2 Kings 11
Wycliffe Bible
11 Forsooth Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah, saw (that) her son (was) dead, and she rose up, and killed all the seed of the king (and killed all of the king’s descendants).
2 And Jehosheba, the daughter of king Jehoram[a], (and) the sister of Ahaziah, took Joash[b], the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from the midst of the sons of the king, that were slain (who were killed); and she (also) took the nurse of him from the house of three stages; and she hid him from the face of Athaliah, so that he were not slain.
3 And he was with her in the house of the Lord privily six years (And he was hid with her in the House of the Lord for six years). Forsooth Athaliah reigned upon the land six years.
4 But in the seventh year Jehoiada, the priest, sent, and took (the) chieftains upon hundreds, and (the) knights, and he brought them to him into the temple of the Lord; and covenanted with them a bond of peace (and made a covenant with them), and he made them to swear in the temple of the Lord, and showed to them the son of the king.
5 And he commanded to them, and said, This is the word, that ye ought to do; the third part of you enter in (on) the sabbath day, and keep ye the watches of the king’s house; (And he commanded to them, and said, This is the thing, that ye ought to do; a third part of you be on duty on the sabbath day, and keep ye watch over, or guard, the palace;)
6 and another third part be at the gate of Sur; and the third part be at the gate that is behind the dwelling place of the makers of shields; and ye shall keep the watches of the house of Masah. (and a third part be at the Sur Gate; and a third part be at the gate that is behind the dwelling place of the shield-makers; and so ye shall keep watch over the House of the Lord behind the other guards.)
7 Forsooth two parts of you all going out in the sabbath, keep they the watches of the house of the Lord about the king. (And so the two parts of you that be off-duty on the sabbath, keep they watch over the king in the House of the Lord.)
8 And ye shall compass the king, and ye shall have arms in your hands; and if any man enter into the closing of the temple, be he slain; and ye shall be with the king going in and going out. (And ye shall encompass, or surround, the king, and ye shall have weapons in your hands; and if anyone enter into the enclosing, or the interior, of the Temple, they shall be killed; and ye shall be with the king coming in and going out.)
9 And the chieftains upon hundreds did by all things that Jehoiada, the priest, had commanded to them; and they all taking their men that entered to the sabbath day, with them that went out from the sabbath day, came to Jehoiada, the priest (and they all took their men who went on duty on the sabbath day, with those who went off-duty on the sabbath day, and came to Jehoiada, the priest).
10 Which gave to them [the] spears, and [the] armours of king David, that were in the house of the Lord. (And he gave them King David’s spears and shields, that were in the House of the Lord.)
11 And all stood having arms in their hand (And they all stood with weapons in their hands), from the right side of the temple unto the left side of the altar and of the house, (all) about the king.
12 And he brought forth the son of the king, and put upon his head a diadem, and the witnessing; and they made him king, and anointed him; and they clapped with the hand[s], and said, The king live! (And he brought forth the king’s son, and put the crown on his head, and gave him the warrant; and then they anointed him king; and they clapped their hands, and said, Long live the king!)
13 Forsooth Athaliah heard the voice(s) of the people running, and she entered to the companies into the temple of the Lord, (And Athaliah heard all the noise that the people made, and she came into the Temple of the Lord,)
14 and she saw the king standing on the throne (and she saw the king standing by the throne), (as) by custom, and singers, and companies nigh him, and all the people of the land being glad, and singing with trumps. And she rent her clothes, and cried, Swearing together! swearing together!/Conjuration! conjuration! either treason.
15 Certainly Jehoiada commanded to the chieftains (upon hundreds), that were upon the host, and said to them, Lead ye her out of the closings of the temple; and whoever followeth her, be he smitten with [a] sword. And the priest said, Be she not slain in the temple of the Lord. (And Jehoiada commanded to the chieftains upon hundreds, who were over the army, and said to them, Take ye her out of the enclosings of the Temple; and whoever followeth her, let him be struck down with a sword. And the priest said, She shall not be killed in the Temple of the Lord.)
16 And they putted hands on her, and hurled her by the way of the entering of [the] horses beside the palace; and she was slain there.
17 Therefore Jehoiada made (a) bond of peace betwixt the Lord and the king, and betwixt the people, that it should be the people of the Lord; and (also) betwixt the king and the people. (And so Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord and the king and the people, that they would be the people of the Lord; and also between the king and the people.)
