II Kings 11

¹Forsothe Athalie, modir of Ocozie, siy hir sone deed, and sche roos, and killide al the seed of the kyng.

²Sotheli Josaba, douyter of kyng Joram, the sistir of Ocozie, took Joas, sone of Ocozie, and stal him fro the myddis of the sones of the kyng, that weren slayn; and sche took the nursche of hym fro the hows of thre stagis; and sche hidde hym fro the face of Athalie, that he were not slayn.

³And he was with hir in the hows of the Lord priueli sixe yeer. Forsothe Athalia regnede on the lond sixe yeer.

⁴Forsothe in the seuenthe yeer Joiada sente, and took centuriouns, and knyytis, and brouyte to hym in to the temple of the Lord; and couenauntide with hem boond of pees, and he made hem to swere in the temple of the Lord, and schewide to hem the sone of the kyng.

⁵And he comaundide to hem, and seide, This is the word, which ye owen to do;

⁶the thridde part of you entre in the sabat, and kepe the wakyngis of the `hows of the kyng; sothely the thridde part be at the yate of Seir; and the thridde part be at the yate which is bihynde the dwellyng place of the makeris of scheeldis; and ye schulen kepe the wakyngis of the hows of Messa.

⁷Forsothe twei partis of you alle goynge out in the sabat, kepe ye the wakyngis of the hows of the Lord aboute the kyng.

⁸And ye schulen cumpasse hym, and ye schulen haue armeris in youre hondis; forsothe if ony man entrith in to the closyng of the temple, be he slayn; and ye schulen be with the kyng goynge in and goynge out.

⁹And the centuriouns diden bi alle thingis whiche Joiada, the preest, hadde comaundid to hem; and alle takynge her men that entriden to the sabat, with hem that yeden out fro the sabat, camen to Joiada, the preest.

¹⁰Which yaf to hem speris, and armeris of kyng Dauid, that weren in the hows of the Lord.

¹¹And alle stoden hauynge armeris in her hond, fro the riyt side of the temple `til to the left side of the auter and of the hows, aboute the kyng.

¹²And he brouyte forth the sone of the kyng, and puttide on hym a diademe, and witnessyng; and thei maden hym kyng, and anoyntiden hym; and thei beeten with the hoond, and seiden, The kyng lyue!

¹³Forsothe Athalia herde the vois of the puple rennynge, and sche entride to the cumpenyes in to the temple of the Lord,

¹⁴and sche siy the kyng stondynge on the trone bi custom, and syngeris, and cumpenyes nyy hym, and al the puple of the lond beynge glad, and syngynge with trumpis. And sche to-rente hir clothis, and criede, `Swerynge togidere! swerynge togidere! ether tresoun.

¹⁵Forsothe Joiada comaundide to the centuriouns, that weren on the oost, and seide to hem, Lede ye hir out of the closyngis of the temple; and who euer sueth hir, be smytun with swerd. Forsothe the preest seide, Be sche not slayn in the temple of the Lord.

¹⁶And thei puttiden hondis on hir, and hurliden hir bi the weie of the entryng of horsis bisidis the paleis; and sche was slayn there.

¹⁷Therfor Joiada made boond of pees bitwixe the Lord and the kyng, and bitwixe the puple, that it schulde be the puple of the Lord; and bitwixe the kyng and the puple.

¹⁸Al the puple of the lond entride in to the temple of Baal; and thei distrieden the auteris of hym, and al tobraken strongli the ymagis; and thei killiden bifore the auter Mathan, the preest of Baal. And the preest settide kepyngis in the hows of the Lord; and he took centuriouns, and the legiouns of Cerethi and Pherethi, and al the puple of the lond.

¹⁹And thei ledden forth the kyng fro the hows of the Lord; and thei camen bi the weie of the yate of makeris of scheldis in to the paleis; and he sat on the trone of kyngis.

²⁰And al the puple of the lond was glad, and the citee restide. Forsothe Athalia was slayn bi swerd in the hows of the kyng.

²¹And Joas was of seuen yeer, whanne he bigan to regne.

II Kings 11

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

²But Jehosheba, the daughter of king Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king’s sons which were slain; and they hid him, even him and his nurse, in the bedchamber from Athaliah, so that he was not slain.

³And he was with her hid in the house of the Lord six years. And Athaliah did reign over the land.

⁴And the seventh year Jehoiada sent and fetched the rulers over hundreds, with the captains and the guard, and brought them to him into the house of the Lord, and made a covenant with them, and took an oath of them in the house of the Lord, and shewed them the king’s son.

⁵And he commanded them, saying, This is the thing that ye shall do; A third part of you that enter in on the sabbath shall even be keepers of the watch of the king’s house;

⁶And a third part shall be at the gate of Sur; and a third part at the gate behind the guard: so shall ye keep the watch of the house, that it be not broken down.

⁷And two parts of all you that go forth on the sabbath, even they shall keep the watch of the house of the Lord about the king.

⁸And ye shall compass the king round about, every man with his weapons in his hand: and he that cometh within the ranges, let him be slain: and be ye with the king as he goeth out and as he cometh in.

⁹And the 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.

¹⁰And to the captains over hundreds did the priest give king David’s spears and shields, that were in the temple of the Lord.

¹¹And the guard stood, every man with his weapons in his hand, round about the king, from the right corner of the temple to the left corner of the temple, along by the altar and the temple.

¹²And he brought forth the king’s son, and put the crown upon him, and gave him the testimony; and they made him king, and anointed him; and they clapped their hands, and said, God save the king.

¹³And when Athaliah heard the noise of the guard and of the people, she came to the people into the temple of the Lord.

¹⁴And when she looked, behold, the king stood by a pillar, as 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 rent her clothes, and cried, Treason, Treason.

¹⁵But Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of the hundreds, the officers of the host, and said unto them, Have her forth without the 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.

¹⁶And they laid hands on her; and she went by the way by the which the horses came into the king’s house: and there was she slain.

¹⁷And Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord and the king and the people, that they should be the Lord’s people; between the king also and the people.

¹⁸And 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 appointed officers over the house of the Lord.

¹⁹And 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 gate of the guard to the king’s house. And he sat on the throne of the kings.

²⁰And all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was in quiet: and they slew Athaliah with the sword beside the king’s house.

²¹Seven years old was Jehoash when he began to reign.