¶ And in the seventh year¹ Jehoiada strengthened himself, and took the captains of hundreds, Azariah the son of Jeroham, and Ishmael the son of Jehohanan, and Azariah the son of Obed, and Maaseiah the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zichri, into covenant with him².

And they went about³ in Judah, and gathered the Levites out of all the cities of Judah, and the chief of⁴ the fathers of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem.

And all the congregation made a covenant⁵ with the king in the house of God. And he said unto them, Behold, the king's son shall reign, as the LORD⁶ hath said of the sons of David.

This is the thing that ye shall do; A third part of you entering⁷ on the sabbath, of the priests and of the Levites, shall be porters⁸ of the doors⁹;

And a third part shall be at the king's house¹⁰; and a third part at the gate¹¹ of the foundation: and all the people shall be in the courts of the house of the LORD.

But let none come into the house of the LORD, save the priests, and they that minister¹² of the Levites; they shall go in, for they are holy: but all the people shall keep the watch of the LORD.

And the Levites¹³ shall compass the king round about, every man with his weapons in his hand; and whosoever¹⁴ else cometh into the house, he shall be put to death: but be ye with the king when he cometh in, and when he goeth out.

So the Levites¹⁵ and all Judah did according to all things that Jehoiada the priest had commanded, and took every man his men that were to come in on the sabbath, with them that were to go out on the sabbath: for Jehoiada the priest dismissed not the courses¹⁶.

Moreover Jehoiada the priest delivered to the captains of hundreds spears¹⁷, and bucklers, and shields, that had been king David's, which were in the house¹⁸ of God.

¶ And he set all the people, every man having his weapon in his hand, from the right side of the temple¹⁹ to the left side of the temple, along by²⁰ the altar and the temple, by the king round about.

Then they brought²¹ out the king's son, and put upon²² him the crown, and gave him the testimony²³, and made him king. And Jehoiada and his sons anointed him,²⁴ and said, God save the king²⁵.

¶ Now when²⁶ Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and praising the king, she came²⁷ to the people into the house of the LORD:

And she looked²⁸, and, behold, the king²⁹ stood at his pillar at the entering in, and the princes³⁰ and the trumpets by the king: and all the people³¹ of the land rejoiced, and sounded³² with trumpets, also the singers³³ with instruments of musick, and such as taught to sing praise. Then Athaliah³⁴ rent her clothes, and said, Treason³⁵, Treason.

Then Jehoiada the priest brought out the captains of hundreds that were set over the host, and said unto them, Have her forth³⁶ of the ranges: and whoso followeth her,³⁷ let him be slain with the sword. For the priest said, Slay her not³⁸ in the house of the LORD.

So they laid hands on her; and when she was come to the entering of the horse gate³⁹ by the king's house, they slew her there⁴⁰.

And Jehoiada made a covenant⁴¹ between him, and between all the people, and between the king, that they should⁴² be the LORD'S people.

Then all the people went to the house of Baal⁴³, and brake it down, and brake his altars⁴⁴ and his images in pieces, and slew Mattan⁴⁵ the priest of Baal before the altars.

Also Jehoiada appointed the offices of the house of the LORD by the hand of the priests the Levites, whom David⁴⁶ had distributed in the house of the LORD, to offer the burnt offerings of the LORD, as it is written⁴⁷ in the law of Moses, with rejoicing and with singing, as it was ordained by David⁴⁸.

And he set the porters⁴⁹ at the gates of the house of the LORD, that none which was unclean in any thing should enter in.

¶ And he took the captains⁵⁰ of hundreds, and the nobles, and the governors of the people, and all the people of the land, and brought down the king from the house of the LORD: and they came through the high gate into the king's house, and set the king upon the throne of the kingdom.

⁵¹And all the people of the land rejoiced: and the city was quiet, after that they had slain Athaliah with the sword.