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23 Forsooth in the seventh year Jehoiada was comforted, and took [the] centurions, that is, Azariah, the son of Jeroham, and Ishmael, the son of Jehohanan, and Azariah, the son of Obed, and Maaseiah, the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat, the son of Zichri; and he made with them a counsel and a bond of peace. (But in the seventh year Jehoiada was strengthened, and called for the centurions, that is, Azariah, the son of Jeroham, and Ishmael, the son of Jehohanan, and Azariah, the son of Obed, and Maaseiah, the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat, the son of Zichri; and he made a covenant with all of them.)

The which compassed Judah, and gathered together deacons (out) of all the cities of Judah, and the princes of the families of Israel, and they came into Jerusalem. (And then they went around Judah, and gathered together the Levites from all the cities of Judah, and the leaders of the families of Israel, and they came into Jerusalem.)

And all the multitude made (a) covenant in the house of the Lord with the king. And Jehoiada said to them, Lo! Joash the son of the king shall reign, as the Lord spake on the sons of David. (And all the multitude made a covenant with the king in the House of the Lord. And Jehoiada said to them, Lo! Joash, the king’s son, shall reign, as the Lord hath said of the sons of David.)

Therefore this is the word, that ye shall do. The third part of you that be come to the sabbath, of priests, and of deacons, and of porters, shall be in the gates; (And so this is the thing that ye shall do. A third of the priests and the Levites, who come to the sabbath, shall guard the gates;)

and a third part shall be at the house of the king; and the other third part shall be at the gate, which is called of the foundament. And all the other common people be in the large places of the house of the Lord; (and a third shall be at the house of the king; and the other third shall be at the Foundation Gate. And all the other common people shall be in the courtyards of the House of the Lord;)

and none other man enter into the house of the Lord, no but [the] priests, and they that minister of the deacons; only enter they, that be hallowed, and all the other common people keep they the keepings of the Lord. (and no other person shall enter into the House of the Lord, but the priests, and those of the Levites who serve there; only they shall enter, for they be consecrated, or purified, but all the other common people shall keep the Lord’s watch.)

Forsooth the deacons (en)compass the king, and each man have his armours; and if any other man entereth into the temple, be he slain; and be they with the king entering and going out. (And the Levites shall stand about the king, and each man shall be armed/and each man shall have his weapon; and if any other man cometh into the Temple, let him he killed; and be they with the king coming in and going out.)

Therefore the deacons and all Judah did by all things which Jehoiada, the bishop, had commanded; and (they) all took the men, that were with them, and came by the order of [the] sabbath with them, that had [ful]filled now the sabbath, and should go out. For Jehoiada, the bishop, suffered not the companies to go away, that were wont to come one after the tother by each week. (And so the Levites, and all the men of Judah, did all that the High Priest Jehoiada had commanded; and they took the men who were with them, and had come in by the order of the sabbath, with them who had fulfilled the sabbath, and should now go out. For the High Priest Jehoiada, did not allow any of the companies, who were wont to come one after the other by each week, to go away.)

And Jehoiada, the priest, gave to the centurions spears, and shields, and bucklers, of king David, which he had hallowed in the house of the Lord. (And the High Priest Jehoiada gave the centurions the spears, and shields, and bucklers, of King David, which he had kept in the House of the Lord.)

10 And he ordained all the people, of them that held swords, at the right side of the temple unto the left side of the temple, before the altar and the temple, by compass of the king (all around the king).

11 And they led out Joash the son of the king, and they set a diadem upon his head; and they gave to him in his hand the law to be holden, and they made him king. And Jehoiada, the bishop, and his sons, anointed him; and they prayed heartily, and said, The king live! (And the High Priest Jehoiada, and his sons, anointed him; and they prayed, and heartily said, Long live the king!)

12 And when Athaliah had heard this thing, that is, the voice of men running and praising the king (that is, the sound of men running and praising the king), she entered in to the people, into the temple of the Lord.

13 And when she had seen the king, standing on the degrees in the entering (of the temple), and the princes and the companies of knights about him, and all the people of the land joying, and sounding with trumps, and singing together with organs of diverse kind, and the voice of men praising, she rent her clothes, and said, Treasons! treasons! (And when she had seen the king standing on the steps at the entrance to the Temple, and the leaders and the companies of horsemen all about him, and all the people of the land rejoicing, and sounding with trumpets, and singers, and musicians with diverse kinds of instruments, and people praising him, she tore her clothes, and said, Treasons! treasons!)

14 And Jehoiada, the bishop, went out to the centurions, and to the princes of the host, and said to them, Lead ye her without the precincts, either enclosings, of the temple, and be she slain withoutforth by sword; and the priest commanded, that she should not be slain in the house of the Lord. (And the High Priest Jehoiada went out to the centurions, and to the leaders of the army, and said to them, Lead ye her without the precincts of the Temple, and let her be killed outside with the sword; and the High Priest commanded, that she should not be killed in the House of the Lord.)

15 And they setted hands on her noll (And so they put their hands on her); and when she had entered into the gate of the horses, of the king’s house, they killed her there.

