²⁷ The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills. ²⁸ Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from all other countries.

Solomon’s Death^(A)

²⁹ As for the other events of Solomon’s reign, from beginning to end, are they not written in the records of Nathan^(B) the prophet, in the prophecy of Ahijah^(C) the Shilonite and in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam^(D) son of Nebat?

² They went throughout Judah and gathered the Levites^(A) and the heads of Israelite families from all the towns. When they came to Jerusalem, ³ 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) 4} 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, ⁵ 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. ⁶ 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] 7} 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.”

⁸ 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) 9} 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)

²⁴ Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests, namely, Sherebiah,^(A) Hashabiah and ten of their brothers, ²⁵ and I weighed out^(B) to them the offering of silver and gold and the articles that the king, his advisers, his officials and all Israel present there had donated for the house of our God. ²⁶ I weighed out to them 650 talents^[a] of silver, silver articles weighing 100 talents,^[b] 100 talents^[c] of gold, ²⁷ 20 bowls of gold valued at 1,000 darics,^[d] and two fine articles of polished bronze, as precious as gold.

²⁸ I said to them, “You as well as these articles are consecrated to the Lord.^(C) The silver and gold are a freewill offering to the Lord, the God of your ancestors. ²⁹ Guard them carefully until you weigh them out in the chambers of the house of the Lord in Jerusalem before the leading priests and the Levites and the family heads of Israel.” ³⁰ Then the priests and Levites received the silver and gold and sacred articles that had been weighed out to be taken to the house of our God in Jerusalem.

³¹ On the twelfth day of the first month we set out from the Ahava Canal^(D) to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us,^(E) and he protected us from enemies and bandits along the way. ³² So we arrived in Jerusalem, where we rested three days.^(F)

³³ On the fourth day, in the house of our God, we weighed out^(G) the silver and gold and the sacred articles into the hands of Meremoth^(H) son of Uriah, the priest. Eleazar son of Phinehas was with him, and so were the Levites Jozabad^(I) son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui.^{(J) 34} Everything was accounted for by number and weight, and the entire weight was recorded at that time.