2 Kings 11–19

Athaliah Usurps the Throne

11When Athaliah, ⁱAhaziah’s mother, ^jsaw that her son was dead, ^kshe proceeded to annihilate all the royal heirs. ²Jehosheba, ^lwho was King Jehoram’s daughter and Ahaziah’s ^msister, secretly rescued Joash son of Ahaziah from the king’s sons who were being killed and put him and the one who nursed him in a bedroom. So he was hidden from Athaliah and was not killed. ³Joash was in hiding with Jehosheba in the Lord’s temple six years while Athaliah ruled over the land.

Athaliah Overthrown

⁴Then ⁿin the seventh year, Jehoiada ^osent messengers and brought in the commanders of hundreds, the Carites, and the guards. ^pHe had them come to him in the Lord’s temple, where he made a covenant with them and put them under oath. He showed them the king’s son ⁵and commanded them, “This is what you are to do: a third of you who come on duty on the Sabbath ^qare to provide protection for the king’s palace. ⁶A third are to be at the Sur gate and a third at the gate behind the guards. You are to take turns providing protection for the palace. ^rs

⁷“Your two divisions that go off duty on the Sabbath are to provide protection for the Lord’s temple. ⁸You must completely surround the king with weapons in hand. Anyone who approaches the ranks is to be put to death. You must be with the king in all his daily tasks.” ^tu

⁹So the commanders of hundreds did everything Jehoiada the priest commanded. They each brought their men—those coming on duty on the Sabbath and those going off duty—and went to Jehoiada the priest. ^v10The priest gave to the commanders of hundreds King David’s spears and shields ^wthat were in the Lord’s temple. ¹¹Then the guards stood with their weapons in hand surrounding the king—from the right side of the temple to the left side, by the altar and by the temple.

¹²He brought out the king’s son, put the crown ^xon him, gave him the testimony, ^yzand made him king. They anointed ^ahim and clapped their hands and cried, “Long live the king!” ^b

¹³When Athaliah ^cheard the noise from the guard and the crowd, she went out to the people at the Lord’s temple. ^d14As she looked, there was the king standing by the pillar ^eaccording to the custom. The commanders and the trumpeters were by the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets. ^fAthaliah tore her clothes and screamed “Treason! Treason!” ^g

¹⁵Then Jehoiada ^hthe priest ordered the commanders of hundreds ⁱin charge of the army, “Take her out between the ranks, and put to death by the sword anyone who follows her,” for the priest had said, “She is not to be put to death in the Lord’s temple.” ^j16So they arrested her, and she went through the horse entrance ^kto the king’s palace, where she was put to death. ^l

Jehoiada’s Reforms

¹⁷Then ^mJehoiada made a covenant between the Lord, the king, and the people that they would be the Lord’s people ⁿand another covenant between the king and the people. ^op18So all the people of the land went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They broke its altars and images into pieces, ^qand they killed Mattan, the priest of Baal, at the altars. ^r

Then Jehoiada the priest appointed guards for the Lord’s temple. ^s19He took the commanders of hundreds, the Carites, the guards, ^tand all the people of the land, and they brought the king from the Lord’s temple. They entered the king’s palace by way of the guards’ gate. Then Joash ^usat on the throne of the kings. ²⁰All the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet, for they had put Athaliah to death by the sword in the king’s palace.

Judah’s King Joash

^21vJoash ^wxwas seven years old when he became king. ^y12¹In the seventh year of Jehu, Joash became king and reigned 40 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah, who was from Beer-sheba. ^z2Throughout the time Jehoiada ^athe priest instructed ^bhim, Joash did what was right in the Lord’s sight. ^c3Yet the high places were not taken away; the people continued sacrificing and burning incense on the high places. ^d

Repairing the Temple

⁴Then ^eJoash said to the priests, “All the dedicated money brought to the Lord’s temple, ^fcensus money, ^gmoney from vows, ^hand all money voluntarily given ⁱfor the Lord’s temple, ⁵each priest is to take from his assessor ^jand repair whatever damage to the temple is found.” ^kl

⁶But by the twenty-third year ^mof the reign of King Joash, the priests had not repaired the damage ⁿto the temple. ^o7So King Joash called Jehoiada ^pthe priest and the other priests and said, “Why haven’t you repaired the temple’s damage? Since you haven’t, don’t take any money from your assessors; instead, hand it over for the repair of the temple.” ⁸So the priests agreed they would not take money from the people and they would not repair the temple’s damage.

