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23 But in the seventh year Jehoiada boldly formed a conspiracy with the following unit commanders: Jeroham’s son Azariah, Jehohanan’s son Ishmael, Obed’s son Azariah, Adaiah’s son Maaseiah, and Zichri’s son Elishaphat. They went throughout Judah recruiting the Levites from all the cities of Judah, as well as the family heads of Israel, who then came to Jerusalem. The entire assembly made a covenant with the king in God’s temple. Jehoiada said, “Look! Here is the king’s son. He must be king, just as the Lord promised about David’s descendants. This is what you must do: A third of you priests and Levites coming on sabbath duty will guard the gates, another third will be at the royal palace, and another third will be at the Foundation Gate. Meanwhile, all the people will be in the courtyards of the Lord’s temple. Don’t enter the Lord’s temple, because only the priests or Levites on duty can do that. They are allowed to enter because they are holy, but the rest of the people must follow the Lord’s requirements. The Levites must surround the king, each with his weapons drawn. Whoever comes near your ranks must be killed; stay near the king wherever he goes.”

The Levites and all Judah did everything that the priest Jehoiada ordered. They each took charge of those men reporting for duty on the Sabbath, as well as those going off duty, since Jehoiada hadn’t released any divisions from duty. Then the priest Jehoiada gave the unit commanders King David’s spears and large and small shields that were kept in God’s temple. 10 He positioned all the people, each with their weapons drawn, near the altar and the temple, stretching from the south side of the temple to the north side, so as to protect the king. 11 Then they brought out the king’s son, crowned him, gave him the royal law,[a] and made him king. Jehoiada and his sons anointed him as everyone cried out, “Long live the king!”

12 When Athaliah heard the noise made by the people running and cheering the king, she went to the people at the Lord’s temple 13 and saw the king standing by the royal pillar at the entrance, with the commanders and trumpeters beside the king. All the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets, and singers accompanied by musical instruments were leading the praise. Athaliah ripped her clothes and screamed, “Treason! Treason!”

14 Then the priest Jehoiada brought out the unit commanders who were in charge of the army. “Take her out under guard,”[b] he told them, “and kill anyone who follows her.” This was because the priest had said, “She must not be executed in the Lord’s temple.” 15 They arrested her when she reached the entrance of the Horse Gate at the royal palace. She was executed there.

16 Jehoiada then made a covenant between himself, all the people, and the king, that they would be the Lord’s people. 17 Then all the people went to Baal’s temple and tore it down, smashing its altars and images into pieces. They executed Baal’s priest Mattan in front of the altars. 18 Jehoiada appointed the priests and[c] Levites in charge of the Lord’s temple, and then appointed the divisions of the priests and Levites[d] that David had assigned to the Lord’s temple to offer entirely burned sacrifices to the Lord, as written in the Instruction from Moses, with rejoicing and singing, just as David had ordered. 19 He posted guards at the gates of the Lord’s temple so that no one who was unclean in any way could enter. 20 Then he took the unit commanders, the officials, the rulers of the people, and all the people of the land, and they led the king down from the Lord’s temple, processing through the Upper Gate to the palace, where the king sat upon the royal throne. 21 All the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was at peace now that Athaliah had been executed at the palace.

Jehoash rules

24 Jehoash[e] was 7 years old when he became king, and he ruled for forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah; she was from Beer-sheba. Jehoash did what was right in the Lord’s eyes as long as Jehoiada the priest was alive. Jehoiada had him marry two wives, and Jehoash fathered sons and daughters.

Sometime later, Jehoash wanted to renovate the Lord’s temple. He gathered the priests and the Levites and said, “Go to the cities of Judah and collect the annual tax of silver due from all Israel for the upkeep of God’s temple. Do it right away.”

