17 Jehoiada then made a covenant(A) between the Lord and the king and people that they would be the Lord’s people. He also made a covenant between the king and the people.(B) 18 All the people of the land went to the temple(C) of Baal and tore it down. They smashed(D) the altars and idols to pieces and killed Mattan the priest(E) of Baal in front of the altars.

Then Jehoiada the priest posted guards at the temple of the Lord. 19 He took with him the commanders of hundreds, the Carites,(F) the guards and all the people of the land, and together they brought the king down from the temple of the Lord and went into the palace, entering by way of the gate of the guards. The king then took his place on the royal throne. 20 All the people of the land rejoiced,(G) and the city was calm, because Athaliah had been slain with the sword at the palace.

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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.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 11:17 Some Gk versions, 2Ch 23:16 omit and [another covenant] between the king and the people