וַעֲתַלְיָה אֵם אֲחַזְיָהוּ רָאֲתָה כִּי מֵת בְּנָהּ וַתָּקָם וַתְּאַבֵּד אֵת כָּל־זֶרַע הַמַּמְלָכָה

Atalya mother of Ahazyahu saw that her son was dead, and she rose and eliminated all the royal descendants, every member of the family who was a sufficiently close relative to have a claim to the throne of the Davidic dynasty. She thereby became the sole ruler.

וַתִּקַּח יְהוֹשֶׁבַע בַּת־הַמֶּלֶךְ־יוֹרָם אֲחוֹת אֲחַזְיָהוּ אֶת־יוֹאָשׁ בֶּן־אֲחַזְיָה וַתִּגְנֹב אֹתוֹ מִתּוֹךְ בְּנֵי־הַמֶּלֶךְ הַמּוּמָתִים אֹתוֹ וְאֶת־מֵנִקְתּוֹ בַּחֲדַר הַמִּטּוֹת וַיַּסְתִּרוּ אֹתוֹ מִפְּנֵי עֲתַלְיָהוּ וְלֹא הוּמָת

Yehosheva, daughter of King Yoram, sister of Ahazyahu but presumably not Atalya’s daughter, took Yo’ash son of Ahazya, a small child who had survived, and stole him away from the sons of the king who were put to death. With murderous lunacy, Atalya had killed all the children in the household, but Yehosheva discovered a small child, one of her nephews who still required a nurse and had been overlooked by Atalya. Yehosheva successfully hid him and his nurse in the bedroom, and they hid him from Atalyahu, and he was not put to death.

וַיְהִי אִתָּהּ בֵּית ה' מִתְחַבֵּא שֵׁשׁ שָׁנִים וַעֲתַלְיָה מֹלֶכֶת עַל־הָאָרֶץ

He was with her in the House of the Lord, hiding for six years. Since no one dreamed that a small child was living there clandestinely, no searches were carried out. And meanwhile, Atalya was reigning over the land during those years.

וּבַשָּׁנָה הַשְּׁבִיעִית שָׁלַח יְהוֹיָדָע וַיִּקַּח אֶת־שָׂרֵי הַמֵּאוֹת לַכָּרִי וְלָרָצִים וַיָּבֵא אֹתָם אֵלָיו בֵּית ה'וַיִּכְרֹת לָהֶם בְּרִית וַיַּשְׁבַּע אֹתָם בְּבֵית ה' וַיַּרְא אֹתָם אֶת־בֶּן־הַמֶּלֶךְ

In the seventh year, Yehoyada the High Priest, who was married to Yehosheva, sent for and took the commanders of the hundreds, who were commanders over the Karites, the name of a military unit that was possibly connected to the foreign battalions of the Israelite army, or alternatively, “officers,” and the Runners. And he brought them to him, to the House of the Lord, as he assumed that most of them were faithful to the house of David and his kingdom. He established a covenant with them with regard to the secret that he wished to disclose to them, and administered an oath to them in the House of the Lord, and he showed them the king’s son. Yehoyada entered into an agreement with them by means of a covenant and an oath that Yo’ash, a descendant of the royal dynasty, would be restored to the throne.

וַיְצַוֵּם לֵאמֹר זֶה הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר תַּעֲשׂוּן הַשְּׁלִשִׁית מִכֶּם בָּאֵי הַשַּׁבָּת וְשֹׁמְרֵי מִשְׁמֶרֶת בֵּית הַמֶּלֶךְ

He commanded them, saying: This is the thing that you shall do: A third of you will be among those who come on the Sabbath, the watches of the priests and Levites who enter the Temple on Sabbath, and with them, military officers, the guards of the watch of the king’s new palace.

וְהַשְּׁלִשִׁית בְּשַׁעַר סוּר וְהַשְּׁלִשִׁית בַּשַּׁעַר אַחַר הָרָצִים וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם אֶת־מִשְׁמֶרֶת הַבַּיִת מַסָּח

And another third of you will be entering at the Sur Gate, so that it should not be obvious that the entire army is coming, in order to delay any recognition of rebellion on the queen’s part. And another third will be at the gate behind the Runners, where the king would enter the Temple from his palace, and the guard would enter before him. And you shall keep watch of the House diligently. The Temple should be watched scrupulously, with a guard at every location and at all times.