But the Levites procrastinated. So the king summoned the chief priest Jehoiada and asked him, “Why haven’t you required the Levites to bring in from Judah and Jerusalem the tax imposed by the Lord’s servant Moses and the Israelite assembly for the covenant tent?” (Now wicked Athaliah and her followers had broken into God’s temple and used all the holy objects of the Lord’s temple in their worship of the Baals.) So at the king’s command a box was made and placed outside the gate of the Lord’s temple. Then a proclamation was issued throughout Judah and Jerusalem requiring the people to bring to the Lord the tax that God’s servant Moses had imposed on Israel in the wilderness. 10 This so pleased all the leaders and all the people that they gladly dropped their money in the box until it was full. 11 Whenever the box was brought by the Levites to the royal accountants, as soon as they saw that a large amount of money was in the box, the royal scribe and the representative of the high priest would come, empty the box, and return it to its place. This took place day after day, and a large amount of money was collected. 12 The king and Jehoiada would give it to those in charge of the work on the Lord’s temple who in turn hired masons and carpenters to renovate the Lord’s temple, as well as metalworkers for the iron and bronze to repair the Lord’s temple. 13 The workers labored hard, and the restoration progressed smoothly under their control until they had brought God’s temple back to its original state and reinforced it. 14 As soon as they finished, they brought the remaining money to the king and Jehoiada. They used it to make equipment for the Lord’s temple, including what was used for the service and the entirely burned offerings, pans, and other objects made of gold and silver. As long as Jehoiada lived, the entirely burned offerings were regularly offered in the Lord’s temple.

15 Jehoiada grew old, and when he reached the age of 130, he died. 16 He was buried among the kings in David’s City because of his exemplary service to Israel, God, and God’s temple.

17 After Jehoiada’s death, however, the leaders of Judah came and bowed before the king, and the king listened to them. 18 They abandoned the temple of the Lord, their ancestors’ God, and worshipped sacred poles[f] and idols. Anger came upon Judah and Jerusalem as a consequence of their sin, 19 and though God sent prophets to them to bring them back to the Lord and to warn them, they refused to listen. 20 Then the spirit of God enwrapped Zechariah the son of the priest Jehoiada. Standing before the people, he told them, “This is what God says: Why do you defy the Lord’s commands and keep yourselves from prospering? Because you have abandoned the Lord, he has abandoned you!” 21 But the people plotted against Zechariah, and at the king’s command stoned him to death in the courtyard of the Lord’s temple. 22 King Jehoash failed to remember the loyalty that Jehoiada, Zechariah’s father, had shown him and murdered Jehoiada’s son, who cried out as he lay dying, “May the Lord see and seek vengeance!”

23 That spring the Aramean army marched against Jehoash. They attacked Judah and Jerusalem, destroyed all the people’s leaders, and sent all the loot to the king of Damascus. 24 Although the Aramean forces were relatively small, the Lord handed over to them a very large army, because the people of Judah had abandoned the Lord, their ancestors’ God. Jehoash was justly punished. 25 The Arameans left him badly wounded, but his own officials plotted against him for murdering the son[g] of the priest Jehoiada. So they killed him in his bed. He died and was buried in David’s City but not in the royal cemetery. 26 Those who plotted against him were the Ammonite Zabad, Shimeath’s son, and the Moabite Jehozabad, Shimrith’s son. 27 The list of Jehoash’s sons, the many prophecies against him, and the account of his restoration of God’s temple are written in the comments on the records of the kings. His son Amaziah succeeded him as king.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 23:11 Or testimony; MT lacks royal.
  2. 2 Chronicles 23:14 Heb uncertain
  3. 2 Chronicles 23:18 LXX; MT levitical priests
  4. 2 Chronicles 23:18 LXX; MT lacks and then appointed the divisions of the priests and the Levites.
  5. 2 Chronicles 24:1 Heb Joash (see 24:2, 4, 22, 24); the king's name is variously spelled in either long Jehoash or short Joash form in 2 Kgs.
  6. 2 Chronicles 24:18 Heb asherim, perhaps objects devoted to the goddess Asherah
  7. 2 Chronicles 24:25 LXX, Vulg; MT sons

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