2 Kings 11

¹In the seventh month, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, who was a member of the royal family and one of the king’s chief officers, came with ten men to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah, and they ate a meal together there.

²⁵In the seventh month, however, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, who was a member of the royal family, came with ten men and struck down and killed Gedaliah, along with the Judeans and Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah.

¹⁰When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to annihilate all the royal heirs of the house of Judah.

¹¹But Jehoshabeath daughter of King Jehoram took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the sons of the king who were being murdered, and she put him and his nurse in a bedroom. Because Jehoshabeath, the daughter of King Jehoram and the wife of Jehoiada the priest, was Ahaziah’s sister, she hid Joash from Athaliah so that she could not kill him.

¹⁶When Herod saw that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was filled with rage. Sending orders, he put to death all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, according to the time he had learned from the Magi.

⁷For the sons of that wicked woman Athaliah had broken into the house of God and had even used the sacred objects of the house of the Lord for the Baals.

²⁷When King Ahaziah of Judah saw this, he fled up the road toward Beth-haggan. And Jehu pursued him, shouting, “Shoot him too!” So they shot Ahaziah in his chariot on the Ascent of Gur, near Ibleam, and he fled to Megiddo and died there.

¹⁰He built chambers all along the temple, each five cubits high and attached to the temple with beams of cedar.

¹¹But Jehoshabeath daughter of King Jehoram took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the sons of the king who were being murdered, and she put him and his nurse in a bedroom. Because Jehoshabeath, the daughter of King Jehoram and the wife of Jehoiada the priest, was Ahaziah’s sister, she hid Joash from Athaliah so that she could not kill him.

¹⁶In the fifth year of the reign of Joram son of Ahab over Israel, Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat succeeded his father as king of Judah.

⁸The entrance to the bottom floor was on the south side of the temple. A stairway led up to the middle level, and from there to the third floor.

⁴⁵Then the man said to me: “The chamber that faces south is for the priests who keep charge of the temple,

²⁶then I would also reject the descendants of Jacob and of My servant David, so as not to take from his descendants rulers over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I will restore them from captivity and will have compassion on them.”

¹⁵So now we call the arrogant blessed. Not only do evildoers prosper, they even test God and escape.’”

¹²And Joash remained hidden with them in the house of God for six years while Athaliah ruled the land.

⁸The wicked wander freely, and vileness is exalted among men.

¹⁹He took with him the commanders of hundreds, the Carites, the guards, and all the people of the land, and they brought the king down from the house of the Lord and entered the royal palace by way of the Gate of the Guards. Then Joash took his seat on the royal throne,

⁹So the commanders of hundreds did everything that Jehoiada the priest had ordered. Each of them took his men—those coming on duty on the Sabbath and those going off duty—and came to Jehoiada the priest.

¹²Then they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and soul.

¹⁷Then Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord and the king and the people that they would be the Lord’s people. He also made a covenant between the king and the people.

¹⁰Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the Lord, the God of Israel, so that His fierce anger will turn away from us.

¹³and 1,760 of their relatives, the heads of their families, able men for the work of the service of the house of God.

²⁵Their relatives came from their villages at fixed times to serve with them for seven-day periods.

²The prince is to enter from the outside through the portico of the gateway and stand by the gatepost, while the priests sacrifice his burnt offerings and peace offerings. He is to bow in worship at the threshold of the gate and then depart, but the gate must not be shut until evening.

³On the Sabbaths and New Moons the people of the land are also to bow in worship before the Lord at the entrance to that gateway.

³²So the Levites were to carry out the responsibilities for the Tent of Meeting and the Holy Place, and, under their brothers the descendants of Aaron, the service of the house of the Lord.

⁸One day while Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God,

⁹he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense.

¹⁰When the officials of Judah heard these things, they went up from the king’s palace to the house of the Lord and sat there at the entrance of the New Gate.

¹⁸And on account of the king of Assyria, he removed the Sabbath canopy they had built in the temple and closed the royal entryway outside the house of the Lord.

⁴This is what you are to do: A third of you priests and Levites who come on duty on the Sabbath shall keep watch at the doors,

⁵a third shall be at the royal palace, and a third at the Foundation Gate, while all the others are to be in the courtyards of the house of the Lord.

¹³They cast lots for each gate, according to their families, young and old alike.

¹⁴The lot for the East Gate fell to Shelemiah. Then lots were cast for his son Zechariah, a wise counselor, and the lot for the North Gate fell to him.

⁵and commanded them, “This is what you are to do: A third of you who come on duty on the Sabbath shall guard the royal palace,

⁶No one is to enter the house of the Lord except the priests and those Levites who serve; they may enter because they are consecrated, but all the people are to obey the requirement of the Lord.

