2 Kings 11

1 And Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her sons were dead, and she destroyed the whole royal line. [a] 2 But Jehosheba the daughter of King Joram, the sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of her brother and stole him out from among the king’s sons who were being put to death — him and his nurse — into the room where the beds were kept, and hid him from the face of Athaliah, and he was not put to death. 3 And he stayed with her, hidden in the house of the Lord, six years; and Athaliah was reigning over the land.

4 And in the seventh year Jehoiada the priest sent and took the commanders of hundreds, the Carites and the runners, and brought them in to himself at the house of the Lord, and made a covenant of the Lord with them, and put them under oath before the Lord. And Jehoiada showed them the king’s son. [b] 5 And he gave them their orders, saying, “This is the thing you are to do. A third of you are to go in on the sabbath and keep the watch of the king’s house at the gateway; [c] 6 and a third at the gate of the roads, and a third at the gate behind the runners. And you are to keep the watch of the house. [d] 7 And there will be two companies among you — every one of you who goes out on the sabbath — and they will keep the watch of the house of the Lord beside the king. [e] 8 And you are to close in around the king, all around him, each man with his weapon in his hand; and anyone who goes into the ranks will be put to death.” And he was with the king when he went out and when he came in. [f]

9 And the commanders of hundreds did everything that Jehoiada the wise had commanded. Each man took his own men, those going in on the sabbath along with those going out on the sabbath, and came in to Jehoiada the priest. [h] 10 And the priest gave the commanders of hundreds the spears and the threefold pieces of King David that were in the house of the Lord. [i] 11 And the runners took their stand, each man with his weapon in his hand, from the right side of the house to the left side of the house, by the altar and the house, all around the king. [j]

12 And he brought out the king’s son and put on him the crown and the witness, and made him king and anointed him. And they clapped their hands and said, “Long live the king!” [k] 13 And Athaliah heard the noise of the people running, and she came in to the people at the house of the Lord. 14 And she looked, and there was the king, standing by the pillar as the custom was, and the singers and the trumpets beside the king, and all the people of the land rejoicing and sounding the trumpets. And Athaliah tore her clothes and cried out, “A conspiracy! A conspiracy!” [l]

15 And Jehoiada the priest gave orders to the commanders of hundreds, the overseers of the army, and said to them, “Bring her out from inside the ranks, and whoever goes in after her will surely die by the sword.” For the priest had said, “Let her not die in the house of the Lord.” [m] 16 And they laid hands on her, and she went in by the way the horses enter the king’s house, and she died there. [n]

17 And Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord and the king and the people, that they should be a people for the Lord; and between the king and the people. 18 And all the people of the land went into the house of Baal and pulled it down; his altars and his images they smashed to pieces, thoroughly; and Mattan the priest of Baal they killed in front of the altars. And the priest set overseers over the house of the Lord.

19 And he took the commanders of hundreds and the Carites and the runners and all the people of the land, and they brought the king down from the house of the Lord; and he came in by way of the gate of the runners of the king’s house, and they seated him on the throne of the kings. 20 And all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet. And they put Athaliah to death with the sword in the king’s house. [o]