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 King Ahaziah’s mother Athaliah saw that her son had been killed, she commanded that all the members of Ahaziah’s family [who might become king] must be executed.

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,

So Ahaziah’s sons were all about to be murdered. But Jehosheba, who was King Jehoram’s daughter and Ahaziah’s half-sister, took Ahaziah’s [very young] son Joash and hid him and (his nursemaid/the woman who took care of him) in a bedroom [in the temple]. So he was not killed.

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

He stayed with Jehosheba for six years. All during that time, he remained hidden in the temple, while Athaliah ruled [Judah].

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,

But during the next year, Jehoiada the Supreme Priest summoned the officers who supervised the royal bodyguards and the palace guards. He told them to come to the temple. There he required them to solemnly promise that they would do what he told them to do. And he showed King Ahaziah’s son Joash to them.

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,

He gave them these instructions: “There are three groups of you guards. When one group finishes their work on the Sabbath day, [divide yourselves into] three smaller groups. One group must guard the 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;

Another group must guard at the Sur Gate. The other group must guard at the gate behind the other groups.

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 groups that are not working on the Sabbath day must guard the temple [to protect little King Joash].

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.'

You must stand around the king wherever he goes, with your weapons in your hands. You must kill anyone who comes near you.”

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 officers [who supervised the guards] did what Jehoiada told them to do. Each one brought to Jehoiada the guards that he supervised—the guards who were just finishing their work and those who were about to start their work on the Sabbath day.

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.

The priest distributed to the commanders of the guards the spears and shields that had belonged to King David, that were kept/stored in the 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;

Then he commanded all the guards to stand in their positions, each one with his sword in his hand, all around the young king.

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 he brought Joash out. He put the crown on his head and gave him a scroll on which were written the rules [that the kings needed to obey]. Then he poured some olive oil on Joash’s head and proclaimed that he was now the king. The people all clapped their hands and shouted, “We desire/hope that the king will live for many years!”

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 that was being made by the guards and the other people, she ran to the temple, where the people were gathered.

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 new king standing there alongside one of the big pillars, which was the place at the temple where the kings usually stood. She saw that he was surrounded by the temple officers and men blowing trumpets, and that the people were shouting joyfully, and [some of] them were also blowing trumpets. She tore her clothes [to show her distress] and shouted, “You are traitors! You have tricked/deceived me!”

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 [immediately] said, “Kill her, but do not kill her here at the temple of Yahweh! Take her away between two rows of guards. And kill anyone who tries to rescue her!”

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.

[She tried to flee, but] the guards seized her and took her to the palace, to the place where horses enter the courtyard. 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 king and the people, that they would always (obey/be faithful to) Yahweh. He also made an agreement requiring the people to be loyal to Joash their king.

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,

Then all the people of Israel who were there went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed the altars and the statues of Baal. They also killed Mattan, the priest of Baal, in front of the altars. Jehoiada stationed/put guards at the temple of Yahweh.

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.

Then he and the officers of the temple, the officers who supervised the royal bodyguards, and the king’s bodyguards brought the king from the temple to the palace. All the people [followed them]. Joash entered the palace at the Guard Gate and sat down on the throne, [which showed that he was the new king].

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 the people of Judah rejoiced. And because Athaliah had been killed, the city was quiet/calm.

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

Joash was seven years old when he became the king [of Judah].