HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 708
2 KIN G S 1 2
the rest of the king’s children, who were about
to be killed. She put Joash and his nurse in a
bedroom, and they hid him from Athaliah, so
the child was not murdered. 3 Joash remained
hidden in the Temple of the Lord for six years
while Athaliah ruled over the land.
Revolt against Athaliah
4 In the seventh year of Athaliah’s reign, Jehoiada the priest summoned the commanders, the
Carite mercenaries, and the palace guards to
come to the Temple of the Lord. He made a solemn pact with them and made them swear an
oath of loyalty there in the Lord’s Temple; then
he showed them the king’s son.
5 Jehoiada told them, “This is what you must
do. A third of you who are on duty on the Sabbath are to guard the royal palace itself. 6 Another third of you are to stand guard at the Sur
Gate. And the final third must stand guard behind the palace guard. These three groups will
all guard the palace. 7 The other two units who
are off duty on the Sabbath must stand guard
for the king at the Lord’s Temple. 8 Form a bodyguard around the king and keep your weapons
in hand. Kill anyone who tries to break through.
Stay with the king wherever he goes.”
9 So the commanders did everything as Jehoiada the priest ordered. The commanders
took charge of the men reporting for duty that
Sabbath, as well as those who were going off
duty. They brought them all to Jehoiada the
priest, 10 and he supplied them with the spears
and small shields that had once belonged to
King David and were stored in the Temple of the
Lord. 11 The palace guards stationed themselves
around the king, with their weapons ready. They
formed a line from the south side of the Temple
around to the north side and all around the altar.
12 Then Jehoiada brought out Joash, the king’s
son, placed the crown on his head, and presented him with a copy of God’s laws.* They
anointed him and proclaimed him king, and
everyone clapped their hands and shouted,
“Long live the king!”
The Death of Athaliah
13 When Athaliah heard the noise made by the
palace guards and the people, she hurried to
the Lord’s Temple to see what was happening.
14 When she arrived, she saw the newly crowned
king standing in his place of authority by the
pillar, as was the custom at times of coronation. The commanders and trumpeters were
surrounding him, and people from all over
the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets.
When Athaliah saw all this, she tore her clothes
in despair and shouted, “Treason! Treason!”
15 Then Jehoiada the priest ordered the commanders who were in charge of the troops,
“Take her to the soldiers in front of the Temple,*
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and kill anyone who tries to rescue her.” For the
priest had said, “She must not be killed in the
Temple of the Lord.” 16 So they seized her and
led her out to the gate where horses enter the
palace grounds, and she was killed there.
Jehoiada’s Religious Reforms
17 Then Jehoiada made a covenant between the
Lord and the king and the people that they
would be the Lord’s people. He also made a
covenant between the king and the people.
18 And all the people of the land went over to
the temple of Baal and tore it down. They demolished the altars and smashed the idols to
pieces, and they killed Mattan the priest of Baal
in front of the altars.
Jehoiada the priest stationed guards at the
Temple of the Lord. 19 Then the commanders,
the Carite mercenaries, the palace guards, and
all the people of the land escorted the king from
the Temple of the Lord. They went through the
gate of the guards and into the palace, and the
king took his seat on the royal throne. 20 So all
the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was
peaceful because Athaliah had been killed at
the king’s palace.
21*Joash* was seven years old when he became king.
Joash Repairs the Temple
1*Joash* began to rule over Judah in the
seventh year of King Jehu’s reign in Israel. He reigned in Jerusalem forty years. His
mother was Zibiah from Beersheba. 2 All his
life Joash did what was pleasing in the Lord’s
sight because Jehoiada the priest instructed
him. 3 Yet even so, he did not destroy the pagan
shrines, and the people still offered sacrifices
and burned incense there.
4 One day King Joash said to the priests, “Collect all the money brought as a sacred offering
to the Lord’s Temple, whether it is a regular assessment, a payment of vows, or a voluntary gift.
5 Let the priests take some of that money to pay
for whatever repairs are needed at the Temple.”
6 But by the twenty-third year of Joash’s reign,
the priests still had not repaired the Temple. 7 So
King Joash called for Jehoiada and the other
priests and asked them, “Why haven’t you repaired the Temple? Don’t use any more money
for your own needs. From now on, it must all be
spent on Temple repairs.” 8 So the priests agreed
not to accept any more money from the people,
and they also agreed to let others take responsibility for repairing the Temple.
9 Then Jehoiada the priest bored a hole in the
12
11:12 Or a copy of the covenant. 11:15 Or Bring her out from
between the ranks; or Take her out of the Temple precincts.
The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain. 11:21a Verse 11:21
is numbered 12:1 in Hebrew text. 11:21b Hebrew Jehoash,
a variant spelling of Joash. 12:1a Verses 12:1-21 are numbered
12:2-22 in Hebrew text. 12:1b Hebrew Jehoash, a variant
spelling of Joash; also in 12:2, 4, 6, 7, 18.