וּשְׁתֵּי הַיָּדוֹת בָּכֶם כֹּל יֹצְאֵי הַשַּׁבָּת וְשָׁמְרוּ אֶת־מִשְׁמֶרֶת בֵּית־ה' אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ

Two parts among you, the latter two groups, should include all who are among the priestly and Levite watches scheduled to be leaving on the Sabbath, and they shall remain and keep the watch of the House of the Lord for the king. They were thus commanded to guard the new king, Yo’ash, in the Temple.

וְהִקַּפְתֶּם עַל־הַמֶּלֶךְ סָבִיב אִישׁ וְכֵלָיו בְּיָדוֹ וְהַבָּא אֶל־הַשְּׂדֵרוֹת יוּמָת וִהְיוּ אֶת הַמֶּלֶךְ בְּצֵאתוֹ וּבְבֹאוֹ

You shall surround the king around, each man with his weapons in his hand; anyone who does not belong to these groups who comes into the ranks of the guards shall be put to death. Be with the king in his goings and comings; you are the king’s entourage, and you must protect him from any potential danger.

וַיַּעֲשׂוּ שָׂרֵי הַמֵּאוֹת כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּה יְהוֹיָדָע הַכֹּהֵן וַיִּקְחוּ אִישׁ אֶת־ אֲנָשָׁיו בָּאֵי הַשַּׁבָּת עִם יֹצְאֵי הַשַּׁבָּת וַיָּבֹאוּ אֶל־יְהוֹיָדָע הַכֹּהֵן

The commanders of the hundreds acted in accordance with everything that Yehoyada the priest commanded; each man took his men, those arriving on the Sabbath, and those departing on the Sabbath, and they came to Yehoyada the priest.

וַיִּתֵּן הַכֹּהֵן לְשָׂרֵי הַמֵּאוֹת אֶת־הַחֲנִית וְאֶת־הַשְּׁלָטִים אֲשֶׁר לַמֶּלֶךְ דָּוִד אֲשֶׁר בְּבֵית ה'

The priest gave to the commanders of the hundreds the spear and the shields of King David that were in the House of the Lord. They were given these old weapons as a show of display that they held the legacy of the house of David.

וַיַּעַמְדוּ הָרָצִים אִישׁ וְכֵלָיו בְּיָדוֹ מִכֶּתֶף הַבַּיִת הַיְמָנִית עַד־כֶּתֶף הַבַּיִת הַשְּׂמָאלִית לַמִּזְבֵּחַ וְלַבָּיִת עַל־הַמֶּלֶךְ סָבִיב

The Runners stood as one unit, each man with his weapons in his hand, one next to the other, from the right side of the House to the left side of the House, by the altar and by the House, around the king.

וַיּוֹצִא אֶת־בֶּן־הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיִּתֵּן עָלָיו אֶת־הַנֵּזֶר וְאֶת־הָעֵדוּת וַיַּמְלִכוּ אֹתוֹ וַיִּמְשָׁחֻהוּ וַיַּכּוּ־כָף וַיֹּאמְרוּ יְחִי הַמֶּלֶךְ

He, the High Priest, brought out the son of the king; he placed upon him the crown and the testimony, a Torah scroll, or a type of adornment. And they crowned him king in an official ceremony and anointed him with the anointing oil; and they, all those present, clapped their hands and said: Long live the king.

וַתִּשְׁמַע עֲתַלְיָה אֶת־קוֹל הָרָצִין הָעָם וַתָּבֹא אֶל־הָעָם בֵּית ה'

Atalya heard the sound of the uniformed infantry marching and the sound of the cheering people, and she came to the people, to the House of the Lord.

וַתֵּרֶא וְהִנֵּה הַמֶּלֶךְ עֹמֵד עַל־הָעַמּוּד כַּמִּשְׁפָּט וְהַשָּׂרִים וְהַחֲצֹצְרוֹת אֶל הַמֶּלֶךְ וְכָל־עַם הָאָרֶץ שָׂמֵחַ וְתֹקֵעַ בַּחֲצֹצְרוֹת וַתִּקְרַע עֲתַלְיָה אֶת־בְּגָדֶיהָ וַתִּקְרָא קֶשֶׁר קָשֶׁר

She looked, and behold, the young king was standing on the platform in the House of God, in accordance with the royal protocol, and the commanders and the trumpets were by the king, and all the people of the land, the representatives of the people, were rejoicing and sounding the trumpets. Atalya, immediately grasping the meaning of this scene, rent her garments and called: Conspiracy, conspiracy!

