 1 Athaliah was the mother of Ahaziah. When she saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the family of the kingdom. 2 But Jehosheba, the daughter of king Jehoram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah and stole him from among the king's sons who were killed. They hid him from Athaliah in the bedroom, him and his nurse, so that he was not killed. 3 He was hidden with her in the house of the Lord six years. And Athaliah reigned over the land. 4 In the seventh year Jehoiada brought the rulers over hundreds, with the commanders and the guards, and brought them to him into the house of the Lord. And he made a covenant with them and took an oath from them in the house of the Lord, and revealed to them the king's son. 5 He commanded them saying, This is the thing that you shall do. A third part of you who enter in on the Sabbath shall be keepers of the watch of the king's house. 6 A third part shall be at the gate of Sur. And a third part at the gate behind the guard. And you shall keep the watch of the house, alternately. 7 Two parts of you, all who go forth on the Sabbath, even they shall keep the watch of the house of the Lord around the king. 8 You shall surround the king, every man with his weapons in his hand. Anyone who comes inside the ranks, let him be killed. They shall be with the king as he goes out and as he comes in. 9 The rulers of the hundreds did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded. And each man took his men, going in on the Sabbath, with those going out on the Sabbath, and came to Jehoiada the priest. 10 The priest gave King David's spears and shields that were in the temple of the Lord, to the rulers of the hundreds. 11 The guard stood, each man with his weapons in his hand, around the king, from the right corner of the temple to the left corner of the temple, by the altar and the temple. 12 He brought forth the king's son and put the crown and the testimony on him. They made him king and anointed him and clapped their hands and said, Let the king live. 13 When Athaliah heard the noise of the guard and of the people, she came to the people into the temple of the Lord. 14 She looked and saw that the king stood by a pillar as usually was done and the rulers and the trumpeters were by the king. Then all the people of the land rejoiced and blew with trumpets and Athaliah tore her clothes and cried out, Treason. Treason. 15 Jehoiada the priest commanded the rulers of the hundreds, those set over the army, and said to them, Take her out between the ranks, and let the one who follows her kill her with the sword. For the priest had said, Let her not be slain in the house of the Lord. 16 They laid hands on her, and she went by the way that the horses came into the king's house. And she was killed there. 17 Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord and the king and the people, that they should be the people of the Lord. Also between the king and the people. 18 All the people of the land went into the house of Baal and broke it down. They broke his altars and his images completely in pieces. They killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars and the priest appointed officers over the house of the Lord. 19 He took the rulers over hundreds and the commanders and the guard and all the people of the land. They brought the king down from the house of the Lord and came by the way of the gate of the guard to the king's house and he sat on the throne of the kings. 20 All the people of the land rejoiced and the city was quiet. Then they killed Athaliah with the sword beside the king's house. 21 Thus Joash was seven years old when he began to reign.
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