⁷The Levites must surround the king with weapons in hand, and anyone who enters the temple must be put to death. You must stay close to the king wherever he goes.”

¹⁵And Jehoiada the priest ordered the commanders of hundreds in charge of the army, “Bring her out between the ranks, and put to the sword anyone who follows her.” For the priest had said, “She must not be put to death in the house of the Lord.”

²⁸When the news reached Joab, who had conspired with Adonijah but not with Absalom, he fled to the tent of the Lord and took hold of the horns of the altar.

²⁹It was reported to King Solomon: “Joab has fled to the tent of the Lord and is now beside the altar.” So Solomon sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada, saying, “Go, strike him down!”

¹⁴But if a man schemes and acts willfully against his neighbor to kill him, you must take him away from My altar to be put to death.

¹⁷who will go out and come in before them, and who will lead them out and bring them in, so that the congregation of the Lord will not be like sheep without a shepherd.”

⁸So the Levites and all Judah did everything that Jehoiada the priest had ordered. Each of them took his men—those coming on duty on the Sabbath and those going off duty—for Jehoiada the priest had not released any of the divisions.

⁴Then in the seventh year, Jehoiada sent for the commanders of hundreds, the Carites, and the guards, and had them brought into the house of the Lord. There he made a covenant with them and put them under oath. He showed them the king’s son

²⁶This Shelomith and his brothers were in charge of all the treasuries for the things dedicated by King David, by the heads of families who were the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and by the army commanders.

⁷And David took the gold shields that belonged to the officers of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem.

⁷And David took the gold shields that belonged to the officers of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem.

²⁶This Shelomith and his brothers were in charge of all the treasuries for the things dedicated by King David, by the heads of families who were the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and by the army commanders.

²⁷They had dedicated some of the plunder from their battles to the repair of the house of the Lord.

⁹Then Jehoiada the priest gave to the commanders of hundreds the spears and the large and small shields of King David that were in the house of God.

¹⁰He stationed all the troops, with their weapons in hand, surrounding the king by the altar and the temple, from the south side to the north side of the temple.

⁹The priest replied, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here; it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you want, you may take it. For there is no other but this one here.” And David said, “There is none like it; give it to me.”

¹So all the work that Solomon had performed for the house of the Lord was completed. Then Solomon brought in the items his father David had dedicated—the silver, the gold, and all the furnishings—and he placed them in the treasuries of the house of God.

³⁵And so upon you will come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.

¹⁰Then the priest gave to the commanders of hundreds the spears and shields of King David from the house of the Lord.

¹⁷Let the priests who minister before the Lord weep between the portico and the altar, saying, “Spare Your people, O Lord, and do not make Your heritage a reproach, an object of scorn among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’”

¹⁶So He brought me to the inner court of the house of the Lord, and there at the entrance to the temple of the Lord, between the portico and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs to the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east; and they were bowing to the east in worship of the sun.

¹²Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the whole assembly of Israel and spread out his hands.

⁵¹from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, all of it will be charged to this generation.

²⁴Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the one the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.” And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”

¹⁶And place inside the ark the Testimony, which I will give you.

³⁹Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the tabernacle and anointed Solomon. Then they blew the ram’s horn, and all the people proclaimed, “Long live King Solomon!”

¹⁰So I stood over him and killed him, because I knew that after he had fallen he could not survive. And I took the crown that was on his head and the band that was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord.”

¹⁸When the Lord had finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, He gave him the two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God.

⁸Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy

¹²When Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and cheering the king, she went out to them in the house of the Lord.

¹³And she looked and saw the king standing by his pillar at the entrance. The officers and trumpeters were beside the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets, while the singers with musical instruments were leading the praises. Then Athaliah tore her clothes and screamed, “Treason, treason!”

³¹So the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the Lord to follow the Lord and to keep His commandments, decrees, and statutes with all his heart and all his soul, and to carry out the words of the covenant that were written in this book.

³So the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the Lord to follow the Lord and to keep His commandments, decrees, and statutes with all his heart and all his soul, and to carry out the words of the covenant that were written in this book. And all the people entered into the covenant.

²³Joram turned around and fled, calling out to Ahaziah, “Treachery, Ahaziah!”

¹After this I heard a sound like the roar of a great multitude in heaven, shouting: “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God!

²For His judgments are true and just. He has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality. He has avenged the blood of His servants that was poured out by her hand.”

³⁷And as He approached the descent from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of disciples began to praise God joyfully in a loud voice for all the miracles they had seen:

³⁹Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the tabernacle and anointed Solomon. Then they blew the ram’s horn, and all the people proclaimed, “Long live King Solomon!”

⁴⁰All the people followed him, playing flutes and rejoicing with such a great joy that the earth was split by the sound.

