2 Kings 11

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

When Athaliah, Ahaziah's mother, realized her son was no more, she was consumed by rage and grief. In her fury, she wiped out the entire royal lineage.

But 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.

Jehosheba, King Joram's daughter and Ahaziah's sister, bravely rescued Joash, Ahaziah's son, from the massacre of the royal family. She hid him and his nurse in a secret room, saving him from Athaliah's deadly wrath.

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

In the sacred sanctuary of the Lord, he found refuge with her for six years. Meanwhile, Athaliah ruled the land with an iron fist.

And 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.

In the seventh year, Jehoiada summoned the leaders, captains, and guards to the Lord's house. There, he made a sacred promise with them, swearing them to secrecy in God's house, and revealed to them the king's son.

And 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;

He instructed them, "Here's your task: One third of you, who come in on the Sabbath, will guard the king's house."

And 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.

One third of you will stand guard at Sur's gate, another third at the rear gate. Protect the house diligently, so it remains unharmed.

And 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.

Two-thirds of you, who venture out on the Sabbath, shall passionately guard the Lord's house and the king with unwavering dedication.

And 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.

Surround the king, each of you armed and ready. Anyone who breaks into your ranks must be put to death. Stay with the king, protect him as he leaves and returns.

And 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.

The leaders faithfully followed every instruction given by Jehoiada, the priest. They gathered all their men, those coming in and those going out on the Sabbath, and presented themselves before Jehoiada.

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

The priest handed over King David's spears and shields, stored in the Lord's temple, to the hundred captains with a sense of reverence and duty.

And 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.

Each guard, armed and ready, encircled the king, from one end of the temple to the other, protecting both the altar and the temple itself.

And 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.

He brought out the king's son, placed the crown on him, and gave him a copy of God's law. They made him king and anointed him. They clapped their hands and shouted, 'Long live the king!'

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

When Athaliah heard the uproar from the guards and the crowd, she was drawn towards it, finding herself in the Lord's temple.

And 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.

When she glanced over, there he was - the king, standing tall by a pillar, just as tradition dictated. His princes and trumpeters were by his side, their music filling the air. The people were ecstatic, their joy echoing in the trumpet blasts. But Athaliah, in her shock and despair, tore her clothes and screamed out, "Betrayal! Betrayal!"

But 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.

Jehoiada, the priest, ordered the army leaders, "Take her out of the temple grounds. If anyone follows her, kill them with the sword. But don't put her to death within the Lord's house."

And 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.

They seized her, forcing her down the path where the king's horses once trotted. In that very place, her life was tragically taken.

And 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.

Jehoiada forged a sacred covenant between God, the king, and the people, that they would be the Lord's own people; a bond was also established between the king and his people.

And 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.

Everyone in the land stormed Baal's temple, tearing it apart. They shattered his altars and idols completely, and killed Mattan, Baal's priest, right there. Then, they assigned guards to protect the Lord's house.

And 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.

With authority, he gathered the leaders, captains, guards, and all the people. They respectfully escorted the king from the Lord's house, passing through the guard's gate to the royal palace. There, he took his rightful place on the throne, exuding kingly power.

And 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.

The entire nation celebrated joyously, the city was at peace. Near the king's palace, Athaliah met her end by the sword.

Seven years old was Jehoash when he began to reign.

Jehoash was just a seven-year-old boy when he started his reign.