CHAPTER 11
1And Athaliah, Ahaziah’s mother, saw that her son was dead, and she arose and destroyed all the royal seed. 2And Jehosheba, Ahaziah’s sister, the daughter of King Jehoram, took Joash, Ahaziah’s son, and stole him away from the king’s sons who had been put to death—him and his nurse—in the bedchamber, and they hid him from Athaliah, and he was not put to death. 3And he was with her hiding in the house of the LORD six years, while Athaliah was reigning over the land. 4And in the seventh year Jehoiada sent and took the commanders of the hundreds of the Cherithites and the sentries and brought them to him at the house of the LORD and made a pact with them and imposed a vow on them in the house of the LORD. And he showed them the king’s son. 5And he charged them, saying, “This is the thing that you must do: a third of you, who begin your weekly duty, are to keep guard at the king’s house, 6and a third in the Horse Gate and a third in the gate behind the sentries, and you shall keep watch over the house. 7And the two contingents among you, all who have finished their weekly duty, shall keep guard over the house of the LORD for the king. 8And you shall draw round the king, every man with his weapons in his hand. And whosoever enters the colonnades shall be put to death. And be you with the king when he goes out and when he comes in.” 9And the commanders of the hundreds did as all that Jehoiada the priest had charged, and each took his men, those beginning their weekly duty with those finishing their weekly duty, and they came to Jehoiada the priest. 10And the priest gave to the commanders of the hundreds the spears and the shields that were King David’s, which were in the house of the LORD. 11And the sentries stood, each with his weapons in his hand, from the south corner of the house to the north corner of the house, by the altar and by the house, all round the king. 12And he brought out the prince and put the crown on him and the regalia, and he made him king and anointed him, and they clapped their hands and said, “Long live the king!” 13And Athaliah heard the sound of the sentries and the people, and she came to the people at the house of the LORD. 14And she saw, and, look, the king was standing by the pillar as was the custom, and the commanders and the trumpets were by the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing the trumpets. And Athaliah rent her garments and called out, “A plot, a plot!” 15And Jehoiada the priest charged the commanders of the hundreds, the mustered men of the force, and said to them, “Take her out from the colonnades, and put to death by the sword whoever comes after her,” for the priest said, “Let her not be put to death in the house of the LORD.” 16And they locked hands on all sides of her, and she came into the king’s house by way of the Horse Entrance and was put to death there. 17And Jehoiada made a pact between the LORD and the king and the people to be a people of the LORD, between the king and the people. 18And all the people of the land came to the house of Baal and smashed it, its altars and its images they utterly shattered, and Mattan priest of Baal they killed in front of the altars. And the priest appointed guards over the house of the LORD. 19And he took the commanders of the hundreds and the Cherithites and the sentries and all the people of the land, and they brought the king down from the house of the LORD, and they entered the king’s house through the Gate of the Sentries, and he sat on the royal throne. 20And all the people of the land rejoiced, while the town was quiet. And Athaliah they had put to death in the king’s house.