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2 Chronicles 23
New English Translation

23 In the seventh year Jehoiada made a bold move. He made a pact[a] with the officers of the units of hundreds: Azariah son of Jehoram, Ishmael son of Jehochanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zikri. 2 They traveled throughout Judah and assembled the Levites from all the cities of Judah, as well as the Israelite family leaders.

They came to Jerusalem, 3 and the whole assembly made a covenant with the king in the temple of God. Jehoiada[b] said to them, “The king’s son will rule, just as the Lord promised David’s descendants. 4 This is what you must do. One-third of you priests and Levites who are on duty during the Sabbath will guard the doors. 5 Another third of you will be stationed at the royal palace and still another third at the Foundation Gate. All the others[c] will stand in the courtyards of the Lord’s temple. 6 No one must enter the Lord’s temple except the priests and Levites who are on duty. They may enter because they are ceremonially pure. All the others should carry out their assigned service to the Lord. 7 The Levites must surround the king. Each of you must hold his weapon in his hand. Whoever tries to enter the temple[d] must be killed. You must accompany the king wherever he goes.”[e]

8 The Levites and all the men of Judah[f] did just as Jehoiada the priest ordered. Each of them took his men, those who were on duty during the Sabbath as well as those who were off duty on the Sabbath. Jehoiada the priest did not release his divisions from their duties. 9 Jehoiada the priest gave to the officers of the units of hundreds King David’s spears and shields[g] that were kept in God’s temple. 10 He placed the men at their posts, each holding his weapon in his hand. They lined up from the south side of the temple to the north side and stood near the altar and the temple, surrounding the king.[h] 11 Jehoiada and his sons led out the king’s son and placed on him the crown and the royal insignia.[i] They proclaimed him king and poured olive oil on his head.[j] They declared, “Long live the king!”

12 When Athaliah heard the royal guard[k] shouting and praising the king, she joined the crowd[l] at the Lord’s temple. 13 Then she saw[m] the king standing by his pillar at the entrance. The officers and trumpeters stood beside the king and all the people of the land were celebrating and blowing trumpets, and the musicians with various instruments were leading the celebration. Athaliah tore her clothes and yelled, “Treason! Treason!”[n] 14 Jehoiada the priest sent out the officers of the units of hundreds, who were in charge of the army, and ordered them, “Bring her outside the temple to the guards.[o] Put the sword to anyone who follows her.” The priest gave this order because he had decided she should not be executed in the Lord’s temple.[p] 15 They seized her and took her into the precincts of the royal palace through the horses’ entrance.[q] There they executed her.

16 Jehoiada then drew up a covenant stipulating that he, all the people, and the king should be loyal to the Lord.[r] 17 All the people went and demolished[s] the temple of Baal. They smashed its altars and idols.[t] They killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars. 18 Jehoiada then assigned the duties of the Lord’s temple to the priests, the Levites whom David had assigned to the Lord’s temple. They were responsible for offering burnt sacrifices to the Lord with joy and music, according to[u] the law of Moses and the edict of David. 19 He posted guards at the gates of the Lord’s temple, so no one who was ceremonially unclean in any way could enter. 20 He summoned[v] the officers of the units of hundreds, the nobles, the rulers of the people, and all the people of the land, and he then led the king down from the Lord’s temple. They entered the royal palace through the Upper Gate and seated the king on the royal throne. 21 All the people of the land celebrated, for the city had rest now that they had killed Athaliah.[w]