וַיְצַו יְהוֹיָדָע הַכֹּהֵן אֶת־שָׂרֵי הַמֵּאוֹת פְּקֻדֵי הַחַיִל וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵיהֶם הוֹצִיאוּ אֹתָהּ אֶל־מִבֵּית לַשְּׂדֵרֹת וְהַבָּא אַחֲרֶיהָ הָמֵת בֶּחָרֶב כִּי אָמַר הַכֹּהֵן אַל־תּוּמַת בֵּית ה'

No one supported Atalya, as Yehoyada had already brought over the entire organized guard of the house of the king and the Temple to his side. Yehoyada the priest commanded the commanders of the hundreds, the officers of the army, and said to them: Take her out to within the ranks, within the rows of guards, so that she cannot escape, and put anyone who comes after her to death with the sword, as the priest Yehoyada said: Let her not be put to death in the House of the Lord. They could have killed her immediately, but he did not want them to do so within the confines of the Temple.

וַיָּשִׂמוּ לָהּ יָדַיִם וַתָּבוֹא דֶּרֶךְ־מְבוֹא הַסּוּסִים בֵּית הַמֶּלֶךְ וַתּוּמַת שָׁם

They made way for her, and she came by way of the entrance of the horses to the king’s palace, and was put to death there.

וַיִּכְרֹת יְהוֹיָדָע אֶת־הַבְּרִית בֵּין ה' וּבֵין הַמֶּלֶךְ וּבֵין הָעָם לִהְיוֹת לְעָם לַה' ובֵין הַמֶּלֶךְ וּבֵין הָעָם

Yehoyada did not simply kill Atalya and return the kingdom to its rightful heir. Yehoyada established a covenant between the Lord, the king, and the people, as he sought to restore the Davidic dynasty to its intended role of enabling the nation to be the people of the Lord. And he also established a covenant between the king and the people.

וַיָּבֹאוּ כָל־עַם הָאָרֶץ בֵּית־הַבַּעַל וַיִּתְּצֻהוּ אֶת־מִזְבְּחֹתָו וְאֶת־צְלָמָיו שִׁבְּרוּ הֵיטֵב וְאֵת מַתָּן כֹּהֵן הַבַּעַל הָרְגוּ לִפְנֵי הַמִּזְבְּחוֹת וַיָּשֶׂם הַכֹּהֵן פְּקֻדֹּת עַל־בֵּית ה'

All the people of the land entered the temple of the Baal and smashed it. The previous rulers of Judah had maintained close ties with the house of Ahav, and Atalya herself was descended from worshippers of the Baal and had built a sanctuary for this idol. They thoroughly demolished its altars and its images, and they killed Matan, priest of the Baal, before the altars. The priest Yehoyada appointed officials over the House of the Lord.

וַיִּקַּח אֶת־שָׂרֵי הַמֵּאוֹת וְאֶת־הַכָּרִי וְאֶת־הָרָצִים וְאֵת כָּל־עַם הָאָרֶץ וַיֹּרִידוּ אֶת־הַמֶּלֶךְ מִבֵּית ה' וַיָּבוֹאוּ דֶּרֶךְ־שַׁעַר הָרָצִים בֵּית הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיֵּשֶׁב עַל־כִּסֵּא הַמְּלָכִים

He took the leaders of the hundreds, the Karites, the Runners, and all the people of the land, and they brought the king down from the House of the Lord; they entered via the gate of the Runners, which connected the Temple to the palace, and they went to the king’s palace, and he, Yo’ash, sat on the royal throne.

וַיִּשְׂמַח כָּל־עַם־הָאָרֶץ וְהָעִיר שָׁקטָה וְאֶת־עֲתַלְיָהוּ הֵמִיתוּ בַחֶרֶב בֵּית הַמֶּלֶךְ

All the people of the land rejoiced at the restoration of a king from the Davidic dynasty, and the city was quiet; there was no commotion in the streets. This was because they put Atalyahu to death by the sword in the king’s palace and there was no one faithful to her left to fight for her honor after she had been killed.