THE SECOND BOOK OF
THE KINGS,

2 Kings 11 ©

Athaliah slays all the royal family, v. 1, etc. Excepting Joash, 2. Who being seven years old, by Jehoiada’s direction, is made king of Judah, 4. Athaliah, who usurped the government, is slain, 13. The covenant is renewed between God, the king, and the people, 15. The worship of Baal destroyed, 18. And the king set in his kingly throne, 19.

1

AND when 1Athaliah thea mother of 2Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed 3all the seed royal.

2

But 4Jehosheba, the daughter of king Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took 5Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king's sons which were slain; and 6they hid him, 7even him and his nurse, in 8the bedchamber 9from Athaliah, so that he was not slain.

3

And he was with her hid in the house of the LORD six years. And Athaliah did reign over the land.

4

¶And the seventhb year 10Jehoiada sent and fetched the 11rulers over hundreds, with the captains and the guard, and brought them to him into the house of the LORD, and 12made a covenant with them, and took an oath of them in the house of the LORD, and shewed them the king's son.

5

And he commanded them, saying, This is the thing that ye shall do; A third part of 13you that 14enter in on the sabbath shall even be keepers of the watch of the 15king’s house;

6

And a third part shall be at the gate of 16Sur; and a third part at the 17gate behind the guard: so shall ye keep the watch of the house, that it be not 18broken down.

7

And two 19parts of all you that 20go forth on the sabbath, even they shall keep the watch of the house of the LORD about the king.

8

And ye shall compass the king round about, every man with his weapons in his hand: and he that cometh 21within the ranges,c let him be slain: and be ye with the king as he goeth out and as he cometh in.

9

And thed captains over the hundreds did according to all things that Jehoiada the priest commanded: and they took every man his men that were to come in on the sabbath, with them that should go out on the sabbath, and came to Jehoiada the priest.

10

And to the captains over hundreds did the priest give king 22David’s spears and shields, that were in the temple of the LORD.

11

And the guard stood, every man with his weapons in his hand, round about the king, from the 23right corner of the temple to the 24left corner of the temple, along by 25the altar and 26the temple.

12

And 27he brought forth the king's son, and put the crown upon him, and gave him the 28testimony; and they made him king, and 29anointed him; and they 30clapped their hands, and said, God save the king.

13

¶And when Athaliah heard the noise of the guard and of the people, she came to the people into the temple of the LORD.

14

And when she looked, behold, the king stood by a 31pillar, 32as the manner was, and the princes and the trumpeters by the king, and all the people of the land rejoiced, and blew with trumpets: and Athaliah 33rent her clothes, and cried, Treason, Treason.

15

But Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of the hundreds, the officers of the host, and said unto them, Have her forth without 34the ranges: and him that followeth her kill with the sword. For the priest had said, Let her not be slain in the house of the LORD.

16

And 35they laid hands on her; and she went 36by the way by the which the horses came into the king's house: and there was she slain.

17

¶Ande Jehoiada made 37a covenant between the LORD and the king and the people, that they should be 38the LORD’S people; between the king also and the people.

18

And all the people of the land went into the house of Baal, and brake it down; his altars and his images brake they in pieces thoroughly, and slew Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. And the priest 39appointed officers over the house of the LORD.

19

And he took the rulers over hundreds, and the captains, and the guard, and all the people of the land; and they brought down the king from the house of the LORD, and came by the way of the 40gate of the guard to the king's house. And 41he sat on the throne of the kings.

20

And all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was in quiet: and they slew Athaliah with the sword 42beside the king's house.

21

43Seven years old was Jehoash when he began to reign.