2 Kings 11

1 And Athaliah [is] mother of Ahaziah, and she hath seen that her son [is] dead, and she riseth, and destroyeth all the seed of the kingdom;

When Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah, saw that her son was dead, she had all the rest of the royal family murdered.

2 and Jehosheba daughter of king Joram, sister of Ahaziah, taketh Joash son of Ahaziah, and stealeth him out of the midst of the sons of the king who are put to death, him and his nurse, in the inner part of the bed-chambers, and they hide him from the presence of Athaliah, and he hath not been put to death,

But Jehosheba, daughter of King Jehoram, sister of Ahaziah, took Ahaziah's son Joash, stealing him away from the rest of the sons of the king who were being killed. She put him and his nurse in a bedroom to hide him from Athaliah, and he was not murdered.

3 and he is with her, in the house of Jehovah, hiding himself, six years, and Athaliah is reigning over the land.

Joash stayed hidden in the Lord's Temple for six years while Athaliah ruled the country.

4 And in the seventh year hath Jehoiada sent and taketh the heads of the hundreds, of the executioners and of the runners, and bringeth them in unto him, to the house of Jehovah, and maketh with them a covenant, and causeth them to swear in the house of Jehovah, and sheweth them the son of the king,

In the seventh year, Jehoiada sent for the commanders of hundreds, the Carites, and the guards, and brought them into the Lord's Temple. He made an agreement with them and made them swear an oath. There in the Lord's Temple he showed them the king's son

5 and commandeth them, saying, 'This [is] the thing that ye do; The third of you [are] going in on the sabbath, and keepers of the charge of the house of the king,

and ordered them, “This is what you are going to do: One third of you who come on duty on the Sabbath will guard the royal palace.

6 and the third [is] at the gate of Sur, and the third at the gate behind the runners, and ye have kept the charge of the house pulled down;

One third will be at the Sur Gate, and one third at the gate behind the guards. You will alternate in guarding the palace.

7 and two parts of you, all going out on the sabbath — they have kept the charge of the house of Jehovah about the king,

The two divisions that would normally go off duty on the Sabbath will guard the Lord's Temple for the king.

8 and ye have compassed the king round about, each with his weapons in his hand, and he who is coming unto the ranges is put to death; and be ye with the king in his going out and in his coming in.'

Surround the king with weapons drawn, and anyone who approaches this line must be killed. Stay close to the king wherever he goes.”

9 And the heads of the hundreds do according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded, and take each his men going in on the sabbath, with those going out on the sabbath, and come in unto Jehoiada the priest,

The commanders of hundreds followed all the instructions that Jehoiada the priest had given. They each took their own men, those who were coming on duty on the Sabbath and those going off duty, and came to Jehoiada the priest.

10 and the priest giveth to the heads of the hundreds the spears and the shields that king David had, that [are] in the house of Jehovah.

Then the priest handed over to the commanders of hundreds the spears and shields that had belonged to King David which were kept in the Lord's Temple.

11 And the runners stand, each with his weapons in his hand, from the right shoulder of the house unto the left shoulder of the house, by the altar and by the house, by the king round about;

The guards stood with weapons drawn surrounding the king by the altar, and in a line around the Temple, from the south side to the north side of the Temple.

12 and he bringeth out the son of the king, and putteth on him the crown, and the testimony, and they make him king, and anoint him, and smite the hand, and say, 'Let the king live.'

Then Jehoiada led out the king's son, placed the crown on him, and handed him a copy of God's Law. They proclaimed him king and anointed him. The people clapped, and shouted, “Long live the king!”

13 And Athaliah heareth the voice of the runners [and] of the people, and she cometh in unto the people, to the house of Jehovah,

When Athaliah heard the noise of the guards and the people, she rushed to the crowds at the Lord's Temple.

14 and looketh, and lo, the king is standing by the pillar, according to the ordinance, and the heads, and the trumpets, [are] by the king, and all the people of the land are rejoicing, and blowing with trumpets, and Athaliah rendeth her garments, and calleth, 'Conspiracy! conspiracy!'

She saw the king standing by his pillar as the custom was. The commanders and trumpeters were with the king, and everyone was celebrating and blowing trumpets. Athaliah ripped her clothes and screamed out, “Treason! Treason!”

15 And Jehoiada the priest commandeth the heads of the hundreds, inspectors of the force, and saith unto them, 'Bring her out unto the outside of the ranges, and him who is going after her, put to death by the sword:' for the priest had said, 'Let her not be put to death in the house of Jehovah.'

Jehoiada ordered the army commanders, “Bring her to the men standing in front of the Temple, and kill anyone who follows her.” Earlier the priest had made it clear, “She must not be killed in the Lord's Temple.”

16 And they make for her sides, and she entereth the way of the entering in of the horses to the house of the king, and is put to death there.

They grabbed hold of her, took her to where the horses enter the palace grounds and they killed her there.

17 And Jehoiada maketh the covenant between Jehovah and the king and the people, to be for a people to Jehovah, and between the king and the people.

Then Jehoiada made a solemn agreement between the Lord, the king, and the people that they would be the Lord's people. He also made an agreement between the king and the people.

18 And all the people of the land go in to the house of Baal, and break it down, its altars and its images they have thoroughly broken, and Mattan priest of Baal they have slain before the altars; and the priest setteth inspectors over the house of Jehovah,

Everyone went to the Temple of Baal and tore down its altars and smashed the idols to pieces. They killed Mattan, the priest of Baal, right in front of the altar. Then Jehoiada the priest had guards posted at the Lord's Temple.

19 and taketh the heads of the hundreds, and the executioners, and the runners, and all the people of the land, and they bring down the king from the house of Jehovah, and come by the way of the gate of the runners, to the house of the king, and he sitteth on the throne of the kings.

Along with the commanders, the nobles, the governors of the people, and all the people, he led the king in a procession down from the Lord's Temple, entering through the upper gate to the royal palace. There they set the king on the royal throne.

20 And all the people of the land rejoice, and the city [is] quiet, and Athaliah they have put to death by the sword in the house of the king;

All throughout the land people celebrated, and Jerusalem was at peace, because Athaliah had been killed by the sword at the palace.

21 a son of seven years is Jehoash in his reigning.

Joash was seven when he became king.