Athaliah Usurps the Throne

11 When Athaliah,^(A) Ahaziah’s mother,^(B) saw that her son was dead,^(C) she proceeded to annihilate all the royal heirs. ² Jehosheba,^(D) who was King Jehoram’s daughter and Ahaziah’s^(E) sister, secretly rescued Joash son of Ahaziah from the king’s sons who were being killed and put him and the one who nursed him in a bedroom. So he was hidden from Athaliah and was not killed. ³ Joash was in hiding with Jehosheba in the Lord’s temple six years while Athaliah ruled over the land.

Athaliah Usurps the Throne

¹⁰ When^(A) Athaliah, Ahaziah’s mother, saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to annihilate all the royal heirs^[a] of the house of Judah. ¹¹ Jehoshabeath,^[b] the king’s daughter, rescued Joash son of Ahaziah from the king’s sons who were being killed and put him and the one who nursed him in a bedroom. Now Jehoshabeath was the daughter of King Jehoram and the wife of Jehoiada the priest. Since she was Ahaziah’s sister, she hid Joash from Athaliah so that she did not kill him. ¹² While Athaliah ruled over the land, he was hiding with them in God’s temple six years.

Athaliah Overthrown

⁴ Then^(A) in the seventh year, Jehoiada^(B) sent messengers and brought in the commanders of hundreds, the Carites, and the guards.^(C) He had them come to him in the Lord’s temple, where he made a covenant with them and put them under oath. He showed them the king’s son ⁵ and commanded them, “This is what you are to do: a third of you who come on duty on the Sabbath^(D) are to provide protection for the king’s palace. ⁶ A third are to be at the Sur gate and a third at the gate behind the guards. You are to take turns providing protection for the palace.^[a](E)

⁷ “Your two divisions that go off duty on the Sabbath are to provide protection for the Lord’s temple. ⁸ You must completely surround the king with weapons in hand. Anyone who approaches the ranks is to be put to death. You must be with the king in all his daily tasks.”^[b](F)

⁹ So the commanders of hundreds did everything Jehoiada the priest commanded. They each brought their men—those coming on duty on the Sabbath and those going off duty—and went to Jehoiada the priest.^{(G) 10} The priest gave to the commanders of hundreds King David’s spears and shields^(H) that were in the Lord’s temple. ¹¹ Then the guards stood with their weapons in hand surrounding the king—from the right side of the temple to the left side, by the altar and by the temple.

¹² He brought out the king’s son, put the crown^(I) on him, gave him the testimony,^[c](J) and made him king. They anointed^(K) him and clapped their hands and cried, “Long live the king!”^(L)

Athaliah Overthrown

23 Then, in the seventh year,^(A) Jehoiada summoned his courage and took the commanders of hundreds into a covenant with him: Azariah son of Jeroham, Ishmael son of Jehohanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zichri. ² They made a circuit throughout Judah. They gathered the Levites from all the cities of Judah and the heads of the families of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem.

³ Then the whole assembly made a covenant with the king in God’s temple. Jehoiada said to them, “Here is the king’s son! He must reign, just as the Lord promised^(B) concerning David’s sons. ⁴ This is what you are to do: a third of you, priests and Levites who are coming on duty on the Sabbath,^(C) are to be gatekeepers. ⁵ A third are to be at the king’s palace, and a third are to be at the Foundation Gate, and all the troops will be in the courtyards of the Lord’s temple. ⁶ No one is to enter the Lord’s temple but the priests and those Levites who serve;^(D) they may enter because they are holy, but all the people are to obey the requirement of the Lord. ⁷ You must completely surround the king with weapons in hand. Anyone who enters the temple is to be put to death. You must be with the king in all his daily tasks.”^[a]

⁸ So the commanders of hundreds did everything Jehoiada the priest commanded. They each brought their men—those coming on duty on the Sabbath and those going off duty on the Sabbath—for Jehoiada the priest did not release the divisions.^{(E) 9} Jehoiada the priest gave to the commanders of hundreds King David’s spears, shields, and quivers^[b] that were in God’s temple. ¹⁰ Then he stationed all the troops with their weapons in hand surrounding the king—from the right side of the temple to the left side, by the altar and by the temple.

¹¹ They brought out the king’s son, put the crown on him, gave him the testimony,^(F) and made him king. Jehoiada and his sons anointed him and cried, “Long live the king!”^(G)

¹³ When Athaliah^(A) heard the noise from the guard and the crowd, she went out to the people at the Lord’s temple.^{(B) 14} As she looked, there was the king standing by the pillar^(C) according to the custom. The commanders and the trumpeters were by the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets.^(D) Athaliah tore her clothes and screamed “Treason! Treason!”^(E)

¹⁵ Then Jehoiada^(F) the priest ordered the commanders of hundreds^(G) in charge of the army, “Take her out between the ranks, and put to death by the sword anyone who follows her,” for the priest had said, “She is not to be put to death in the Lord’s temple.”^{(H) 16} So they arrested her, and she went through the horse entrance^(I) to the king’s palace, where she was put to death.^(J)

¹² When Athaliah heard the noise from the troops, the guards, and those praising the king, she went to the troops in the Lord’s temple. ¹³ As she looked, there was the king standing by his pillar^[a] at the entrance. The commanders and the trumpeters were by the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets^(A) while the singers with musical instruments were leading the praise. Athaliah tore her clothes and screamed, “Treason, treason!”

