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2 Chronicles 22-23
New American Standard Bible

Ahaziah Succeeds Jehoram in Judah

22 (A)Then the inhabitants of Jerusalem made [a]Ahaziah, his youngest son, king in his place, for the band of men who came with (B)the Arabs to the camp had killed all the older sons. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah began to reign. 2 Ahaziah was [b]twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned for one year in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Athaliah, the [c]granddaughter of Omri. 3 He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor to act wickedly. 4 So he did evil in the sight of the Lord like the house of Ahab, for they were his counselors after the death of his father, to (C)his own destruction.

Ahaziah Allies with Jehoram of Israel

5 He also walked by their counsel, and went with Jehoram the son of Ahab king of Israel to wage war against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth-gilead. But the (D)Arameans [d]wounded [e]Joram. 6 So he returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds [f]which they had inflicted on him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Aram. And [g]Ahaziah, the son of Jehoram king of Judah, went down to see Jehoram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.

7 Now (E)the destruction of Ahaziah was from God, in that [h]he went to Joram. For when he arrived, (F)he went out with Jehoram against Jehu the son of Nimshi, (G)whom the Lord had anointed to eliminate the house of Ahab.

Jehu Murders Princes of Judah

8 (H)And it came about, when Jehu was executing judgment on the house of Ahab, that he found the princes of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah’s brothers attending to Ahaziah, and killed them. 9 (I)He also searched for Ahaziah, and they caught him while he was hiding in Samaria; they brought him to Jehu, put him to death, (J)and buried him. For they said, “He is the son of Jehoshaphat, (K)who sought the Lord with all his heart.” So there was no one of the house of Ahaziah to retain the power of the kingdom.

10 (L)Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she rose and eliminated all the royal [i]children of the house of Judah. 11 But Jehoshabeath the king’s daughter took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king’s sons who were being put to death, and placed him and his nurse in the bedroom. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of King Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest (for she was the sister of Ahaziah), hid him from Athaliah so that she would not put him to death. 12 He kept himself hidden with them in the house of God for six years while Athaliah reigned over the land.

Jehoiada Sets Joash on the Throne of Judah

23 (M)Now in the seventh year, Jehoiada gathered his courage, and took captains of hundreds: Azariah the son of Jeroham, Ishmael the son of Johanan, Azariah the son of Obed, Maaseiah the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zichri, and they entered into a covenant with him. 2 And they went throughout Judah and gathered the Levites from all the cities of Judah, and the heads of the fathers’ households of (N)Israel, and they came to Jerusalem. 3 Then all the assembly made a covenant with the king in the house of God. And [j]Jehoiada said to them, “Behold, the king’s son shall reign, (O)as the Lord has spoken concerning the sons of David. 4 This is the thing which you shall do: a third of you, of the priests and Levites (P)who come in on the Sabbath, shall be gatekeepers, 5 and a third shall be at the king’s house, and a third at the Gate of the Foundation; and all the people shall be in the courtyards of the house of the Lord. 6 But no one is to enter the house of the Lord except the priests and (Q)the ministering Levites; they may enter, for they are holy. And all the people are to keep the command of the Lord. 7 The Levites will surround the king, each man with his weapons in his hand; and whoever enters the house is to be put to death. Therefore be with the king when he comes in and when he goes out.”

8 The Levites and all Judah did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded. And each one of them took his men who were to come in on the Sabbath, with those who were to go out on the Sabbath, for Jehoiada the priest did not dismiss any of (R)the divisions. 9 Then Jehoiada the priest gave the captains of hundreds the spears and the shields and quivers which had been King David’s, which were in the house of God. 10 He stationed all the people, each man with his weapon in his hand, from the right [k]side of the house to the left [l]side of the house, by the altar and by the house, around the king. 11 Then they brought out the king’s son and put the crown on him, and gave him (S)the testimony and made him king. And Jehoiada and his sons anointed him and said, “(T)Long live the king!”

Athaliah Murdered

12 When Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and praising the king, she went into the house of the Lord to the people. 13 She looked, and behold, the king was standing by his pillar at the entrance, and the captains and the [m]trumpeters were beside the king. And all the people of the land rejoiced and blew trumpets, the singers with their musical instruments [n]leading the praise. Then Athaliah tore her clothes and said, “Conspiracy! Conspiracy!” 14 And Jehoiada the priest brought out the captains of hundreds who were appointed over the army, and said to them, “Bring her out [o]between the ranks, and whoever follows her is to be put to death with the sword.” For the priest said, “You shall not put her to death in the house of the Lord.” 15 So they [p]seized her, and when she arrived at the entrance of (U)the Horse Gate of the king’s house, they (V)put her to death there.

