“1 And in the seventh year Jehoiada strengthened himself, and took the
captains of hundreds, Azariah the son of Jeroham, and Ishmael the son of
Jehohanan, and Azariah the son of Obed, and Maaseiah the son of Adaiah,
and Elishaphat the son of Zichri, into covenant with him. 2 And they
went about in Judah, and gathered the Levites out of all the cities of
Judah, and the chief of the fathers of Israel, and they came to
Jerusalem. 3 And all the congregation made a covenant with the king in
the house of God. And he said unto them, Behold, the king’s son shall
reign, as the LORD hath said of the sons of David. 4 This [is] the thing
that ye shall do; A third part of you entering on the sabbath, of the
priests and of the Levites, [shall be] porters of the doors; 5 And a
third part [shall be] at the king’s house; and a third part at the gate
of the foundation: and all the people [shall be] in the courts of the
house of the LORD. 6 But let none come into the house of the LORD, save
the priests, and they that minister of the Levites; they shall go in,
for they [are] holy: but all the people shall keep the watch of the
LORD. 7 And the Levites shall compass the king round about, every man
with his weapons in his hand; and whosoever [else] cometh into the
house, he shall be put to death: but be ye with the king when he cometh
in, and when he goeth out. 8 So the Levites and all Judah did according
to all things that Jehoiada the priest had commanded, and took every man
his men that were to come in on the sabbath, with them that were to go
[out] on the sabbath: for Jehoiada the priest dismissed not the courses.
9 Moreover Jehoiada the priest delivered to the captains of hundreds
spears, and bucklers, and shields, that [had been] king David’s, which
[were] in the house of God. 10 And he set all the people, every man
having his weapon in his hand, from the right side of the temple to the
left side of the temple, along by the altar and the temple, by the king
round about. 11 Then they brought out the king’s son, and put upon him
the crown, and [gave him] the testimony, and made him king. And Jehoiada
and his sons anointed him, and said, God save the king.”
“12 Now when Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and
praising the king, she came to the people into the house of the LORD: 13
And she looked, and, behold, the king stood at his pillar at the
entering in, and the princes and the trumpets by the king: and all the
people of the land rejoiced, and sounded with trumpets, also the singers
with instruments of musick, and such as taught to sing praise. Then
Athaliah rent her clothes, and said, Treason, Treason. 14 Then Jehoiada
the priest brought out the captains of hundreds that were set over the
host, and said unto them, Have her forth of the ranges: and whoso
followeth her, let him be slain with the sword. For the priest said,
Slay her not in the house of the LORD. 15 So they laid hands on her; and
when she was come to the entering of the horse gate by the king’s house,
they slew her there. 16 And Jehoiada made a covenant between him, and
between all the people, and between the king, that they should be the
LORD’S people. 17 Then all the people went to the house of Baal, and
brake it down, and brake his altars and his images in pieces, and slew
Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. 18 Also Jehoiada appointed
the offices of the house of the LORD by the hand of the priests the
Levites, whom David had distributed in the house of the LORD, to offer
the burnt offerings of the LORD, as [it is] written in the law of Moses,
with rejoicing and with singing, [as it was ordained] by David. 19 And
he set the porters at the gates of the house of the LORD, that none
[which was] unclean in any thing should enter in. 20 And he took the
captains of hundreds, and the nobles, and the governors of the people,
and all the people of the land, and brought down the king from the house
of the LORD: and they came through the high gate into the king’s house,
and set the king upon the throne of the kingdom. 21 And all the people
of the land rejoiced: and the city was quiet, after that they had slain
Athaliah with the sword.” (2 Chronicles 23:1-21 AV)
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