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 23:1 tn Or “covenant.”
  2. 2 Chronicles 23:3 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jehoiada the priest, cf. v. 8) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  3. 2 Chronicles 23:5 tn Heb “all the people.”
  4. 2 Chronicles 23:7 tn Heb “house.”
  5. 2 Chronicles 23:7 tn Heb “and be with the king when he goes in/enters and when he goes out/exits.”
  6. 2 Chronicles 23:8 tn Heb “all Judah.” The words “the men of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” by metonymy for the men of Judah.
  7. 2 Chronicles 23:9 tn The Hebrew text lists two different types of shields here. Most translations render “the large and small shields” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV; NEB “King David’s spears, shields, and bucklers”).
  8. 2 Chronicles 23:10 tn Heb “and he stationed all the people, each with his weapon in his hand, from the south shoulder of the house to the north shoulder of the house, at the altar and at the house, near the king all around.”
  9. 2 Chronicles 23:11 tn The Hebrew word עֵדוּת (ʿedut) normally means “witness” or “testimony.” Here it probably refers to some tangible symbol of kingship, perhaps a piece of jewelry such as an amulet or neck chain (see the discussion in M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings [AB], 128). Some suggest that a document is in view, perhaps a copy of the royal protocol or of the stipulations of the Davidic covenant (see HALOT 790-91 s.v.).
  10. 2 Chronicles 23:11 tn Or “they made him king and anointed him.”
  11. 2 Chronicles 23:12 tn Heb “and Athaliah heard the sound of the people, the runners.”
  12. 2 Chronicles 23:12 tn Heb “she came to the people.”
  13. 2 Chronicles 23:13 tn Heb “and she saw, and behold.”
  14. 2 Chronicles 23:13 tn Or “Conspiracy! Conspiracy!”
  15. 2 Chronicles 23:14 tn Heb “ranks.”
  16. 2 Chronicles 23:14 tn Heb “for the priest had said, ‘Do not put her to death in the house of the Lord.’”
  17. 2 Chronicles 23:15 tn Heb “and they placed hands on her, and she went through the entrance of the gate of the horses [into] the house of the king.” Some English versions treat the phrase “gate of the horses” as the name of the gate (“the Horse Gate”; e.g., NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
  18. 2 Chronicles 23:16 tn Heb “and Jehoiada made a covenant between himself and [between] all the people and [between] the king, to become a people for the Lord.”
  19. 2 Chronicles 23:17 tn Or “tore down.”
  20. 2 Chronicles 23:17 tn Or “images.”
  21. 2 Chronicles 23:18 tn Heb “as it is written in.”
  22. 2 Chronicles 23:20 tn Heb “took.”
  23. 2 Chronicles 23:21 tn Heb “killed Athaliah with the sword.”
Close NRSVUE

2 Chronicles 23
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

23 But in the seventh year Jehoiada strengthened himself and entered into a compact with the commanders of the hundreds, Azariah son of Jeroham, Ishmael son of Jehohanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zichri.(A) 2 They went around through Judah and gathered the Levites from all the towns of Judah and the heads of families of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem. 3 Then the whole assembly made a covenant with the king in the house of God. Jehoiada[a] said to them, “Here is the king’s son! Let him reign, as the Lord promised concerning the sons of David.(B) 4 This is what you are to do: one-third of you, priests and Levites, who come on duty on the Sabbath shall be gatekeepers,(C) 5 one-third shall be at the king’s house, and one-third at the Gate of the Foundation, and all the people shall be in the courts of the house of the Lord. 6 Do not let anyone enter the house of the Lord except the priests and ministering Levites; they may enter, for they are holy, but all the other[b] people shall observe the instructions of the Lord. 7 The Levites shall surround the king, each with his weapons in his hand, and whoever enters the house shall be killed. Stay with the king in his comings and goings.”(D)

Joash Crowned King

8 The Levites and all Judah did according to all that the priest Jehoiada commanded; each brought his men who were to come on duty on the Sabbath with those who were to go off duty on the Sabbath, for the priest Jehoiada did not dismiss the divisions.(E) 9 The priest Jehoiada delivered to the captains the spears and the large and small shields that had been King David’s, which were in the house of God,(F) 10 and he set all the people as a guard for the king, everyone with weapon in hand, from the south side of the house to the north side of the house, around the altar and the house. 11 Then he brought out the king’s son, put the crown on him, and gave him the covenant; they proclaimed him king, and Jehoiada and his sons anointed him, and they shouted, “Long live the king!”(G)

Death of Athaliah

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;(H) 13 when she looked, there was the king standing by his pillar at the entrance, and the captains and the trumpeters beside the king, and all the people of the land rejoicing and blowing trumpets, and the singers with their musical instruments leading in the celebration. Athaliah tore her clothes and cried, “Treason! Treason!” 14 Then the priest Jehoiada brought out the captains who were set over the army, saying to them, “Bring her out between the ranks; anyone who follows her is to be put to the sword.” For the priest said, “Do not put her to death in the house of the Lord.” 15 So they laid hands on her; she went into the entrance of the Horse Gate of the king’s house, and there they put her to death.(I)

16 Jehoiada made a covenant between himself and all the people and the king that they should be the Lord’s people. 17 Then all the people went to the house of Baal and tore it down; his altars and his images they broke in pieces, and they killed Mattan, the priest of Baal, in front of the altars.(J) 18 Jehoiada assigned the care of the house of the Lord to the Levitical priests whom David had organized to be in charge of the house of the Lord, to offer burnt offerings to the Lord, as it is written in the law of Moses, with rejoicing and with singing, according to the order of David.(K) 19 He stationed the gatekeepers at the gates of the house of the Lord so that no one should enter who was in any way unclean.(L) 20 And he took the captains, the nobles, the governors of the people, and all the people of the land, and they brought the king down from the house of the Lord, marching through the upper gate to the king’s house. They set the king on the royal throne.(M) 21 So all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet after Athaliah had been killed with the sword.

Footnotes

  1. 23.3 Heb He
  2. 23.6 Heb lacks other
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New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)

New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.