¹⁴ Then Jehoiada the priest sent out the commanders of hundreds, those in charge of the army, saying, “Take her out between the ranks, and put anyone who follows her to death by the sword,” for the priest had said, “Don’t put her to death in the Lord’s temple.” ¹⁵ So they arrested her, and she went by the entrance of the Horses’ Gate^(B) to the king’s palace, where they put her to death.

Jehoiada’s Reforms

¹⁷ Then^(A) Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord, the king, and the people that they would be the Lord’s people^(B) and another covenant between the king and the people.^{[a](C) 18} So all the people of the land went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They broke its altars and images into pieces,^(D) and they killed Mattan, the priest of Baal, at the altars.^(E)

Then Jehoiada the priest appointed guards for the Lord’s temple.^{(F) 19} He took the commanders of hundreds, the Carites, the guards,^(G) and all the people of the land, and they brought the king from the Lord’s temple. They entered the king’s palace by way of the guards’ gate. Then Joash^(H) sat on the throne of the kings. ²⁰ All the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet, for they had put Athaliah to death by the sword in the king’s palace.

Judah’s King Joash

^21 [b]Joash^[c](I) was seven years old when he became king.^(J)

Jehoiada’s Reforms

¹⁶ Then Jehoiada made a covenant between himself, the king, and the people that they would be the Lord’s people. ¹⁷ So all the people went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They broke its altars and images into pieces and killed Mattan, the priest of Baal, at the altars.^(A)

¹⁸ Then Jehoiada put the oversight of the Lord’s temple into the hands of the Levitical priests,^(B) whom David had appointed^(C) over the Lord’s temple, to offer burnt offerings to the Lord as it is written in the law of Moses,^(D) with rejoicing and song ordained by^[a] David. ¹⁹ He stationed gatekeepers^(E) at the gates of the Lord’s temple so that nothing unclean could enter for any reason. ²⁰ Then he took with him the commanders of hundreds, the nobles, the governors of the people, and all the people of the land and brought the king down from the Lord’s temple. They entered the king’s palace through the Upper Gate and seated the king on the throne of the kingdom. ²¹ All the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet, for they had put Athaliah to death by the sword.

12 ¹ In the seventh year of Jehu, Joash became king and reigned 40 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah, who was from Beer-sheba.^{(A) 2} Throughout the time Jehoiada^(B) the priest instructed^(C) him, Joash did what was right in the Lord’s sight.^{(D) 3} Yet the high places were not taken away; the people continued sacrificing and burning incense on the high places.^(E)

Repairing the Temple

⁴ Then^(F) Joash said to the priests, “All the dedicated money brought to the Lord’s temple,^(G) census money,^(H) money from vows,^(I) and all money voluntarily given^(J) for the Lord’s temple, ⁵ each priest is to take from his assessor^[a] and repair whatever damage to the temple is found.”^[b](K)

⁶ But by the twenty-third year^(L) of the reign of King Joash, the priests had not repaired the damage^[c] to the temple.^{(M) 7} So King Joash called Jehoiada^(N) the priest and the other priests and said, “Why haven’t you repaired the temple’s damage? Since you haven’t, don’t take any money from your assessors; instead, hand it over for the repair of the temple.” ⁸ So the priests agreed they would not take money from the people and they would not repair the temple’s damage.

⁹ Then Jehoiada the priest took a chest,^(O) bored a hole in its lid, and set it beside the altar on the right side as one enters the Lord’s temple; in it the priests who guarded the threshold put all the money brought into the Lord’s temple.^{(P) 10} Whenever they saw there was a large amount of money in the chest, the king’s secretary^(Q) and the high priest would go to the Lord’s temple and count the money found there and tie it up in bags.^{(R) 11} Then they would put the counted money into the hands of those doing the work—those who oversaw the Lord’s temple. They in turn would pay it out to those working on the Lord’s temple—the carpenters, the builders, ¹² the masons, and the stonecutters—and would use it to buy timber and quarried stone to repair the damage to the Lord’s temple^(S) and for all spending for temple repairs.

¹³ However, no silver bowls, wick trimmers, sprinkling basins, trumpets, or any articles of gold or silver^(T) were made for the Lord’s temple from the money brought into the temple. ¹⁴ Instead, it was given to those doing the work, and they repaired the Lord’s temple with it. ¹⁵ No accounting was required from the men who received the money to pay those doing the work, since they worked with integrity.^{(U) 16} The money from the restitution offering and the sin offering was not brought to the Lord’s temple since it belonged to the priests.^(V)