וּבַשָּׁנָה הַשְּׁבִעִית הִתְחַזַּק יְהוֹיָדָע וַיִּקַּח אֶת־שָׂרֵי הַמֵּאוֹת לַעֲזַרְיָהוּ בֶן־יְרֹחָם וּלְיִשְׁמָעֵאל בֶּן־יְהוֹחָנָן וְלַעֲזַרְיָהוּ בֶן־עוֹבֵד וְאֶת־מַעֲשֵׂיָהוּ בֶן־עֲדָיָהוּ וְאֶת־אֱלִישָׁפָט בֶּן־זִכְרִי עִמּוֹ בַבְּרִית

In the seventh year, Yehoyada took courage, as while he knew that he lacked the power to execute his plans by himself, he had gradually established connections with other people. And he took the commanders of the hundreds: Azaryahu son of Yeroham, Yishmael son of Yehohanan, Azaryahu son of Oved, Maaseyahu son of Adayahu, and Elishafat son of Zikhri, and brought all of these men into a secret covenant with him, to restore the monarchy to the dynasty of the house of David.

וַיָּסֹבּוּ בִּיהוּדָה וַיִּקְבְּצוּ אֶת־הַלְוִיִּם מִכָּל־עָרֵי יְהוּדָה וְרָאשֵׁי הָאָבוֹת לְיִשְׂרָאֵל וַיָּבֹאוּ אֶל־יְרוּשָׁלִָם

They, Yehoyada and the captains, went around in the land of Judah and gathered the Levites from all the cities of Judah and the heads of patrilineal houses of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem.

וַיִּכְרֹת כָּל־הַקָּהָל בְּרִית בְּבֵית הָאֱלֹהִים עִם־הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם הִנֵּה בֶן־הַמֶּלֶךְ יִמְלֹךְ כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר ה' עַל־בְּנֵי דָוִיד

The entire congregation that had assembled specially for this gathering established a covenant in the House of God with the king. He, Yehoyada, said to them: Behold, this is the king’s son who will reign, as the Lord spoke concerning the sons of David, that the royal line will not cease from his descendants, and His word must be fulfilled.

זֶה הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר תַּעֲשׂוּ הַשְּׁלִשִׁית מִכֶּם בָאֵי הַשַּׁבָּת לַכֹּהֲנִים וְלַלְוִיִּם לְשֹׁעֲרֵי הַסִּפִּים

This is the thing that you shall do in order to observe the will of God: One-third of you from among the priests and the Levites will be those arriving on the Sabbath, in their capacity of the watches that enter the Temple on the Sabbath day, as gatekeepers at the thresholds. They will stand in one spot.

וְהַשְּׁלִשִׁית בְּבֵית הַמֶּלֶךְ וְהַשְּׁלִשִׁית בְּשַׁעַר הַיְסוֹד וְכָל־הָעָם בְּחַצְרוֹת בֵּית ה'

Another one-third shall be at the king’s house, and the final one-third shall be at the Gate of the Foundation. If you position yourselves in different places, there will be no clear sign of the revolt. All the people will be located in the courtyards of the House of the Lord, the Temple’s courtyards.

וְאַל־יָבוֹא בֵית־ה' כִּי אִם־הַכֹּהֲנִים וְהַמְשָׁרְתִים לַלְוִיִּם הֵמָּה יָבֹאוּ כִּי־קֹדֶשׁ הֵמָּה וְכָל־הָעָם יִשְׁמְרוּ מִשְׁמֶרֶת ה'

No one of the people shall come into the House of the Lord except the priests, and those among the Levites who serve; they shall enter, as they are holy, and all the people shall keep the watch of the Lord from the outside.

וְהִקִּיפוּ הַלְוִיִּם אֶת־הַמֶּלֶךְ סָבִיב אִישׁ וְכֵלָיו בְּיָדוֹ וְהַבָּא אֶל־הַבַּיִת יוּמָת וִהְיוּ אֶת הַמֶּלֶךְ בְּבֹאוֹ וּבְצֵאתוֹ

The Levites shall surround the king all around, each with his weapons in his hand. Those Levites who are assigned the task of slaughtering the offerings will have knives in their hands. The others will hold various weapons; none shall be empty-handed. And he who comes into the House, who is not involved in the conspiracy, shall be put to death. The Levites will be with the king, serving as his guards, when he enters and departs, to ensure that he is protected from danger.

