2 Chronicles 23

¹ In the seventh year Jehoiada showed his strength. He took the commanders of hundreds — Azariah son of Jeroham, Ishmael son of Jehohanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zichri — into a covenant with him.

² They went throughout Judah and gathered the Levites from all the towns of Judah, along with the heads of the Israelite families, and they came to Jerusalem.

³ The whole assembly made a covenant with the king at the house of God. Jehoiada said to them, 'Here is the king's son! He shall reign, just as the LORD promised concerning the descendants of David.'

⁴ 'This is what you are to do: a third of you priests and Levites who come on duty on the Sabbath are to guard the entrances,'

⁵ 'a third are to be at the king's palace, and a third at the Foundation Gate, and all the people 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 the Levites who are serving; they may enter because they are holy. All the rest of the people are to keep the charge of the LORD.'

⁷ 'The Levites are to surround the king, each man with his weapons in his hand. Anyone who enters the temple must be put to death. Stay close to the king wherever he goes.'

⁸ The Levites and all Judah did everything Jehoiada the priest had ordered. Each one took his men — those coming on duty on the Sabbath together with those going off duty — for Jehoiada the priest had not released any of the divisions.

⁹ Then Jehoiada the priest gave the commanders of hundreds the spears and the large and small shields that had belonged to King David and were kept in the house of God.

¹⁰ He stationed all the men around the king, each with his weapon in his hand, from the south side of the temple to the north side, near the altar and the temple.

¹¹ Then they brought out the king's son, put the crown on him, presented him with the covenant document, and proclaimed him king. Jehoiada and his sons 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, standing by his pillar at the entrance. The commanders and the trumpeters were beside the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets, and the singers with their instruments were leading the praise. Then Athaliah tore her robes and shouted, 'Treason! Treason!'

¹⁴ Jehoiada the priest sent out the commanders of hundreds, who were in charge of the troops, and said to them, 'Bring her out between the ranks, and put anyone who follows her to the sword.' For the priest had said, 'Do not put her to death at the temple of the LORD.'

¹⁵ So they seized her, and when she reached the entrance of the Horse Gate at the king's palace, they put her to death there.

¹⁶ Then Jehoiada made a covenant between himself, all the people, and the king, that they would be the LORD's people.

¹⁷ Then all the people went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed its altars and its idols, and they killed 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, whom David had assigned to the temple of the LORD to offer the burnt offerings of the LORD, as written in the Law of Moses, with rejoicing and singing, as David had directed.

¹⁹ He also stationed gatekeepers at the gates of the temple of the LORD, so that no one who was unclean in any way could enter.

²⁰ He took 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 entered the palace through the Upper Gate and seated the king on the royal throne.

²¹ And all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet, because Athaliah had been put to death by the sword.