18 [And] All the people of the land entered into the temple of Baal; and they destroyed the altars of him, and all-brake strongly the images; and they killed before the altar Mattan, the priest of Baal. And Jehoiada the priest set keepings in the house of the Lord; (And all the people of the land entered into the temple of Baal; and they destroyed his altars, and broke up all the images, or all the idols; and they killed Mattan, Baal’s priest, in front of the altar. And Jehoiada the priest put guards in the House of the Lord;)
19 and he took [the] chieftains upon hundreds, and [the] legions of Cherethites, and Pelethites, and all the people of the land. And they led forth the king from the house of the Lord; and they came by the way of the gate of the makers of shields into the palace; and Joash sat upon the throne of kings.
20 And all the people of the land was glad, and the city rested. Forsooth Athaliah was slain by (the) sword in the house of the king.
21 And Joash was of seven years, when he began to reign. (And Joash was seven years old, when he began to reign.)
Footnotes
- 2 Kings 11:2 Also known as Joram.
- 2 Kings 11:2 Also known as Jehoash.
2 Kings 11
English Standard Version
Athaliah Reigns in Judah
11 (A)Now when (B)Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal family. 2 But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took (C)Joash the son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the king's sons who were being put to death, and she put[a] him and his nurse in a bedroom. Thus they[b] hid him from Athaliah, so that he was not put to death. 3 And he remained with her six years, hidden in the house of the Lord, while Athaliah reigned over the land.
Joash Anointed King in Judah
4 (D)But in the seventh year (E)Jehoiada sent and brought the captains of (F)the Carites and of the guards, and had them come to him in the house of the Lord. And he made a covenant with them and put them under oath in the house of the Lord, and he showed them the king's son. 5 And he commanded them, “This is the thing that you shall do: one third of you, (G)those who come off duty on the Sabbath and guard the king's house 6 ((H)another third being at the gate Sur and a third at the gate behind the guards) shall guard the palace.[c] 7 And the two divisions of you, which come on duty in force on the Sabbath and guard the house of the Lord on behalf of the king, 8 shall surround the king, each with his weapons in his hand. And whoever approaches the ranks is to be put to death. Be with the king (I)when he goes out and when he comes in.”
9 The captains did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded, and they each brought his men who were to go off duty on the Sabbath, with those who were to come on duty on the Sabbath, and came to Jehoiada the priest. 10 And the priest gave to the captains the spears and (J)shields that had been King David's, which were in the house of the Lord. 11 And the guards stood, every man with his weapons in his hand, from the south side of the house to the north side of the house, around the altar and the house on behalf of the king. 12 Then he brought out the king's son and put (K)the crown on him and gave him (L)the testimony. And they proclaimed him king and anointed him, and they clapped their hands and said, (M)“Long live the king!”
13 When Athaliah heard the noise of the guard and of the people, she went into the house of the Lord to the people. 14 And when she looked, there was the king standing (N)by the pillar, according to the custom, and the captains and the trumpeters beside the king, and all the people of the land rejoicing and (O)blowing trumpets. And Athaliah (P)tore her clothes and cried, “Treason! Treason!” 15 Then Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains who were set over the army, “Bring her out between the ranks, and put to death with the sword anyone who follows her.” For the priest said, “Let her not be put to death in the house of the Lord.” 16 So they laid hands on her; and she went through the horses' entrance to the king's house, and there she was put to death.
17 And Jehoiada (Q)made a covenant between the Lord and the king and people, that they should be the Lord's people, and also (R)between the king and the people. 18 Then all the people of the land went to (S)the house of Baal and tore it down; (T)his altars and his images they broke in pieces, and they killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. And the priest posted watchmen over the house of the Lord. 19 And he took the captains, (U)the Carites, the guards, and all the people of the land, and they brought the king down from the house of the Lord, marching through (V)the gate of the guards to the king's house. And he took his seat on the throne of the kings. 20 So all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet after Athaliah had been put to death with the sword at the king's house.
Jehoash Reigns in Judah
21 [d] (W)Jehoash[e] was seven years old when he began to reign.
Footnotes
- 2 Kings 11:2 Compare 2 Chronicles 22:11; Hebrew lacks and she put
- 2 Kings 11:2 Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate (compare 2 Chronicles 22:11) she
- 2 Kings 11:6 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
- 2 Kings 11:21 Ch 12:1 in Hebrew
- 2 Kings 11:21 Jehoash is an alternate spelling of Joash (son of Ahaziah) as in verse 2
2001 by Terence P. Noble
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