Reforms Carried Out

16 Then (W)Jehoiada made a covenant between himself and all the people and the king, that they would be the Lord’s people. 17 And all the people went to the house of Baal and tore it down, and they broke in pieces his altars and his images, and (X)killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. 18 Moreover, Jehoiada placed the offices of the house of the Lord under the [q]authority of (Y)the Levitical priests, (Z)whom David had assigned over the house of the Lord, to offer the burnt offerings of the Lord, as it is written in the Law of Moses—(AA)with rejoicing and singing according to the [r]order of David. 19 He stationed (AB)the gatekeepers of the house of the Lord, so that no one would enter who was in any way unclean. 20 (AC)He took the captains of hundreds, the nobles, the rulers of the people, and all the people of the land, and brought the king down from the house of the Lord, and went through the upper gate to the king’s house. And they seated the king upon the royal throne. 21 So (AD)all of the people of the land rejoiced and the city was at rest. For they had put Athaliah to death with the sword.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 22:1 In 2 Chr 21:17, Jehoahaz
  2. 2 Chronicles 22:2 As in some ancient versions and 2 Kin 8:26; MT 42 years
  3. 2 Chronicles 22:2 Lit daughter
  4. 2 Chronicles 22:5 Lit struck
  5. 2 Chronicles 22:5 I.e., Jehoram
  6. 2 Chronicles 22:6 Lit with which...struck
  7. 2 Chronicles 22:6 As in 2 Kin 8:29; MT Azariah
  8. 2 Chronicles 22:7 Lit to go
  9. 2 Chronicles 22:10 Lit seed
  10. 2 Chronicles 23:3 Lit he
  11. 2 Chronicles 23:10 Lit shoulder
  12. 2 Chronicles 23:10 Lit shoulder
  13. 2 Chronicles 23:13 Lit trumpets
  14. 2 Chronicles 23:13 Lit and leading for praising
  15. 2 Chronicles 23:14 Lit from within
  16. 2 Chronicles 23:15 Lit put hands to her
  17. 2 Chronicles 23:18 Lit hand
  18. 2 Chronicles 23:18 Lit hands of
Listen to 2 Chronicles 22-23
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2 Chronicles 22-23
New International Version

Ahaziah King of Judah(A)(B)

22 The people(C) of Jerusalem(D) made Ahaziah, Jehoram’s youngest son, king in his place, since the raiders,(E) who came with the Arabs into the camp, had killed all the older sons. So Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah began to reign.

2 Ahaziah was twenty-two[a] years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem one year. His mother’s name was Athaliah, a granddaughter of Omri.

3 He too followed(F) the ways of the house of Ahab,(G) for his mother encouraged him to act wickedly. 4 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, as the house of Ahab had done, for after his father’s death they became his advisers, to his undoing. 5 He also followed their counsel when he went with Joram[b] son of Ahab king of Israel to wage war against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth Gilead.(H) The Arameans wounded Joram; 6 so he returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds they had inflicted on him at Ramoth[c] in his battle with Hazael(I) king of Aram.

Then Ahaziah[d] son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to Jezreel to see Joram son of Ahab because he had been wounded.

7 Through Ahaziah’s(J) visit to Joram, God brought about Ahaziah’s downfall. When Ahaziah arrived, he went out with Joram to meet Jehu son of Nimshi, whom the Lord had anointed to destroy the house of Ahab. 8 While Jehu was executing judgment on the house of Ahab,(K) he found the officials of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah’s relatives, who had been attending Ahaziah, and he killed them. 9 He then went in search of Ahaziah, and his men captured him while he was hiding(L) in Samaria. He was brought to Jehu and put to death. They buried him, for they said, “He was a son of Jehoshaphat, who sought(M) the Lord with all his heart.” So there was no one in the house of Ahaziah powerful enough to retain the kingdom.

Athaliah and Joash(N)

10 When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to destroy the whole royal family of the house of Judah. 11 But Jehosheba,[e] the daughter of King Jehoram, took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the royal princes who were about to be murdered and put him and his nurse in a bedroom. Because Jehosheba,[f] the daughter of King Jehoram and wife of the priest Jehoiada, was Ahaziah’s sister, she hid the child from Athaliah so she could not kill him. 12 He remained hidden with them at the temple of God for six years while Athaliah ruled the land.

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. 2 They went throughout Judah and gathered the Levites(O) and the heads of Israelite families from all the towns. When they came to Jerusalem, 3 the whole assembly made a covenant(P) 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.(Q) 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(R) the Lord’s command not to enter.[g] 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.(S) 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.(T) 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(U) 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,(V) standing by his pillar(W) 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[h] 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(X) on the palace grounds, and there they put her to death.

16 Jehoiada then made a covenant(Y) that he, the people and the king[i] 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(Z) 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,(AA) to whom David had made assignments in the temple,(AB) 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(AC) 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(AD) 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.(AE)

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 22:2 Some Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac (see also 2 Kings 8:26); Hebrew forty-two
  2. 2 Chronicles 22:5 Hebrew Jehoram, a variant of Joram; also in verses 6 and 7
  3. 2 Chronicles 22:6 Hebrew Ramah, a variant of Ramoth
  4. 2 Chronicles 22:6 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac (see also 2 Kings 8:29); most Hebrew manuscripts Azariah
  5. 2 Chronicles 22:11 Hebrew Jehoshabeath, a variant of Jehosheba
  6. 2 Chronicles 22:11 Hebrew Jehoshabeath, a variant of Jehosheba
  7. 2 Chronicles 23:6 Or are to stand guard where the Lord has assigned them
  8. 2 Chronicles 23:14 Or out from the precincts
  9. 2 Chronicles 23:16 Or covenant between the Lord and the people and the king that they (see 2 Kings 11:17)
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2 Chronicles 21
2 Chronicles 24
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