⁹Then Jehoiada the priest took a chest, ^qbored a hole in its lid, and set it beside the altar on the right side as one enters the Lord’s temple; in it the priests who guarded the threshold put all the money brought into the Lord’s temple. ^r10Whenever they saw there was a large amount of money in the chest, the king’s secretary ^sand the high priest would go to the Lord’s temple and count the money found there and tie it up in bags. ^t11Then they would put the counted money into the hands of those doing the work—those who oversaw the Lord’s temple. They in turn would pay it out to those working on the Lord’s temple—the carpenters, the builders, ¹²the masons, and the stonecutters—and would use it to buy timber and quarried stone to repair the damage to the Lord’s temple ^uand for all spending for temple repairs.

¹³However, no silver bowls, wick trimmers, sprinkling basins, trumpets, or any articles of gold or silver ^vwere made for the Lord’s temple from the money brought into the temple. ¹⁴Instead, it was given to those doing the work, and they repaired the Lord’s temple with it. ¹⁵No accounting was required from the men who received the money to pay those doing the work, since they worked with integrity. ^w16The money from the restitution offering and the sin offering was not brought to the Lord’s temple since it belonged to the priests. ^x

Aramean Invasion of Judah

¹⁷At that time Hazael ^yking of Aram marched up and fought against Gath and captured it. Then he planned to attack Jerusalem. ^z18So King Joash of Judah took all the consecrated items that his ancestors—Judah’s kings Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah—had consecrated, along with his own consecrated items and all the gold found in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and in the king’s palace, and he sent them to Hazael king of Aram. ^aThen Hazael withdrew from Jerusalem.

Joash Assassinated

¹⁹The rest of the events of Joash’s reign, along with all his accomplishments, are written in the Historical Record of Judah’s Kings. ^b20Joash’s servants conspired against him and killed him ^cat Beth-millo ^don the road that goes down to Silla. ²¹His servants Jozabad ^eson of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer struck him down, and he died. ^fThen they buried him with his fathers in the city of David, and his son Amaziah became king in his place. ^g

Israel’s King Jehoahaz

13In the twenty-third year of Judah’s King Joash ^hson of Ahaziah, Jehoahaz ⁱson of Jehu became king over Israel in Samaria and reigned 17 years. ²He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight and followed the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit; he did not turn away from them. ^j3So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel, ^kand He surrendered them to the power of Hazael ^lking of Aram and his son Ben-hadad ^mduring their reigns.

⁴Then Jehoahaz sought the Lord’s favor, and the Lord heard him, for He saw the oppression the king of Aram inflicted on Israel. ⁿ⁵Therefore, the Lord gave Israel a deliverer, ^oand they escaped from the power of the Arameans. Then the people of Israel dwelt in their tents as before, ⁶but they didn’t turn away from the sins that the house of Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit. Jehoahaz walked in them, ^pand the Asherah pole also remained standing in Samaria. ⁷Jehoahaz did not have an army left, except for 50 horsemen, 10 chariots, and 10,000 foot soldiers, because the king of Aram had destroyed them, ^qmaking them like dust at threshing. ^r

⁸The rest of the events of Jehoahaz’s reign, along with all his accomplishments and his might, are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings. ^s9Jehoahaz rested with his fathers, and he was buried in Samaria. His son Jehoash ^tbecame king in his place.

Israel’s King Jehoash

¹⁰In the thirty-seventh year of Judah’s King Joash, Jehoash son of Jehoahaz became king over Israel in Samaria and reigned 16 years. ¹¹He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight. He did not turn away from all the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit, but he walked in them. ^u

¹²The rest of the events of Jehoash’s reign, along with all his accomplishments and the power he had to wage war against Judah’s King Amaziah, ^vare written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings. ¹³Jehoash rested with his fathers, and Jeroboam ^wsat on his throne. Jehoash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.

Elisha’s Death

¹⁴When Elisha became sick with the illness that he died from, Jehoash king of Israel went down and wept over him and said, “My father, my father, the chariots and horsemen of Israel!” ^x

¹⁵Elisha responded, “Take a bow and arrows.” So he got a bow and arrows. ^y16Then Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Put your hand on the bow.” So the king put his hand on it, and Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands. ¹⁷Elisha said, “Open the east window.” So he opened it. Elisha said, “Shoot!” So he shot. ^zThen Elisha said, “The Lord’s arrow of victory, yes, the arrow of victory over Aram. You are to strike down the Arameans in Aphek ^auntil you have put an end to them.”

¹⁸Then Elisha said, “Take the arrows!” So he took them. Then Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground!” So he struck the ground three times and stopped. ¹⁹The man of…