Athaliah's Death
12When Athaliah heard the noise made by the people who were running and praising the king, she went to the crowd of people at the House of the Lord. 13She looked, and there was the king standing by his pillar at the entrance. The officials and the trumpeters were beside the king. All the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing the trumpets. The singers with their musical instruments were leading the praise. Athaliah tore her clothes and shouted, “Treason! Treason!”
14Then Jehoiada the priest brought out the commanders who were in charge of the units of a hundred in the army. He told them, “Bring her out between the ranks. Anyone who follows her is to be put to death with the sword,” but the priest also told them, “You must not put her to death in the House of the Lord.” 15So they laid their hands on her, and she was taken to the entrance of the Horse Gate by the palace of the king, where she was put to death.
16Jehoiada made a covenant including himself, all the people, and the king, that they would be the Lord's people.
17All the people then went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed Baal's altars and his images. They killed Mattan, the priest of Baal, in front of the altars.
18Jehoiada posted a watch[] over the House of the Lord. It was under the supervision of the levitical priests, whom David had given assignments in the House of the Lord to offer burnt offerings to the Lord, as written in the Law of Moses, with rejoicing and singing as David had directed. 19He stationed the gatekeepers at the gates of the House of the Lord, so that no one could enter if he was unclean in any way. 20He took the commanders of the hundreds, the nobles, the governors of the people, and all the people of the land. He brought the king down from the House of the Lord. They came through the upper gate of the palace of the king. They seated the king on the throne of the kingdom.
21All the people of the land rejoiced. The city was quiet after they killed Athaliah with the sword.
Joash Repairs the Temple
241Joash[] was seven years old when he became king, and he ruled as king in Jerusalem for forty years. His mother's name was Zibiah from Beersheba.