1 In the seventh year, Jehoiada strengthenedhimself, and took the captains of
hundreds—Azariah the son of Jeroham, Ishmael the son of Jehohanan, Azariah the
son of Obed, Maaseiah the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zichri—into a
covenant with him.

2 They went around in Judah and gathered the Levites out of all the cities
of Judah, and the heads of fathers’ households
of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem.

3 All the assembly made a covenant with
the king in God’s house. Jehoiada† said to
them, “Behold, the king’s son must reign,
as Yahweh has spoken concerning the sons
of David.

4 This is the thing that you must do: a
third part of you, who come in on the
Sabbath, of the priests and of the Levites,
shall be gatekeepers of the thresholds.

5 A third part shall be at the king’s house;
and a third part at the gate of the foundation. All the people will be in the courts of
Yahweh’s house.

6 But let no one come into Yahweh’s
house except the priests and those who
minister ofthe Levites. They shall come in,
for they are holy, but all the people shall
follow Yahweh’s instructions.

7 The Levites shall surround the king,
every man with his weapons in his hand.
Whoever comes into the house, let him be
slain. Be with the king when he comes in
and when he goes out.”

8 So the Levites and all Judah did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded. They each took his men, those
who were to come in on the Sabbath, with
those who were to go out on the Sabbath,
for Jehoiada the priest didn’t dismiss the
shift.

9 Jehoiada the priest delivered to the captains ofhundreds the spears, bucklers, and
shields that had been king David’s, which
were in God’s house.

10 He set all the people, every man with
his weapon in his hand, from the right side
of the house to the left side of the house,
near the altar and the house, around the
king.

11 Then they brought out the king’s son,
put the crown on him, gave him the
covenant, and made him king. Jehoiada
and his sons anointed him, and they said,
“Long live the king!”