, and they come in through the high gate to the house of the king, and cause the king to sit on the throne of the kingdom.
And he took the heads of families, and the mighty men, and the chiefs of the people, and all the people of the land, and they conducted the king into the house of the Lord; and he went through the inner gate into the king's house, and they seated the king on the throne of the kingdom.
21 And all the people of the land rejoice, and the city has been quiet, and they have put Athaliah to death by the sword.
And all the people of the land rejoiced; and the city was quiet: and they killed Gotholia.