וַיַּעֲשׂוּ הַלְוִיִּם וְכָל־יְהוּדָה כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּה יְהוֹיָדָע הַכֹּהֵן וַיִּקְחוּ אִישׁ אֶת־אֲנָשָׁיו בָּאֵי הַשַּׁבָּת עִם יוֹצְאֵי הַשַּׁבָּת כִּי לֹא פָטַר יְהוֹיָדָע הַכֹּהֵן אֶת־הַמַּחְלְקוֹת

The Levites and all Judah acted in accordance with everything that Yehoyada the priest had commanded; each took his men, those arriving on the Sabbath with those departing on the Sabbath. Generally, one watch would enter the Temple on the Sabbath to begin its service, while another watch would leave, but in this case both watches remained in the Temple, for Yehoyada the priest had not dismissed to their homes the divisions who had finished their service, in order to augment the numbers of his supporters on site.

וַיִּתֵּן יְהוֹיָדָע הַכֹּהֵן לְשָׂרֵי הַמֵּאוֹת אֶת־הַחֲנִיתִים וְאֶת־הַמָּגִנּוֹת וְאֶת־הַשְּׁלָטִים אֲשֶׁר לַמֶּלֶךְ דָּוִיד אֲשֶׁר בֵּית הָאֱלֹהִים

Yehoyada the priest gave the commanders of the hundreds the spears, bucklers, and shields that had been King David’s, which were now located in the House of God. There was a large treasury in the Temple, which contained items of historical value, such as David’s weapons. Yet, these weapons could also be used in practice. It is also possible that the captains were given these ancient weapons to demonstrate that the legacy of the house of David was in their hands.

וַיַּעֲמֵד אֶת־כָּל־הָעָם וְאִישׁ שִׁלְחוֹ בְיָדוֹ מִכֶּתֶף הַבַּיִת הַיְמָנִית עַד־כֶּתֶף הַבַּיִת הַשְּׂמָאלִית לַמִּזְבֵּחַ וְלַבָּיִת עַל־הַמֶּלֶךְ סָבִיב

He, Yehoyada, positioned all the people, each with his weapon, a sword or a spear, in his hand, from the right side of the House to the left side of the House, at the altar and at the House, each standing with his weapon, to guard near the king all around.

וַיּוֹצִיאוּ אֶת־בֶּן־הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיִּתְּנוּ עָלָיו אֶת־הַנֵּזֶר וְאֶת־הָעֵדוּת וַיַּמְלִיכוּ אֹתוֹ וַיִּמְשָׁחֻהוּ יְהוֹיָדָע וּבָנָיו וַיֹּאמְרוּ יְחִי הַמֶּלֶךְ!

They took out the king’s son, Yo’ash, from his hiding place, and placed the crown and the Testimony, a Torah scroll, or some sort of royal symbol, upon him, and crowned him king. Yehoyada and his sons anointed him and said: Long live the king.

וַתִּשְׁמַע עֲתַלְיָהוּ אֶת־קוֹל הָעָם הָרָצִים וְהַמְהַלְלִים אֶת־הַמֶּלֶךְ וַתָּבוֹא אֶל־הָעָם בֵּית ה'

Atalyahu, whose house was not far from the Temple, heard the sound of the many people who were running about and praising and crowning the king, and she came to the people at the House of the Lord.

וַתֵּרֶא וְהִנֵּה הַמֶּלֶךְ עוֹמֵד עַל־עַמּוּדוֹ בַּמָּבוֹא וְהַשָּׂרִים וְהַחֲצֹצְרוֹת עַל הַמֶּלֶךְ וְכָל־עַם הָאָרֶץ שָׂמֵחַ וְתוֹקֵעַ בַּחֲצֹצְרוֹת וְהַמְשׁוֹרְרִים בִּכְלֵי הַשִּׁיר וּמוֹדִיעִים לְהַלֵּל וַתִּקְרַע עֲתַלְיָהוּ אֶת־בְּגָדֶיהָ וַתֹּאמֶר קֶשֶׁר קָשֶׁר!

She saw, and behold, the king was standing on his platform at the entrance. They had stood Yo’ash up on a stage, among other reasons because he was still a young child and they wanted everyone to see him. The leaders and the trumpets were near the king, and all the people of the land rejoiced, sounding the trumpets; the singers playing with musical instruments were leading the assembly in the praise. Atalyahu rent her garments, and said: Conspiracy, conspiracy!

וַיּוֹצֵא יְהוֹיָדָע הַכֹּהֵן אֶת־שָׂרֵי הַמֵּאוֹת פְּקוּדֵי הַחַיִל וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵהֶם הוֹצִיאוּהָ אֶל־מִבֵּית הַשְּׂדֵרוֹת וְהַבָּא אַחֲרֶיהָ יוּמַת בֶּחָרֶב כִּי אָמַר הַכֹּהֵן לֹא תְמִיתוּהָ בֵּית ה'

Yehoyada the priest brought out at his orders the commanders of the hundreds, the captains of the army, and said to them: Take her out from the Temple among the ranks, within the lines of guards, so that she cannot escape; and anyone who follows her, if anyone tries to accompany her, shall be put to death by the sword, as the priest said: Do not put her to death in the compound of the House of the Lord.

