4And in the seventh year Jehoiada (the priest, and husband of Jehosheba) sent for the captains over hundreds, with the mercenaries of the royal guard, and brought them to him into the temple of the LORD, and made a covenant with them, and after taking an oath of loyalty from them in the temple of the LORD, he and revealed to them the king's son. 5And he commanded them, saying, “This is what you must do: A third of you who enter in on the sabbath shall be keepers of the watch of the king's palace; 6And a third part shall be at the gate of Sur; and a third part at the gate behind the guard: so shall you guard the house, that it is not broken down. 7And you of other two units who normally go off duty on the Sabbath, you shall keep the watch of the temple of the LORD about the king. 8And you shall station yourselves around the king, every man with his weapons in his hand; and anyone who breaks through your ranks, let him be slain; and you must stay with the king as he comes and goes.”

9And the captains over the units of hundreds did according to all things that Jehoiada the priest commanded; and each man took his men who were to be on duty on the sabbath, with those who should go off duty on the sabbath, and reported to Jehoiada, the priest. 10And the priest gave to the captains over hundreds King David's spears and shields, that were in the temple of the LORD. 11And the guard stood, each man with his weapon in his hand, around the king, from the right corner of the temple to the left corner of the temple, along by the altar (in the courtyard) and in the temple. 12And he brought Joash, the king's son, out and put the crown upon him, and gave him the testimony; and they anointed him king; and they clapped their hands, and said, “God save the king”.

13And when Athaliah heard the noise of the guard and of the people, she came into the temple of the LORD. 14And when she looked, there stood the king by a pillar, as was the manner of the princes and there were trumpeters by the king, and all the people of the land rejoiced, and blew with trumpets. And Athaliah tore her clothes, and cried, “Treason! Treason!” 15But Jehoiada, the priest, commanded the captains of the hundreds, the officers of the army, “Take her out between the ranks; and kill with the sword anyone who follows her”. For the priest had said, “Let her not be slain in the temple of the LORD.” 16And they seized her, as she reached the gate by which the horses came into the king's house; and there she was slain.

17And Jehoiada made a covenant between the LORD, the king and the people, that they should be the LORD's people; he also made a covenant between the king and the people. 18And all the people of the land went into the temple of Baal, and tore it down; they completely broke his altars and images into pieces, and killed Mattan, the priest of Baal, before the altars. And the priest appointed officers over the temple of the LORD. 19And he took the rulers over hundreds, the captains, the guard, and all the people of the land; and they brought the king down from the temple of the LORD, and came by the way of the gate of the guard to the king's palace. And he sat upon the throne of the kings. 20And all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was in quiet. And they killed Athaliah with the sword beside the king's palace.

21Jehoash was seven years old when he began to reign.