1And Gotholia the mother of Ochozias saw that her son was dead, and she destroyed all the ¹²³seed royal.

2And Josabee daughter of king Joram, sister of Ochozias, took Joas the son of her brother, and stole him from among the king's sons that were put to death, secreting him and his nurse in the bedchamber, and hid him from the face of Gotholia, and he was not slain.

3And he remained with her hid in the house of the Lord six years: and Gotholia reigned over the land.

4And in the seventh year Jodae sent and took the captains of hundreds of the ¹²⁴Chorri and of the ¹²⁵Rhasim, and brought them to him into the house of the Lord, and made a covenant of the Lord with them, and adjured them, and Jodae showed them the king's son.

5And charged them, saying, This is the ¹²⁶thing which you⌃ shall do.

6Let a third part of you go in on the sabbath-day, and keep you⌃ the watch of the king's house in the porch; and another third in the gate of the high way, and a third at the gate behind the footmen; and keep you⌃ the guard of the house.

7And there shall be two parties among you, even every one that goes out on the Sabbath, and they shall keep the guard of the Lord's house before the king.

8And do you⌃ compass the king about every man with his weapon in his hand, and he that goes into the ranges shall die: and they shall be with the king in his going out and in his coming in.

9And the captains of hundreds did all things that the wise Jodae commanded; and they took each his men, both those that went in on the sabbath-day, ¹²⁷and those that went out on the sabbath-day, and went in to Jodae the priest.

10And the priest gave to the captains of hundreds the swords and spears of king David that were in the house of the Lord.

11And the footmen stood each ¹²⁸with his weapon in his hand from the right corner of the house to the left corner of the house, by the altar and the house round about the king.

12And he ¹²⁹brought forth the king's son, and ¹³⁰put upon him the crown and gave him the testimony; and he made him king, and anointed him: and they clapped their hands, and said, Long live the king.

13And Gotholia heard the sound of the people running, and she went in to the people to the house of the Lord.

14And she looked, and, behold, the king stood near a pillar according to the manner; and the singers and the ¹³¹trumpeters were before the king and all the people of the land even rejoicing and sounding with trumpets: and Gotholia tore her garments, and cried, A conspiracy, a conspiracy.

15And Jodae the priest commanded the captains of hundreds who were over the host, and said to them, Bring her forth without the ranges, and he that goes in after her shall certainly die by the sword. For the priest said, Let her not however be slain in the house of the Lord.

16And they laid hands upon her, and went in by the way of the horses' entrance into the house of the Lord, and she was slain there.

17And Jodae made a covenant between the Lord and the king and the people, that they should be the Lord's people; also between the king and the people.

18And all the people of the land went into the house of Baal, and tore it down, and completely broke in pieces his altars and his images, and they killed Mathan the priest of Baal before the altars. And the priest ¹³²appointed overseers ¹³³over the house of the Lord.

19And he took the captains of the hundreds, and the Chorri, and the Rhasim, and all the people of the land, and brought down the king out of the house of the Lord; and they went in by the way of the gate of the ¹³⁴footmen of the king's house, and seated him there on the throne of the kings.

20And all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was at rest: and they killed Gotholia with the sword in the house of the king.

21Joas was ¹³⁵seven years old when he began to reign.