Chapter 23

  And in the seventh year hath Jehoiada strengthened himself, and taketh the heads of the hundreds, even Azariah son of Jeroham, and Ishmael son of Jehohanan, and Azariah son of Obed, and Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zichri, with him into covenant.  

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  And they go round about in Judah, and gather the Levites out of all the cities of Judah, and heads of the fathers of Israel, and come in unto Jerusalem,  

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  and all the assembly make a covenant in the house of God with the king, and he saith to them, 'Lo, the son of the king doth reign, as Jehovah spake concerning the sons of David.  

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  'This [is] the thing that ye do: The third of you, going in on the sabbath, of the priests, and of the Levites, [are] for gatekeepers of the thresholds,  

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  and the third [are] at the house of the king, and the third at the gate of the foundation, and all the people [are] in the courts of the house of Jehovah.  

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  'And none doth enter the house of Jehovah except the priests, and those ministering of the Levites (they go in for they [are] holy), and all the people keep the watch of Jehovah:  

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  and the Levites have compassed the king round about, each with his weapon in his hand, and he who hath gone in unto the house is put to death; and be ye with the king in his coming in and in his going out.'  

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  And the Levites and all Judah do according to all that Jehoiada the priest hath commanded, and take each his men going in on the sabbath, with those going out on the sabbath, for Jehoiada the priest hath not let away the courses.  

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  And Jehoiada the priest giveth to the heads of the hundreds the spears, and the shields, and the bucklers that [are] king David's, that [are] in the house of God;  

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  and he stationeth the whole of the people, and each his dart in his hand, from the right shoulder of the house unto the left shoulder of the house, at the altar, and at the house, by the king, round about.  

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  And they bring out the son of the king, and put upon him the crown, and the testimony, and cause him to reign; and Jehoiada and his sons anoint him, and say, 'Let the king live!'  

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  And Athaliah heareth the voice of the people who are running, and who are praising the king, and she cometh in unto the people in the house of Jehovah,  

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  and seeth, and lo, the king is standing by his pillar in the entrance, and the heads, and the trumpets [are] by the king, and all the people of the land rejoicing and shouting with trumpets, and the singers with instruments of song, and the teachers, to praise, and Athaliah rendeth her garments, and saith, 'Conspiracy, conspiracy.'  

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  And Jehoiada the priest bringeth out the heads of the hundreds, inspectors of the force, and saith unto them, 'Take her out from within the rows, and he who hath gone after her is put to death by the sword;' for the priest said, 'Put her not to death [in] the house of Jehovah.'  

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  And they make for her sides, and she cometh in unto the entrance of the gate of the horses at the house of the king, and they put her to death there.  

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  And Jehoiada maketh a covenant between him, and between all the people, and between the king, to be for a people to Jehovah;  

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  and all the people enter the house of Baal, and break it down, yea, his altars and his images they have broken, and Mattan priest of Baal they have slain before the altars.  

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  And Jehoiada putteth the offices of the house of Jehovah into the hand of the priests the Levites whom David had apportioned over the house of Jehovah, to cause to ascend the burnt-offerings of Jehovah, as written in the law of Moses, with joy, and with singing, by the hands of David;  

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  and he stationeth the gatekeepers over the gates of the house of Jehovah, and the unclean in anything doth not go in.  

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  And he taketh the heads of the hundreds, and the honourable ones, and the rulers among the people, and all the people of the land, and bringeth down the king from the house of Jehovah, and they come in through the high gate to the house of the king, and cause the king to sit on the throne of the kingdom.  

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  And all the people of the land rejoice, and the city hath been quiet, and Athaliah they have put to death by the sword.  

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