וַיָּשִׂימוּ לָהּ יָדַיִם וַתָּבוֹא אֶל־מְבוֹא שַׁעַר־הַסּוּסִים בֵּית הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיְמִיתוּהָ שָׁם

They cleared a path for her and pushed her out, and she went to the entrance of the Horses’ Gate to the king’s house; and they put her to death there.

וַיִּכְרֹת יְהוֹיָדָע בְּרִית בֵּינוֹ וּבֵין כָּל־הָעָם וּבֵין הַמֶּלֶךְ לִהְיוֹת לְעָם לַה'

No one came to Atalyahu’s aid, as Yehoyada had already recruited the entire royal guard in support of the new king. Yehoyada did not merely reinstate the king to the throne; he took this opportunity to make a more fundamental change in the kingdom: Yehoyada established a covenant between himself and the entire people and the king that they should be the people of the Lord. He did not wish simply to exchange one ruler for another; rather, he sought to eradicate all traces of Atalyahu’s reign. As a member of the house of Ahav, she had brought with her idolatrous practices and other foreign customs from her father’s house. Now Yehoyada wished to restore the service of God to its rightful place.

וַיָּבֹאוּ כָל־הָעָם בֵּית־הַבַּעַל וַיִּתְּצֻהוּ וְאֶת־מִזְבְּחֹתָיו וְאֶת־צְלָמָיו שִׁבֵּרוּ וְאֵת מַתָּן כֹּהֵן הַבַּעַל הָרְגוּ לִפְנֵי הַמִּזְבְּחוֹת

The people went to the temple of the Baal, which had been erected in Jerusalem, perhaps due to the religious tolerance that was prevalent there, or because Atalyahu, who came from a home of Baal worshippers, had established it in the city. And they smashed it into pieces, and shattered its altars and its images, and put Matan, who was the priest of the Baal, to death before the altars of Baal.

וַיָּשֶׂם יְהוֹיָדָע פְּקֻדֹּת בֵּית ה' בְּיַד הַכֹּהֲנִים הַלְוִיִּם אֲשֶׁר חָלַק דָּוִיד עַל־בֵּית ה' לְהַעֲלוֹת עֹלוֹת ה' כַּכָּתוּב בְּתוֹרַת מֹשֶׁה בְּשִׂמְחָה וּבְשִׁיר עַל יְדֵי דָוִיד

Apparently, during Atalyahu’s reign no one took care of the proper management of the Temple. Now Yehoyada placed the administration of the House of the Lord into the hand of the priests the Levites, whom David had assigned over the House of the Lord. He restored the watches of priests and Levites to a fully functioning state, in order to offer up the burnt offerings of the Lord, as it is written in the Torah of Moses, with joy and with song, by means of David.

וַיַּעֲמֵד הַשּׁוֹעֲרִים עַל־שַׁעֲרֵי בֵּית ה' וְלֹא־יָבוֹא טָמֵא לְכָל־דָּבָר

He positioned the gatekeepers at the gates of the House of the Lord, to ensure that anyone impure in any way, whoever had contracted any sort of ritual impurity, shall not enter.

וַיִּקַּח אֶת־שָׂרֵי הַמֵּאוֹת וְאֶת־הָאַדִּירִים וְאֶת־הַמּוֹשְׁלִים בָּעָם וְאֵת כָּל־עַם הָאָרֶץ וַיּוֹרֶד אֶת־הַמֶּלֶךְ מִבֵּית ה' וַיָּבֹאוּ בְּתוֹךְ־שַׁעַר הָעֶלְיוֹן בֵּית הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיּוֹשִׁיבוּ אֶת־הַמֶּלֶךְ עַל כִּסֵּא הַמַּמְלָכָה

He took the commanders of the hundreds, and the nobles, the important and powerful individuals, and the governors of the people, and all the people of the land, and brought the king down from the House of the Lord; they came through the upper gate of the Temple to the king’s house and placed the king upon the throne of the kingdom.

וַיִּשְׂמְחוּ כָל־עַם־הָאָרֶץ וְהָעִיר שָׁקָטָה וְאֶת־עֲתַלְיָהוּ הֵמִיתוּ בֶחָרֶב

All the people of the land rejoiced upon the return of the king to his throne, and the city was tranquil; and they put Atalyahu to death by sword. As the king was still a young boy, Yehoyada the High Priest, who had saved his life, remained his guardian. With the appointment of the new king, the monarchy was restored to the house of David.