2 Chronicles 23

¹And in the seventh year, Jehoiada strengthened himself and took the commanders of hundreds with him in covenant: Azariah son of Jeroham, and Ishmael son of Johanan, and Azariah son of Obed, and Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zichri.

²They went throughout Judah and gathered the Levites from all the cities of Judah and the heads of fathers' families throughout Israel, and they came to Jerusalem.

³And all the assembly made a covenant in the house of God with the king. He said to them, 'Behold, the king's son shall reign, as the LORD has spoken concerning the sons of David.'

⁴This is what you shall do: a third of you who come on duty on the Sabbath, the priests and the Levites, shall be keepers of the thresholds;

⁵and a third at the royal palace, and a third at the Foundation Gate; and all the people shall be in the courts of the house of the LORD.

⁶And let no one enter the house of the Lord except the priests and the ministering Levites; they may enter, for they are holy; and all the people shall keep the charge of the Lord.

⁷The Levites shall surround the king all around, each man with his weapons in his hand; and whoever enters the house shall be put to death. Be with the king when he comes in and when he goes out.

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

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

¹⁰He stationed all the people, each with his weapon in his hand, from the south side of the house to the north side of the house, at the altar and at the house, surrounding the king.

¹¹They brought out the king's son and put on him the crown and the royal covenant, and they made him king. Jehoiada and his sons anointed him and said, 'Long live the king!'

¹²When Athaliah heard the sound of the people running and praising the king, she came to the people in the house of the LORD.

¹³And she looked, and there was the king standing at his pillar at the entrance, and the officers and the trumpeters beside the king, and all the people of the land rejoicing and blowing trumpets, and the singers with musical instruments leading the praise. And Athaliah tore her garments and said, 'Conspiracy! Conspiracy!'

¹⁴And Jehoiada the priest brought out the commanders of hundreds, the officers of the army, and said to them: 'Lead her out beyond the ranks, and whoever follows after her shall be put to death by the sword' — for the priest had said: 'Do not kill her in the house of the Lord.'

¹⁵And they laid hands on her, and she went to the entrance of the Horse Gate of the king's house; and they put her to death there.

¹⁶And Jehoiada made a covenant between himself and all the people and the king, to be the Lord's people.

¹⁷And all the people went to the house of Baal and tore it down, and smashed his altars and his images; and they killed Mattan, the priest of Baal, before the altars.

¹⁸And Jehoiada appointed the oversight of the house of the Lord by the hand of the Levitical priests, whom David had assigned over the house of the Lord, to offer up the burnt offerings of the Lord, as written in the law of Moses, with joy and with song, according to the direction of David.

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

²⁰And he took the commanders of hundreds, the nobles, the rulers over the people, and all the people of the land, and they brought the king down from the house of the LORD and came through the Upper Gate of the royal palace, and they seated the king on the royal throne.

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