16 Forsooth Jehoiada covenanted a bond of peace betwixt himself and all the people and the king, that it should be the people of the Lord. (And then Jehoiada made a covenant between himself and all the people and the king, that they should be the people of the Lord.)

17 Therefore all the people entered into the house of Baal, and they destroyed it, and they brake the altars and the simulacra thereof; but they killed before the altars Mattan, the priest of Baal (and they killed Mattan, the priest of Baal, before the altars).

18 And Jehoiada ordained sovereigns in the house of the Lord, that under the hands of priests, and of deacons, which David parted in the house of the Lord, they should offer burnt sacrifices to the Lord, as it is written in the book of Moses, in joy and in songs, by the ordinance of David. (And then Jehoiada ordained as the rulers of the House of the Lord, the priests, and the Levites, whom David had assigned to the House of the Lord, to offer the burnt sacrifices to the Lord, as it is written in The Book of Moses, with joy and with songs, by David’s ordinance.)

19 Also he ordained porters in the gates of the house of the Lord, that an unclean man in anything should not enter into it. (And he ordained the guards, or the doorkeepers, at the gates of the House of the Lord, so that no unclean person could enter into it.)

20 And he took the centurions, and the strongest men, and princes of the people, and all the common people of the land. And they made the king to go down from the house of the Lord, and to enter by the midst of the higher gate into the house of the king; and they set him in the king’s throne. (And he took the centurions, and the strongest men, and the people’s leaders, and all the common people of the land. And together they brought the king down from the House of the Lord, and they entered through the Upper Gate into the house of the king, and they put him on the king’s throne.)

21 And all the people of the land was glad, and the city rested; forsooth Athaliah was slain by (the) sword.

23 In the seventh year Jehoiada showed his strength. He made a covenant with the commanders of units of a hundred: Azariah son of Jeroham, Ishmael son of Jehohanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zikri. They went throughout Judah and gathered the Levites(A) and the heads of Israelite families from all the towns. When they came to Jerusalem, the whole assembly made a covenant(B) with the king at the temple of God.

Jehoiada said to them, “The king’s son shall reign, as the Lord promised concerning the descendants of David.(C) Now this is what you are to do: A third of you priests and Levites who are going on duty on the Sabbath are to keep watch at the doors, a third of you at the royal palace and a third at the Foundation Gate, and all the others are to be in the courtyards of the temple of the Lord. No one is to enter the temple of the Lord except the priests and Levites on duty; they may enter because they are consecrated, but all the others are to observe(D) the Lord’s command not to enter.[a] The Levites are to station themselves around the king, each with weapon in hand. Anyone who enters the temple is to be put to death. Stay close to the king wherever he goes.”

The Levites and all the men of Judah did just as Jehoiada the priest ordered.(E) Each one took his men—those who were going on duty on the Sabbath and those who were going off duty—for Jehoiada the priest had not released any of the divisions.(F) Then he gave the commanders of units of a hundred the spears and the large and small shields that had belonged to King David and that were in the temple of God. 10 He stationed all the men, each with his weapon in his hand, around the king—near the altar and the temple, from the south side to the north side of the temple.

11 Jehoiada and his sons brought out the king’s son and put the crown on him; they presented him with a copy(G) of the covenant and proclaimed him king. They anointed him and shouted, “Long live the king!”

12 When Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and cheering the king, she went to them at the temple of the Lord. 13 She looked, and there was the king,(H) standing by his pillar(I) at the entrance. The officers and the trumpeters were beside the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets, and musicians with their instruments were leading the praises. Then Athaliah tore her robes and shouted, “Treason! Treason!”

14 Jehoiada the priest sent out the commanders of units of a hundred, who were in charge of the troops, and said to them: “Bring her out between the ranks[b] and put to the sword anyone who follows her.” For the priest had said, “Do not put her to death at the temple of the Lord.” 15 So they seized her as she reached the entrance of the Horse Gate(J) on the palace grounds, and there they put her to death.

16 Jehoiada then made a covenant(K) that he, the people and the king[c] would be the Lord’s people. 17 All the people went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed the altars and idols and killed(L) Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars.

18 Then Jehoiada placed the oversight of the temple of the Lord in the hands of the Levitical priests,(M) to whom David had made assignments in the temple,(N) to present the burnt offerings of the Lord as written in the Law of Moses, with rejoicing and singing, as David had ordered. 19 He also stationed gatekeepers(O) at the gates of the Lord’s temple so that no one who was in any way unclean might enter.

20 He took with him the commanders of hundreds, the nobles, the rulers of the people and all the people of the land and brought the king down from the temple of the Lord. They went into the palace through the Upper Gate(P) and seated the king on the royal throne. 21 All the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was calm, because Athaliah had been slain with the sword.(Q)

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 23:6 Or are to stand guard where the Lord has assigned them
  2. 2 Chronicles 23:14 Or out from the precincts
  3. 2 Chronicles 23:16 Or covenant between the Lord and the people and the king that they (see 2 Kings 11:17)