The Reign of Ahaziah

22 And the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah his youngest son king in his place, for the band of men who had come with the Arabs to the camp had murdered all the older sons. And Ahaziah the son of Jehoram, the king of Judah, reigned. 2 Ahaziah ⌊was forty-twoa years old⌋b when he became king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Athaliah, the daughterc of Omri. 3 He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor for doing wickedness. 4 And he did evil in the eyes of Yahweh as the house of Ahab had done, for they were his counselors to his destruction after the death of his father. 5 He also walked in their counsel and went with Jehoram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, to war against Hazael king of Aramd at Ramoth-Gilead. And the Arameans wounded Joram. 6 And he returned to be healed in Jezreel because of the wounds he had suffered at Ramah, when he made war against Hazael king of Aram.e And Azariah the son of Jehoram, king of Judah, went down to see Jehoram son of Ahab in Jezreel for he was sick.

7 But the downfall of Ahaziah was from God, and intended to come to Joram. And when he came, he went out with Jehoram to Jehu the son of Nimshi, whom Yahweh had anointed to destroy the house of Ahab. 8 And it happened that when Jehu was judging the house of Ahab, he found the princes of Judah and the sons of the brothers of Ahaziah who ministered to Ahaziah, and he killed them. 9 And he searched for Ahaziah and captured him. And he was hiding in Samaria. And they brought him to Jehu and put him to death. And they buried him, for they said, “He is the descendantf of Jehoshaphat, who sought Yahweh with his whole heart.” And the house of Ahab had no one to exercise power over the kingdom.

The Reign of Athaliah

10 Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and murdered all the ⌊royal descendants⌋g of the house of Judah. 11 But Jehosheba the daughter of the king took Joash, the son of Ahaziah, and kidnapped him away from the sons of the king who were to be put to death. And she put him and his nurse in a private bedroom. So Jehosheba the daughter of King Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest, because she was a sister of Ahaziah, hid him from before Athaliah so that she did not put him to death. 12 And he was hidden with them in the house of God six years, but Athaliah reigned over the land.

Joash Is Made King

23 And in the seventh year Jehoiada strengthened himself and took with him into a covenant relationship the commanders of hundreds: Azariah the son of Jeroham, Ishmael the son of Jehohanan, Azariah the son of Obed, Maaseiah the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zicri. 2 And they went around in Judah and gathered the Levites from all the cities of Judah, and the heads of the ⌊families⌋a of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem. 3 And all the assembly ⌊made⌋b a covenant with the king in the house of God. And he said to them, “Behold, the son of the king shall reign as Yahweh has spoken concerning the sons of David. 4 This is the thing that you must do: one third of you priests and Levites ⌊coming off duty on the Sabbath⌋c shall be gatekeepers at the entrances, 5 and one third at the house of the king, and one third at the Gate of the Foundation. And all the people shall be in the courtyards of the house of Yahweh. 6 Let no one enter into the house of Yahweh except the priests and the ministering Levites. They themselves may enter, for they are holy, but all the people shall keep the requirements of Yahweh. 7 And the Levites shall surround the king all around, each with his weapons in his hand. And whoever comes into the house shall be put to death. You shall be with the king when he comes in and when he goes out.”

8 And the Levites and all Judah did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded. And they each took his men who were ⌊coming off duty on the Sabbath⌋d with ⌊the ones going out to duty on the Sabbath⌋,e for Jehoiada the priest did not dismiss the working groups. 9 And Jehoiada the priest gave the spears and the large shields and small shields that had belonged to King David that were in the house of God to the commanders of hundreds. 10 And he appointed all the people, each with his weapon in his hand, from the south side of the house to the north side of the house, around the altar and the house, all around the king. 11 Then they brought out the son of the king and set upon him the crown and gave him the statute and made him king. And Jehoiada and his sons anointed him and said, “⌊Long live the king⌋!”f

12 When Athaliah heard the sound of the people running and praising the king, she came to the people at the house of Yahweh. 13 And she looked and, behold, the king was standing by his column at the entrance, and the commanders and trumpeters beside the king, along with all the people of the land, rejoicing and blowing with trumpets, and the singers with the instruments of song leading the praise. And Athaliah tore her garments and cried, “Conspiracy! Conspiracy!” 14 Then Jehoiada the priest brought out the commanders of the hundreds appointed over the troops, and he said to them, “Bring her out between the ranks, and whoever goes after her shall be put to death with the sword.” For the priest had said, “You must not kill her in the house of Yahweh.” 15 And they laid hands on her, and she went into the entrance of the Horse Gate of the house of the king, and they killed her there.

16 And Jehoiada ⌊made⌋g a covenant between himself and all the people and the king, that they should be Yahweh’s people. 17 Then all the people went to the house of Baal and broke it down. And they smashed his altars and his images, and they killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. 18 And Jehoiada placed appointees at the house of Yahweh under the hand of the Levitical priests whom David had allotted to the house of Yahweh to offer burnt offerings to Yahweh as was written in the law of Moses, with joy and with song, according to the ⌊order of David⌋.h 19 And he set the gatekeepers at the gates of the house of Yahweh so that no person unclean with respect to any matter could enter. 20 And he took the commanders of hundreds, the noblemen, the governors over the people, and all the people of the land, and they brought the king down from the house of Yahweh. And they came through the upper gate to the house of the king, and they set the king upon the throne of the kingdom. 21 So all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet after Athaliah had been killed with the sword.