2 Kings 11:1–21

¹Now as regards Ath‧a‧li′ah the mother of A‧ha‧zi′ah, she saw that her son had died. So she rose up and destroyed all the offspring of the kingdom.²However, Je‧hosh′e‧ba the daughter of King Je‧ho′ram, the sister of A‧ha‧zi′ah, took Je‧ho′ash the son of A‧ha‧zi′ah and stole him from among the sons of the king that were to be put to death, even him and his nursing woman, into the inner room for the couches, and they kept him concealed from the face of Ath‧a‧li′ah, and he was not put to death.³And he continued with her at the house of Jehovah in hiding for six years, while Ath‧a‧li′ah was reigning over the land.

⁴And in the seventh year Je‧hoi′a‧da sent and then took the chiefs of hundreds of the Ca′ri‧an bodyguard and of the runners and brought them to himself at the house of Jehovah and concluded a covenant with them and made them swear at the house of Jehovah, after which he showed them the son of the king.⁵And he went on to command them, saying: “This is the thing that ​YOU​ will do: One third of ​YOU​ are coming in on the sabbath and keeping strict watch over the king’s house;⁶and one third will be at the Gate of the Foundation, and one third will be at the gate behind the runners; and ​YOU​ must keep strict watch over the house by turns.⁷And there are two divisions among ​YOU​ that are all going out on the sabbath, and they must keep strict watch over the house of Jehovah in behalf of the king.⁸And ​YOU​ must encircle the king all around, each one with his weapons in his hand; and anyone entering within the rows will be put to death. And continue with the king when he goes out and when he comes in.”

⁹And the chiefs of hundreds proceeded to do according to all that Je‧hoi′a‧da the priest had commanded. So they took each one his men that were coming in on the sabbath, together with those that were going out on the sabbath, and then came in to Je‧hoi′a‧da the priest.¹⁰The priest now gave the chiefs of hundreds the spears and the circular shields that had belonged to King David, which were in the house of Jehovah.¹¹And the runners kept standing each one with his weapons in his hand, from the right side of the house clear to the left side of the house, by the altar and by the house, all around near the king.¹²Then he brought the son of the king out and put upon him the diadem and the Testimony; and so they made him king and anointed him. And they began to clap their hands and say: “Let the king live!”

¹³When Ath‧a‧li′ah heard the sound of the people running, she at once came to the people at the house of Jehovah.¹⁴Then she saw, and there the king was standing by the pillar according to the custom, and the chiefs and the trumpets by the king, and all the people of the land rejoicing and blowing the trumpets. Immediately Ath‧a‧li′ah ripped her garments apart and began crying: “Conspiracy! Conspiracy!”¹⁵But Je‧hoi′a‧da the priest commanded the chiefs of hundreds, the appointed ones of the military force, and said to them: “Take her out from inside the rows, and, as for anyone coming after her, let there be an execution of death with the sword!” For the priest had said: “Do not let her be put to death in the house of Jehovah.”¹⁶So they laid their hands upon her and she came by the way of the horse entry of the king’s house, and she got put to death there.

¹⁷Then Je‧hoi′a‧da concluded the covenant between Jehovah and the king and the people, that they should prove themselves the people of Jehovah; and also between the king and the people.¹⁸After that all the people of the land came to the house of Ba′al and pulled down his altars; and his images they broke up thoroughly, and Mat′tan the priest of Ba′al they killed before the altars.

And the priest proceeded to put overseers over the house of Jehovah.¹⁹Further, he took the chiefs of hundreds and the Ca′ri‧an bodyguard and the runners and all the people of the land, that they might bring the king down from the house of Jehovah; and they came gradually by the way of the gate of the runners to the king’s house; and he began to sit upon the throne of the kings.²⁰And all the people of the land continued to rejoice; and the city, for its part, had no disturbance, and Ath‧a‧li′ah herself they had put to death with the sword at the king’s house.

²¹Seven years old Je‧ho′ash was when he began to reign.