2 Chronicles 23

Modern

Literal

Joash Anointed King of Judah

¹Then in the seventh year, Jehoiada strengthened himself and made a covenant with the commanders of hundreds—with Azariah son of Jeroham, Ishmael son of Jehohanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zichri.

¹And in the seventh year Jehoiada strengthened himself, and he took the captains of the hundreds—Azariah son of Jeroham, and Ishmael son of Jehohanan, and Azariah son of Obed, and Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zichri—with him into the covenant.

²So they went throughout Judah and gathered the Levites from all the cities of Judah and the heads of the families of Israel. And when they came to Jerusalem,

²And they went throughout Judah, and they gathered the Levites from all the cities of Judah, and the chief fathers of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem.

³the whole assembly made a covenant with the king in the house of God.

“Behold, the king’s son!” said Jehoiada. “He must reign, just as the LORD promised concerning the descendants of David.

³And all the assembly cut a covenant in the house of God with the king. And he said to them, “Behold, the son of the king shall reign, as YHWH has said concerning the sons of David.

⁴This is what you are to do: A third of you priests and Levites who come on duty on the Sabbath shall keep watch at the doors,

⁴This is the thing that you shall do: A third of you entering on the Sabbath of the priests and the Levites shall be gatekeepers of the thresholds,

⁵a third shall be at the royal palace, and a third at the Foundation Gate, while all the others are to be in the courtyards of the house of the LORD.

⁵and a third at the house of the king, and a third at the Gate of the Foundation, and all the people shall be in the courts of the house of YHWH.

⁶No one is to enter the house of the LORD except the priests and those Levites who serve; they may enter because they are consecrated, but all the people are to obey the requirement of the LORD.

⁶And let none come into the house of YHWH, except for the priests and those who serve from the Levites; they may go in, for they are holy. And all the people must keep the charge of YHWH.

⁷The Levites must surround the king with weapons in hand, and anyone who enters the temple must be put to death. You must stay close to the king wherever he goes.”

⁷And the Levites shall surround the king on all sides, each man with his weapon in his hand. And whoever comes into the house must be put to death. And You are to be with the king in his coming in and in his going out.”

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

⁸And the Levites and all Judah did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded, and each man took his men, those coming in on the Sabbath, with those going out on the Sabbath, for Jehoiada the priest had not dismissed the divisions.

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

⁹And Jehoiada the priest gave to the captains of the hundreds the spears, and the shields, and the bucklers, that were unto King David, which were in the house of God.

¹⁰He stationed all the troops, with their weapons in hand, surrounding the king by the altar and the temple, from the south side to the north side of the temple.

¹⁰And he stationed all the people, and every man with his weapon in his hand, from the right shoulder of the house to the left shoulder of the house, along by the altar and at the house, upon the king all around.

¹¹Then Jehoiada and his sons brought out the king’s son, put the crown on him, presented him with the Testimony, and proclaimed him king. They anointed him and shouted, “Long live the king!”

¹¹And they brought out the son of the king, and they placed on him the diadem, and the testimony, and they made him king. And Jehoiada and his sons anointed him and said, “Long live the king.”

The Death of Athaliah

¹²When Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and cheering the king, she went out to them in the house of the LORD.

¹²And Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and praising the king, and she came to the people in the house of YHWH.

¹³And she looked and saw the king standing by his pillar at the entrance. The officers and trumpeters were beside the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets, while the singers with musical instruments were leading the praises.

Then Athaliah tore her clothes and screamed, “Treason, treason!”

¹³And she looked, and behold, the king was standing by his pillar at the entrance, and the leaders and the trumpeters by the king. And all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing with the trumpets, and the singers with instruments of song, and the teachers in praise. And Athaliah tore her garments and said, “Treason, Treason.”

¹⁴And Jehoiada the priest sent out the commanders of hundreds in charge of the army, saying, “Bring her out between the ranks,^a and put to the sword anyone who follows her.” For the priest had said, “She must not be put to death in the house of the LORD.”

¹⁴And Jehoiada the priest brought out the captains of the hundreds who were set over the force, and he said to them, “Take her outside from within the ranks, and whoever follows her, let him be killed with the sword.” For the priest had said, “Do not kill her in the house of YHWH.”

¹⁵So they seized Athaliah as she reached the entrance of the Horse Gate on the palace grounds, and there they put her to death.

¹⁵And they seized her hands, and she went by way of the entrance of the Gate of Horses into the house of the king, and they killed her there.

Jehoiada Restores the Worship of the LORD

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

¹⁶And Jehoiada cut a covenant between himself, and between all the people, and between the king, that they should be for a people of YHWH.

¹⁷So all the people went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed the altars and idols to pieces and killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars.

¹⁷And all the people went to the house of Baal and they tore it down, and its altars and images they broke in pieces, and Mattan the priest of Baal they killed before the face of the altars.

¹⁸Moreover , Jehoiada put the oversight of the house of the LORD into the hands of the Levitical priests, whom David had appointed over the house of the LORD, to offer burnt offerings to the LORD as written in the Law of Moses, with rejoicing and song, as ordained by David.

¹⁸And Jehoiada appointed the oversight of the house of YHWH to the hand of the priests the Levites, whom David had assigned in the house of YHWH, to offer the burnt offerings of YHWH, as is written in the Law of Moses, with rejoicing and with song, by the hands of David.

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

¹⁹And he set the gatekeepers at the gates of the house of YHWH, so that no one being unclean in any way should enter.

²⁰And he took with him the commanders of hundreds, the nobles, the rulers of the people, and all the people of the land, and they brought the king down from the house of the LORD and entered the royal palace through the Upper Gate. They seated King Joash on the royal throne,

²⁰And he took the captains of the hundreds, and the nobles, and the governors of the people, and all the people of the land, and he brought down the king from the house of YHWH. And they went into the midst of the Upper Gate to the house of the king, and they set the king on the throne of the kingdom.

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

²¹And all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet, for they had killed Athaliah with the sword.