¹⁴‘So then, son of man, prophesy and strike your hands together. Let the sword strike two times, even three. It is a sword that slays, a sword of great slaughter closing in on every side!

¹⁴And Jehoiada the priest sent out the commanders of hundreds in charge of the army, saying, “Bring her out between the ranks, and put to the sword anyone who follows her.” For the priest had said, “She must not be put to death in the house of the Lord.”

⁴Then in the seventh year, Jehoiada sent for the commanders of hundreds, the Carites, and the guards, and had them brought into the house of the Lord. There he made a covenant with them and put them under oath. He showed them the king’s son

⁹Then Jehoiada the priest gave to the commanders of hundreds the spears and the large and small shields of King David that were in the house of God.

⁹So the commanders of hundreds did everything that Jehoiada the priest had ordered. Each of them took his men—those coming on duty on the Sabbath and those going off duty—and came to Jehoiada the priest.

¹⁰Then the priest gave to the commanders of hundreds the spears and shields of King David from the house of the Lord.

⁷Then He told them, “Defile the temple and fill the courts with the slain. Go forth!” So they went out and began killing throughout the city.

⁶Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man his blood will be shed; for in His own image God has made mankind.

⁵And I heard the angel of the waters say: “Righteous are You, O Holy One, who is and was, because You have brought these judgments.

⁶For they have spilled the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink, as they deserve.”

¹³For judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

²For with the same judgment you pronounce, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

¹⁵So they seized Athaliah as she reached the entrance of the Horse Gate on the palace grounds, and there they put her to death.

⁷Then Adoni-bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off have gathered the scraps under my table. As I have done to them, so God has repaid me.” And they brought him to Jerusalem, where he died.

³So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, where King David made with them a covenant before the Lord. And they anointed him king over Israel.

¹²Then they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and soul.

¹³And whoever would not seek the Lord, the God of Israel, would be put to death, whether young or old, man or woman.

²⁵On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people, and there at Shechem he established for them a statute and ordinance.

³¹So the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the Lord to follow the Lord and to keep His commandments, decrees, and statutes with all his heart and all his soul, and to carry out the words of the covenant that were written in this book.

³So now let us make a covenant before our God to send away all the foreign wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the command of our God. Let it be done according to the Law.

¹⁰Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the Lord, the God of Israel, so that His fierce anger will turn away from us.

³Tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, burn up their Asherah poles, cut down the idols of their gods, and wipe out their names from every place.

⁴⁰Then Elijah ordered them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let a single one escape.” So they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered them there.

⁴He removed the high places, shattered the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles. He also demolished the bronze snake called Nehushtan that Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had burned incense to it.

²⁶They brought out the sacred pillar of the temple of Baal and burned it.

⁵Such a prophet or dreamer must be put to death, because he has advocated rebellion against the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery; he has tried to turn you from the way in which the Lord your God has commanded you to walk. So you must purge the evil from among you.

²⁵And Jehu said to Bidkar his officer, “Pick him up and throw him into the field of Naboth the Jezreelite. For remember that when you and I were riding together behind his father Ahab, the Lord lifted up this burden against him:

²⁶‘As surely as I saw the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons yesterday, declares the Lord, so will I repay you on this plot of ground, declares the Lord.’ Now then, according to the word of the Lord, pick him up and throw him on the plot of ground.”

¹⁹He stationed gatekeepers at the gates of the house of the Lord, so that no one who was in any way unclean could enter.

²⁵then kings and princes will enter through the gates of this city. They will sit on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses with their officials, along with the men of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem, and this city will be inhabited forever.

²³So Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king in place of his father David. He prospered, and all Israel obeyed him.

⁵a third shall be at the royal palace, and a third at the Foundation Gate, while all the others are to be in the courtyards of the house of the Lord.

³⁰This is what the Lord says: “Enroll this man as childless, a man who will not prosper in his lifetime. None of his descendants will prosper to sit on the throne of David or to rule again in Judah.”

⁴For if you will indeed carry out these commands, then kings who sit on David’s throne will enter through the gates of this palace riding on chariots and horses—they and their officials and their people.

¹⁰When the righteous thrive, the city rejoices, and when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.

²When the righteous flourish, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan.

¹⁴And she looked out and saw the king standing by the pillar, according to the custom. The officers and trumpeters were beside the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets. Then Athaliah tore her clothes and screamed, “Treason! Treason!”

²¹and all the people of the land rejoiced. And the city was quiet, because Athaliah had been put to the sword.

¹Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years. His mother’s name was Zibiah; she was from Beersheba.

²And Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the priest.

¹Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. His mother’s name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah; she was from Bozkath.

⁴Then in the seventh year, Jehoiada sent for the commanders of hundreds, the Carites, and the guards, and had them brought into the house of the Lord. There he made a covenant with them and put them under oath. He showed them the king’s son