2 Chronicles 23

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 In the seventh year Jehoiada decided to take action and made a pact with the regimentalcommanders, Azariah son of Jeroham, Ishmael son of Jehohanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son ofAdaiah and Elishaphat son of Zichri.	1 Then in the seventh year, Jehoiada having been strengthened, he took the centurions, namely, Azariah, the son of Jeroham, and Ishmael, the son of Jehohanan, and also Azariah, the son of Obed, and Maaseiah, the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat, the son of Zichri, and he formed a pact with them.
2 These went al over Judah, gathering the Levites from al the towns of Judah, and the heads of theIsraelite families, who then came to Jerusalem,	2 And traveling through Judah, they gathered together the Levites from all of the cities of Judah, and the leaders of the families of Israel, and they went to Jerusalem.
3 and the whole assembly made a pact with the king in the Temple of God. Jehoiada said to them,'Look, the king's son is now to be king, as Yahweh has promised of the sons of David!	3 Then the entire multitude formed a pact with the king, in the house of God. And Jehoiada said to them: “Behold, the son of the king shall reign, just as the Lord has said concerning the sons of David.
4 This is what you must do: a third of you priests and Levites who come on duty on the Sabbath mustguard the gates,	4 Therefore, this is the word that you shall do:
5 a third the royal palace, a third the Foundation Gate, while the people must al stay in the courts of theTemple of Yahweh.	5 One third part of you who arrive on the Sabbath, priests, and Levites, and porters, shall be at the gates. Truly, one third part shall be at the house of the king. And one third shall be at the gate which is called the Foundation. Yet truly, let all the remainder of the common people be in the courts of the house of the Lord.
6 No one must enter the Temple of Yahweh except the priests and the ministering Levites; they maycome in because they are consecrated. But the people must al observe Yahweh's regulations.	6 Let no one else enter into the house of the Lord, except the priests, and those from the Levites who are ministering. These alone may enter, for they have been sanctified. And let all the remainder of the common people observe the watches of the Lord.
7 The Levites must surround the king, each man with his weapons in his hands; anyone who enters theTemple must be kil ed. And you wil escort the king when he comes in and when he leaves.'	7 Then let the Levites encircle the king, each one having his weapons. And if anyone else will have entered into the temple, let him be slain. And may they be with the king, both entering and departing.”
8 The Levites and al Judah did everything as Jehoiada the priest had ordered, and each one broughthis men, those coming on duty on the Sabbath and those going off duty on the Sabbath, for Jehoiada the priesthad not released any of the divisions from duty.	8 Then the Levites, and all of Judah, acted in accord with all that the high priest Jehoiada had instructed. And each of them took the men who were under him, and who were arriving by the course of the Sabbath, with those who had fulfilled the Sabbath and who were about to depart. For indeed the high priest Jehoiada had not permitted the companies to depart, which were accustomed to replace one another each week.
9 Jehoiada the priest then issued the regimental commanders with King David's spears and large andsmal shields, which were kept in the Temple of God.	9 And Jehoiada, the priest, gave to the centurions the lances and round shields and crescent shields of king David, which he had dedicated in the house of the Lord.
10 He then positioned al the people, each man with his weapon in his hand, from the south side of theTemple to the north side of the Temple, close to the altar and the Temple, to form a circle round the king.	10 And he positioned all the people, holding short swords, from the right part of the temple to the left part of the temple, before the altar and the temple, all around the king.
11 Then they brought the king's son out, crowned him, gave him a copy of the covenant and made himking. When Jehoiada and his sons had anointed him, they shouted, 'Long live the king!'	11 And they led out the son of the king. And they imposed the diadem on him, and the testimony. And they gave him the law to hold in his hand. And they appointed him as king. Also, the high priest Jehoiada and his sons anointed him. And they prayed for him, and said, “May the king live!”
12 On hearing the people shouting as they ran to acclaim the king, Athaliah joined the people in theTemple of Yahweh.	12 And when Athaliah had heard it, specifically the sound of running and the praising of the king, she entered to the people in the temple of the Lord.
13 When she looked, there stood the king on his dais by the entrance, with the officers and trumpetersat the king's side, and all the people of the country rejoicing and blowing the trumpets, and the singers with theirmusical instruments leading the hymns of praise. Then Athaliah tore her clothes and shouted, 'Treason, treason!'	13 And when she had seen the king standing upon the step at the entrance, and the leaders and companies around him, and all the people of the land rejoicing, and sounding the trumpets, and playing on instruments of various kinds, and the voice of those who were praising, she tore her garments, and she said: “Treason! Treason!”
14 Jehoiada the priest then gave the order to the regimental commanders in charge of the troops, 'Takeher out between the ranks and put to the sword anyone who follows her.' For the priest had already said, 'Do notkil her inside the Temple of Yahweh.'	14 Then the high priest Jehoiada, going out to the centurions and to the leaders of the army, said to them: “Lead her away, beyond the borders of the temple. And let her be put to death outside, with the sword.” And the priest instructed that she should not be killed in the house of the Lord.
15 So they made way for her, and when she reached the entrance to the Horses' Gate of the palace,they kil ed her there.	15 And they laid hands on her neck. And when she had entered the gate for the horses at the king’s house, they put her to death there.
16 Jehoiada made a covenant between himself, al the people and the king to remain Yahweh's people.	16 Then Jehoiada formed a covenant between himself and the entire people, and the king, so that they would be the people of the Lord.
17 Al the people then went to the temple of Baal and demolished it; they smashed its altars and itsimages and kil ed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars.	17 And so, all the people entered into the house of Baal, and they destroyed it. And they broke apart his altars and idols. Also, they put to death Mattan, the priest of Baal, before the altars.
18 Jehoiada entrusted the security of the Temple of Yahweh to the priests and Levites, whom David hadput in charge of the Temple of Yahweh to present the burnt offerings of Yahweh as laid down in the Law ofMoses, with joy and song as ordained by David.	18 Then Jehoiada appointed overseers in the house of the Lord, under the hands of the priests and Levites, whom David had distributed to the house of the Lord so that they might offer holocausts to the Lord, just as it was written in the law of Moses, with gladness and singing, in accord with the disposition of David.
19 He also appointed gatekeepers for the gates of the Temple of Yahweh, so that no one who wasunclean might enter for any purpose at al .	19 Also, he appointed porters at the gates of the house of the Lord, so that whoever was unclean for any reason would not enter.
20 He then took the regimental commanders, the nobles, the government officials and al the people ofthe land and he escorted the king down from the Temple of Yahweh. Entering the palace through the UpperGate, they placed the king on the royal throne.	20 And he took the centurions, and the most valiant men, and the leaders of the people, and all the common people of the land, and they set out to descend to the king, from the house of the Lord, and to enter through the middle of the upper gate, to the house of the king. And they placed him on the royal throne.
21 Al the people of the land were delighted, and the city made no move after Athaliah had been put todeath.	21 And all the people of the land were rejoicing, and the city was quieted. But Athaliah was slain with the sword.