< 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.
In the seventh year, Jehoiada showed his strength and entered into a covenant with 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.
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,
They went about in Judah and gathered the Levites from all the cities of Judah, as well as the heads of the ancestral houses 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.
All the assembly made a covenant with the king in the house of God. Jehoiada said to them, “See, the king's son will reign, as Yahweh has said concerning the descendants 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,
This is what you must do: A third of you priests and Levites who come to serve on the Sabbath will be guards at the doors.
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.
Another third will be at the king's house, and the other third will be at the Foundation Gate. All the people will be in the courtyard of the house of Yahweh.
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;
Allow no one to come into the house of Yahweh, except for the priests and the Levites who are serving. They may enter because they are consecrated. But all the other people must obey the commands of Yahweh.
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.”
The Levites must surround the king on all sides, every man with his weapons in his hand. Whoever comes into the house, let him be killed. Stay with the king when he comes in and when he goes out.”
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.
So the Levites and all Judah served in every way in the manner in which Jehoiada the priest commanded. Each one took his men, those who were to come in to serve on the Sabbath, and those who were to leave off serving on the Sabbath, for Jehoiada the priest had not dismissed any of their divisions.
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;
Then Jehoiada the priest brought to the commanders spears and small and large shields that had been King David's that were 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.
Jehoiada placed all the soldiers, each man with 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, surrounding the king.
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!”
Then they brought out the king's son, put the crown on him, and gave him the covenant decrees. Then they made him king, and Jehoiada and his sons anointed him. Then they 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,
When Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and praising the king, she came to the people in the house of Yahweh,
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 was standing by his pillar at the entrance, and the commanders and the trumpeters were by the king. All the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets, and the singers were playing musical instruments and leading the singing of praise. Then Athaliah tore her clothes and shouted, “Treason! Treason!”
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.”
Then Jehoiada the priest brought out the commanders of hundreds who were over the army and said to them, “Bring her out between the ranks; anyone who follows her, let him be killed with the sword.” For the priest had said, “Do not kill her in the house of Yahweh.”
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 seized her as she went into the entrance of the Horse Gate of the king's house, and there they killed her.
16 And Jehoiada makes a covenant between him, and between all the people, and between the king, to be for a people to YHWH;
Then Jehoiada made a covenant between himself, all the people, and the king, that they should be Yahweh's people.
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.
So all the people went to the house of Baal and tore it down. They smashed Baal's altars and his images to pieces, and they killed Mattan, the priest of Baal, in front of those 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;
Jehoiada appointed officers for the house of Yahweh under the hand of the priests, who were Levites, whom David had assigned to the house of Yahweh, to offer the burnt offerings to Yahweh, as it was written in the law of Moses, together with rejoicing and singing, as David had given direction.
19 and he stations the gatekeepers over the gates of the house of YHWH, and the unclean in anything do not go in.
Jehoiada set guards at the gates of the house of Yahweh, so that no one that was unclean in any way should enter.
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.
Jehoiada took with him the commanders of hundreds, the noblemen, the governors of the people, and all the people of the land. He brought down the king from the house of Yahweh; the people came through the Upper Gate to the king's house and sat 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.
So all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet. As for Athaliah, they had killed her with the sword.

< 2 Chronicles 23 >