2 Chronicles 23

1 Forsothe in the seuenthe yeer Joiada was coumfortid, and took centuriouns, that is, Azarie, sone of Jeroboam, and Ismael, the sone of Johannam, and Azarie, the sone of Obeth, and Maasie, the sone of Adaie, and Elisaphat, the sone of Zechri; and he made with hem a counsel and a boond of pees.

And, in the seventh year, Jehoiada strengthened himself, and took the rulers of hundreds—even Azariah son of Jeroham, and Ishmael son of Jehohanan, and Azariah son of Obed, and Maaseiah son of Adaiah and Elishaphat son of Zichri—unto himself, in covenant.

2 Which cumpassiden Juda, and gaderiden togidere dekenes of alle the citees of Juda, and the princes of the meynees of Israel, and camen in to Jerusalem.

And they went round throughout Judah, and gathered together the Levites out of all the cities of Judah, and the ancestral chiefs of Israel, —and they came into Jerusalem.

3 Therfor al the multitude made couenaunt in the hows of the Lord with the kyng. And Joiada seide to hem, Lo! the sone of the kyng schal regne, as the Lord spak on the sones of Dauid.

And all the convocation solemnised a covenant in the house of God, with the king, —and he said to them, Lo! the king’s son must reign, as spake Yahweh concerning the sons of David.

4 Therfor this is the word, which ye schulen do.

This, is the thing that ye shall do, —A third of you entering on the sabbath, both of the priests and of the Levites, as doorkeepers of the porch;

5 The thridde part of you that ben comun to the sabat, of preestis, and of dekenes, and of porterys, schal be in the yatis; sotheli the thridde part schal be at the hows of the kyng; and the thridde part schal be at the yate, which is clepid of the foundement. Forsothe al the tother comyn puple be in the large places of the hows of the Lord;

and a third, being in the house of the king, and a third, at the foundation gate, —and all the people, being in the courts of the house of Yahweh,

6 and noon other man entre in to the hows of the Lord, no but preestis, and thei that mynystren of the dekenes; oneli entre thei, that ben halewid, and al the tother comyn puple kepe the kepyngis of the Lord.

then let no one enter the house of Yahweh, save only the priests, and they who are in attendance of the Levites, they, may enter, for, holy, they are, -but, all the people, shall keep the watch of Yahweh.

7 Forsothe the dekenes cumpasse the kyng, and ech man haue hise armuris; and if ony othere man entrith in to the temple, be he slayn; and be thei with the kyng entrynge and goynge out.

So shall the Levites encompass the king round about, every man with his weapons in his hand, and, he that entereth into the house, shall be put to death. Thus be ye with the king, when he cometh in and when he goeth out.

8 Therfor the dekenes and al Juda diden bi alle thingis, which Joiada, the bischop, hadde comaundid; and alle token the men, that weren with hem, and camen bi the ordre of sabat with hem, that hadden `fillid now the sabat, and schulen go out.

So the Levites and all Judah did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded, and they took every man his men, who were coming in on the sabbath, with them who were going out on the sabbath, —for Jehoiada the priest dismissed not the courses.

9 For Joiada, the bischop, suffride not the cumpenyes to go awei, that weren wont to come oon after `the tother bi ech wouke. And Joiada, the preest, yaf to the centuriouns speris, and scheeldis, and bokeleris of kyng Dauid, whiche he hadde halewid in to the hows of the Lord.

And Jehoiada the priest gave unto the captains of hundreds, the spears and the bucklers and the shields, which belonged to King David, —which were in the house of God.

10 And he ordeynede al the puple, of hem `that helden swerdis, at the riyt side of the temple `til to the left side of the temple, bifor the auter and the temple, bi cumpas of the king.

And be caused all the people to stand, even every man with his weapon in his hand, from the right corner of the house as far as the left corner of the house, by the altar and the house, —near the king round about.

11 And thei ledden out the sone of the kyng, and settiden a diademe on hym; and thei yauen to hym in his hond the lawe to be holdun, and thei maden hym kyng. And Joiada, the bischop, and his sones anoyntiden hym; and thei preiden hertli, and seiden, The kyng lyue!

