1 In the seventh year Jehoiada gathered his strength and made a pact with the leaders of hundreds: Azariah son of Jeroham, Ishmael son of Jehohanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zichri.
2 They went all through Judah and gathered the Levites from every city of Judah and the heads of Israel's fathers' houses, and they came to Jerusalem.
3 The whole assembly made a covenant with the king in God's house. Jehoiada told them, "Here is the king's son! He shall reign, just as the LORD promised concerning David's sons.
4 Here is what you are to do: a third of you priests and Levites coming on duty on the Sabbath will guard the doorways,
5 a third will be at the palace, and a third at the Foundation Gate, while all the people will be in the courts of the house of the LORD.
6 No one is to enter the house of the LORD except the priests and the Levites on duty; they may enter because they are holy, but all the other people must obey the LORD's charge.
7 The Levites are to form a ring around the king, every man with weapon in hand. Anyone who enters the house must be killed. Stay with the king wherever he goes."
8 The Levites and all Judah did everything Jehoiada the priest ordered. Each man took his men, both those coming on duty on the Sabbath and those going off duty on the Sabbath, for Jehoiada the priest had not released the divisions.
9 Jehoiada the priest handed the leaders of hundreds the spears and the shields large and small that had belonged to King David and were kept in God's house.
10 He posted all the people, each man with his weapon in hand, from the south side of the house to the north side, by the altar and the house, all around the king.
11 Then they brought out the king's son, placed the crown on him, gave him the testimony, and proclaimed him king. Jehoiada and his sons anointed him and shouted, "Long live the king!"
12 Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and cheering the king, and she went to the people at the house of the LORD.
13 She looked, and there stood the king beside his pillar at the entrance, with the officers and trumpeters next to the king, and all the people of the land celebrating and sounding trumpets, while the singers with their musical instruments were leading the praise. Athaliah tore her clothes and cried, "Conspiracy! Conspiracy!"
14 Jehoiada the priest sent out the leaders of hundreds in command of the troops and told them, "Take her out between the ranks, and put to the sword anyone who follows her." For the priest had said, "Do not kill her in the house of the LORD."
15 They seized her, and when she reached the entrance of the Horse Gate at the palace, they killed her there.
16 Jehoiada 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 pulled it down. They smashed its altars and images and killed Mattan, Baal's priest, in front of the altars.
18 Jehoiada placed the offices of the house of the LORD under the Levitical priests, whom David had organized over the house of the LORD, to present the LORD's burnt offerings as written in the law of Moses, with joy and song as David had ordered.
19 He set gatekeepers at the gates of the house of the LORD so that no one unclean in any way could come in.
20 He took the leaders of hundreds, the nobles, the governors of the people, and all the people of the land, and they escorted the king down from the house of the LORD. Passing through the Upper Gate into the palace, they seated the king on the royal throne.
21 All the people of the land celebrated, and the city was calm, now that Athaliah had been killed by the sword.