Study Desk

Now in the seventh year, Jehoiada gathered his courage, and took captains of hundreds: Azariah the son of Jeroham, Ishmael the son of Johanan, Azariah the son of Obed, Maaseiah the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zichri, and they entered into a covenant with him.

And they went throughout Judah and gathered the Levites from all the cities of Judah, and the heads of the fathers' households of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem.

"But no one is to enter the house of the LORD except the priests and the ministering Levites; they may enter, for they are holy. And all the people are to keep the command of the LORD.

Then they brought out the king's son and put the crown on him, and gave him the testimony and made him king. And Jehoiada and his sons anointed him and said, "Long live the king!"

So they seized her, and when she arrived at the entrance of the Horse Gate of the king's house, they put her to death there.

Then Jehoiada made a covenant between himself and all the people and the king, that they would be the LORD'S people.

And all the people went to the house of Baal and tore it down, and they broke in pieces his altars and his images, and killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars.

He took the captains of hundreds, the nobles, the rulers of the people, and all the people of the land, and brought the king down from the house of the LORD, and went through the upper gate to the king's house. And they seated the king upon the royal throne.

So all of the people of the land rejoiced and the city was at rest. For they had put Athaliah to death with the sword.

So the king commanded, and they made a chest and set it outside by the gate of the house of the LORD.

And they made a proclamation in Judah and Jerusalem to bring to the LORD the contribution commanded by Moses the servant of God on Israel in the wilderness.

All the officers and all the people rejoiced, and they brought in their contribution and dropped it into the chest until they had finished.

It happened that whenever the chest was brought to the king's officer by the Levites, and they saw that the money was substantial, the king's scribe and the chief priest's officer would come and empty the chest, and pick it up and return it to its place. They did this daily and collected a large amount of money.

The king and Jehoiada gave it to those who did the work of the service of the house of the LORD; and they hired masons and carpenters to restore the house of the LORD, and also workers in iron and bronze to repair the house of the LORD.

So the workmen labored, and the repair work progressed in their hands, and they restored the house of God according to its specifications and strengthened it.

When they had finished, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada; and it was made into utensils for the house of the LORD, utensils for the service and the burnt offerings, and pans and utensils of gold and silver. And they offered burnt offerings in the house of the LORD continually, all the days of Jehoiada.

And they buried him in the city of David with the kings, because he had done well in Israel and for God and His house.

And they abandoned the house of the LORD, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherim and the idols; so wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this guilt of theirs.

Yet He sent prophets to them to bring them back to the LORD; and they testified against them, but they would not listen.

So they conspired against him, and at the command of the king they stoned him to death in the courtyard of the house of the LORD.