Then brought they forth the king’s son, and set upon him the crown and the testimony, and made him king, —and Jehoiada and his sons anointed him, and said, May the king live!

12 And whanne Athalia hadde herd this thing, that is, the vois of men rennynge and preisynge the kyng, sche entride to the puple, in to the temple of the Lord.

Now, when Athaliah heard the noise of the people who were running, and those who were praising the king, —then came she unto the people in the house of Yahweh;

13 And whanne sche hadde seyn the kyng stondynge on the grees in the entryng, and the princes and cumpenyes of knyytis aboute hym, and al the puple of the lond ioiynge, and sownynge with trumpis, and syngynge togidere with orguns of dyuerse kynde, and the vois of men preisynge, sche to-rente hir clothis, and seide, Tresouns! tresouns!

and looked, and lo! the king, standing by his pillar at the entrance, and the captains and the trumpets by the king, and all the people of the land rejoicing, and blowing with trumpets, and the singers, with instruments of song, and such as led the offering of praise, then Athaliah rent her garments, and said, Conspiracy! conspiracy!

14 Sotheli Joiada, the bischop, yede out to the centuriouns, and princes of the oost, and seide to hem, Lede ye hir with out the `purseyntis, ethir closyngis, of the temple, and be sche slayn with outforth bi swerd; and the preest comaundide, that sche schulde not be slayn in the hows of the Lord.

Then Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of hundreds, officers of the force, and said unto them, Take her forth within the ranks, and he that cometh in after her let him be slain with the sword, —for, said the priest, Ye must not slay her in the house of Yahweh!

15 And thei settiden hondis on hir nol; and whanne she hadde entrid in to the yate of the horsis, of the kyngis hows, thei killiden hir there.

So they made way for her, and she came into the entrance of the horse-gate of the house of the king, —and they slew her there.

16 Forsothe Joiada couenauntide a boond of pees bitwixe him silf and al the puple and the kyng, that it schulde be the puple of the Lord.

And Jehoiada solemnised a covenant, between himself and all the people, and the king, —that they should become a people unto Yahweh.

17 Therfor al the puple entride in to the hows of Baal, and distrieden it, and braken the auteris and symylacris therof; but thei killiden bifor the auteris Mathan, the preest of Baal.

Then all the people entered into the house of Baal and brake it down, and, his altars and his images, brake they in pieces, —and, Mattan the priest of Baal, they slew, before the altars.

18 Forsothe Joiada ordeynede souereyns in the hows of the Lord, that vndur the hondis of preestis, and of dekenes, whiche Dauid departide in the hows of the Lord, thei schulden offre brent sacrifices to the Lord, as it is writun in the book of Moises, in ioie and songis, by the ordynaunce of Dauid.

And Jehoiada put the oversight of the house of Yahweh into the hand of the priests and the Levites, whom David set by courses over the house of Yahweh, that they might offer up the ascending-sacrifices of Yahweh, as it is written in the law of Moses, with rejoicing and with song, —under the direction of David.

19 Also he ordeynede porteris in the yatis of the hows of the Lord, that an vnclene man in ony thing schulde not entre in to it.

And he caused gatekeepers to stand, at the gates of the house of Yahweh, —that no one who was unclean should, on any account, enter.

20 And he took the centuriouns, and strongeste men, and princes of the puple, and al the comyn puple of the lond. And thei maden the kyng to go doun fro the hows of the Lord, and to entre bi the myddis of the hiyere yate in to the hows of the kyng; and thei settiden hym in the kyngis trone.

Then took he the captains of hundreds—and the nobles—and the rulers over the people—and all the people of the land, and brought down the king out of the house of Yahweh, and they entered, through the midst of the upper gate, into the house of the king, —and they seated the king, upon the throne of the kingdom.

21 And al the puple of the lond was glad, and the citee restide; forsothe Athalia was slayn bi swerd.

And all the people of the land rejoiced, and, the city, was quiet, —when, Athaliah, they had slain with the sword.