Athaliah Reigns in Judah

11 When aAthaliah bthe mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was cdead, she arose and destroyed all the royal heirs. 2 But 1Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of dAhaziah, took 2Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king’s sons who were being murdered; and they hid him and his nurse in the bedroom, from Athaliah, so that he was not killed. 3 So he was hidden with her in the house of the Lord for six years, while Athaliah reigned over the land.

Joash Crowned King of Judah

4 In ethe seventh year Jehoiada sent and brought the captains of hundreds—of the bodyguards and the 3escorts—and brought them into the house of the Lord to him. And he made a covenant with them and took an oath from them in the house of the Lord, and showed them the king’s son. 5 Then he commanded them, saying, “This is what you shall do: One-third of you who 4come on duty fon the Sabbath shall be keeping watch over the king’s house, 6 one-third shall be at the gate of Sur, and one-third at the gate behind the escorts. You shall keep the watch of the house, lest it be broken down. 7 The two 5contingents of you who go off duty on the Sabbath shall keep the watch of the house of the Lord for the king. 8 But you shall surround the king on all sides, every man with his weapons in his hand; and whoever comes within range, let him be put to death. You are to be with the king as he goes out and as he comes in.”

9 gSo the captains of the hundreds did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded. Each of them took his men who were to be on duty on the Sabbath, with those who were going off duty on the Sabbath, and came to Jehoiada the priest. 10 And the priest gave the captains of hundreds the spears and shields which had belonged to King David, hthat were in the temple of the Lord. 11 Then the escorts stood, every man with his weapons in his hand, all around the king, from the right 6side of the temple to the left side of the temple, by the altar and the house. 12 And he brought out the king’s son, put the crown on him, and gave him the iTestimony; 7they made him king and anointed him, and they clapped their hands and said, j“Long live the king!”

Death of Athaliah

13 kNow when Athaliah heard the noise of the escorts and the people, she came to the people in the temple of the Lord. 14 When she looked, there was the king standing by la pillar according to custom; and the leaders and the trumpeters were by the king. All the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets. So Athaliah tore her clothes and cried out, “Treason! Treason!”

15 And Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of the hundreds, the officers of the army, and said to them, “Take her outside 8under guard, and slay with the sword whoever follows her.” For the priest had said, “Do not let her be killed in the house of the Lord.” 16 So they seized her; and she went by way of the horses’ entrance into the king’s house, and there she was killed.

17 mThen Jehoiada nmade a covenant between the Lord, the king, and the people, that they should be the Lord’s people, and also obetween the king and the people. 18 And all the people of the land went to the ptemple of Baal, and tore it down. They thoroughly qbroke in pieces its altars and 9images, and rkilled Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. And sthe priest appointed 1officers over the house of the Lord. 19 Then he took the captains of hundreds, the bodyguards, the escorts, and all the people of the land; and they brought the king down from the house of the Lord, and went by way of the gate of the escorts to the king’s house. Then he sat on the throne of the kings. 20 So all the people of the land rejoiced; and the city was quiet, for they had slain Athaliah with the sword in the king’s house. 21 Jehoash was tseven years old when he became king.

Jehoash Repairs the Temple

12 In the seventh year of Jehu, aJehoash 1became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba. 2 Jehoash did what was right in the sight of the Lord all the days in which bJehoiada the priest instructed him. 3 But cthe 2high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.

4 And Jehoash said to the priests, d“All the money of the dedicated gifts that are brought into the house of the Lord—each man’s ecensus 3money, each man’s fassessment money—and all the money that 4a man gpurposes in his heart to bring into the house of the Lord, 5 let the priests take it themselves, each from his constituency; and let them repair the 5damages of the temple, wherever any dilapidation is found.”

6 Now it was so, by the twenty-third year of King Jehoash, hthat the priests had not repaired the damages of the temple. 7 iSo King Jehoash called Jehoiada the priest and the other priests, and said to them, “Why have you not repaired the damages of the temple? Now therefore, do not take more money from your constituency, but deliver it for repairing the damages of the temple.” 8 And the priests agreed that they would neither receive more money from the people, nor repair the damages of the temple.

9 Then Jehoiada the priest took ja chest, bored a hole in its lid, and set it beside the altar, on the right side as one comes into the house of the Lord; and the priests who 6kept the door put kthere all the money brought into the house of the Lord. 10 So it was, whenever they saw that there was much money in the chest, that the king’s lscribe 7and the high priest came up and 8put it in bags, and counted the money that was found in the house of the Lord. 11 Then they gave the money, which had been apportioned, into the hands of those who did the work, who had the oversight of the house of the Lord; and they 9paid it out to the carpenters and builders who worked on the house of the Lord, 12 and to masons and stonecutters, and for buying timber and hewn stone, to mrepair the damage of the house of the Lord, and for all that was paid out to repair the temple. 13 However nthere were not made for the house of the Lord basins of silver, trimmers, sprinkling-bowls, trumpets, any articles of gold or articles of silver, from the money brought into the house of the Lord. 14 But they gave that to the workmen, and they repaired the house of the Lord with it. 15 Moreover othey did not require an account from the men into whose hand they delivered the money to be paid to workmen, for they dealt faithfully. 16 pThe money from the trespass offerings and the money from the sin offerings was not brought into the house of the Lord. qIt belonged to the priests.

Hazael Threatens Jerusalem

17 rHazael king of Syria went up and fought against Gath, and took it; then sHazael set his face to 1go up to Jerusalem. 18 And Jehoash king of Judah ttook all the sacred things that his fathers, Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own sacred things, and all the gold found in the treasuries of the house of the Lord and in the king’s house, and sent them to Hazael king of Syria. Then he went away from Jerusalem.

Death of Joash

19 Now the rest of the acts of 2Joash, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

20 And uhis servants arose and formed a conspiracy, and killed Joash in the house of 3the Millo, which goes down to Silla. 21 For 4Jozachar the son of Shimeath and Jehozabad the son of 5Shomer, his servants, struck him. So he died, and they buried him with his fathers in the City of David. Then vAmaziah his son reigned in his place.