*aAnd when bAthaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the †seed royal. 2 But ||Jehosheba, the daughter of king Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took ||Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king’s sons which were slain; and they hid him, even him and his nurse, in the bedchamber from Athaliah, so that he was not slain. 3 And he was with her hid in the house of the Lord six years. And Athaliah did reign over the land.

4 *And the seventh year cJehoiada sent and fetched the rulers over hundreds, with the dcaptains and the eguard, and brought them to him into the house of the Lord, and made a covenant with them, and took an oath of them in the house of the Lord, and shewed them the king’s son. 5 And he commanded them, saying, This is the thing that ye shall do; A third part of you fthat enter in on the sabbath shall even be keepers of the watch of the king’s house; 6 And a third part shall be at the gate of gSur; and a third part at the gate behind the eguard: so shall ye keep the watch of the house, ||that it be not broken down. 7 And two ||parts of all you fthat go forth on the sabbath, even they shall keep the watch of the house of the Lord about the king. 8 And ye shall hcompass the king round about, every man with his weapons in his hand: and he that cometh within ithe ranges, let him be slain: and be ye with the king as jhe goeth out and as he cometh in. 9 And the captains over the hundreds did according to all things that Jehoiada the priest commanded: and they took every man his men fthat were to come in on the sabbath, with them that should go out on the sabbath, and came to Jehoiada the priest. 10 And to the captains over hundreds did the priest give king David’s spears and kshields, that were in the temple of the Lord. 11 And the eguard stood, every man with his weapons in his hand, round about the king, from the right †corner of the temple to the left corner of the temple, along by the altar and the temple. 12 And he brought forth the king’s son, and put lthe crown upon him, and gave him mthe testimony; and they made him king, and anointed him; and they clapped their hands, and said, †God save the king.

13 And when Athaliah heard the noise of the guard and of the people, she came to the people into the temple of the Lord. 14 And when she looked, behold, the king stood by na pillar, as the manner was, and the princes and the trumpeters by the king, and all the people of the land rejoiced, and oblew with trumpets: and Athaliah prent her clothes, and cried, Treason, Treason. 15 But Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of the hundreds, qthe officers of the host, and said unto them, Have her forth without ithe ranges: and him that followeth her kill with the sword. For the priest had said, Let her not be slain in the house of the Lord. 16 And they laid hands on her; and she went by the way by the which rthe horses came into the king’s house: and there was she slain.