1Mʼchaka chachisanu ndi chiwiri Yehoyada anaonetsa mphamvu zake. Iye anachita pangano ndi olamulira magulu a anthu 100: Azariya mwana wa Yerohamu, Ismaeli mwana wa Yehohanani, Azariya mwana wa Obedi, Maaseya mwana wa Adaya ndi Elisafati mwana wa Zikiri. 2Iwo anayendayenda mʼdziko la Yuda ndipo anasonkhanitsa Alevi ndi atsogoleri a mabanja a Aisraeli ochokera mʼmizinda yonse. Atabwera ku Yerusalemu, 3msonkhano wonse unachita pangano ndi mfumu mu Nyumba ya Mulungu.
Yehoyada anawawuza kuti, “Mwana wa mfumu adzalamulira monga ananenera Yehova zokhudza ana a Davide. 4Tsopano zimene muti muchite ndi izi: Limodzi mwa magawo atatu a ansembe ndi Alevi amene mudzakhale pa ntchito pa Sabata muzikalondera pa khomo, 5ndi limodzi la magawo atatu likakhale ku nyumba yaufumu ndipo limodzi la magawo atatu likakhale ku chipata cha Maziko ndipo anthu ena onse akakhale mʼmabwalo a Nyumba ya Yehova. 6Musalole aliyense kulowa mʼNyumba ya Yehova kupatula ansembe ndi Alevi amene akutumikira. Iwo atha kutero chifukwa apatulidwa koma anthu ena onse ayenera kumvera zimene Yehova walamula. 7Alevi akhale mozungulira mfumu, munthu aliyense ali ndi chida chake mʼmanja. Aliyense amene alowe mʼNyumba ya Mulungu ayenera kuphedwa. Mukhale nayo pafupi mfumu kulikonse kumene izipita.”
8Alevi ndi anthu onse a ku Yuda anachita monga momwe wansembe Yehoyada anawalamulira. Aliyense anatenga anthu ake amene ankagwira ntchito pa Sabata ndi amene amapita kukapuma, pakuti wansembe Yehoyada sanalole gulu lililonse kuti lipite. 9Ndipo Yehoyada anapereka kwa atsogoleri a magulu a anthu 100 mikondo ndi zishango zazikulu ndi zazingʼono zimene zinali za Davide ndipo zinali mʼNyumba ya Mulungu. 10Iye anayika anthu onse, aliyense ali ndi chida mʼdzanja lake mozungulira mfumu pafupi ndi guwa ndi Nyumba ya Mulungu, kuyambira mbali ya kummwera mpaka kumpoto kwa Nyumba ya Mulungu.
11Yehoyada ndi ana ake anatulutsa mwana wa mfumu ndipo anamumveka chipewa chaufumu ndipo anamupatsa Buku la Chipangano namulonga ufumu. Yehoyada ndi ana ake anamudzoza ndipo anafuwula kuti, “Ikhale ndi moyo wautali mfumu!”
12Ataliya atamva phokoso la anthu akuthamanga ndi kukondwerera mfumu, anapita ku Nyumba ya Yehova komwe kunali anthuko. 13Iye anayangʼana, ndipo anaona mfumu itayima pa chipilala chake chapakhomo. Atsogoleri ndi oyimba malipenga anali pafupi ndi mfumuyo, ndipo anthu onse a mʼderali amakondwerera ndi kuyimba malipenga ndiponso oyimba ndi zida amatsogolera matamando. Pamenepo Ataliya anangʼamba mkanjo wake ndipo anafuwula kuti, “Kuwukira! Kuwukira!”
14Wansembe Yehoyada anatumiza olamulira magulu a anthu 100 aja, amene amayangʼanira asilikali ndipo anawawuza kuti, “Mutulutseni ameneyu pakati pa mizere yanu ndipo muphe aliyense amene adzamutsata.” Pakuti ansembe anati, “Musamuphere mʼNyumba ya Mulungu wa Yehova,” 15choncho anamugwira pamene amafika pa chipata cha Kavalo pa bwalo la nyumba yaufumu, ndipo anamuphera pamenepo.
16Tsono Yehoyada anachita pangano, iye mwini ndi anthu onse ndiponso mfumu kuti adzakhala anthu a Yehova. 17Anthu onse anapita ku kachisi wa Baala ndipo anamugwetsa. Iwo anaphwanya maguwa ndi mafano ndi kupha Matani wansembe wa Baala patsogolo pa maguwawo.
18Kenaka Yehoyada anayika ansembe, omwe anali Alevi kukhala oyangʼanira Nyumba ya Yehova, amene Davide anawapatsa ntchito yoti azipereka nsembe zopsereza kwa Yehova mʼNyumba ya Mulungu, monga zinalembedwa mʼmalamulo a Mose kuti azitero akukondwera ndi kuyimba monga Davide analamulira. 19Ndipo anayika alonda a pa khomo pa zipata za Nyumba ya Yehova kuti aliyense amene ndi odetsedwa asalowe.
20Iye anatenga olamulira magulu a anthu 100, anthu otchuka, olamulira anthu ndi anthu onse a mʼderalo ndipo anabweretsa mfumu kuchokera ku Nyumba ya Mulungu. Iwo anapita ku nyumba yaufumu kudzera ku Chipata Chakumitu ndipo anayikira mfumu mpando wolemekezeka, 21ndipo anthu onse a mʼderali anakondwera. Tsono mu mzinda munali bata chifukwa Ataliya anaphedwa ndi lupanga.
1In the seventh year Jehoiada showed his strength. He made a covenant with the commanders of units of a hundred: Azariah son of Jeroham, Ishmael son of Jehohanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zikri. 2They went throughout Judah and gathered the Levites and the heads of Israelite families from all the towns. When they came to Jerusalem, 3the whole assembly made a covenant with the king at the temple of God.
Jehoiada said to them, ‘The king’s son shall reign, as the Lord promised concerning the descendants of David. 4Now this is what you are to do: a third of you priests and Levites who are going on duty on the Sabbath are to keep watch at the doors, 5a third of you at the royal palace and a third at the Foundation Gate, and all the others are to be in the courtyards of the temple of the Lord. 6No-one is to enter the temple of the Lord except the priests and Levites on duty; they may enter because they are consecrated, but all the others are to observe the Lord’s command not to enter.23:6 Or are to stand guard where the Lord has assigned them 7The Levites are to station themselves round the king, each with weapon in hand. Anyone who enters the temple is to be put to death. Stay close to the king wherever he goes.’
8The Levites and all the men of Judah did just as Jehoiada the priest ordered. Each one took his men – those who were going on duty on the Sabbath and those who were going off duty – for Jehoiada the priest had not released any of the divisions. 9Then he gave the commanders of units of a hundred the spears and the large and small shields that had belonged to King David and that were in the temple of God. 10He stationed all the men, each with his weapon in his hand, round the king – near the altar and the temple, from the south side to the north side of the temple.
11Jehoiada and his sons brought out the king’s son and put the crown on him; they presented him with a copy of the covenant and proclaimed him king. They anointed him and shouted, ‘Long live the king!’
12When Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and cheering the king, she went to them at the temple of the Lord. 13She looked, and there was the king, standing by his pillar at the entrance. The officers and the trumpeters were beside the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets, and musicians with their instruments were leading the praises. Then Athaliah tore her robes and shouted, ‘Treason! Treason!’
14Jehoiada the priest sent out the commanders of units of a hundred, who were in charge of the troops, and said to them: ‘Bring her out between the ranks23:14 Or out from the precincts and put to the sword anyone who follows her.’ For the priest had said, ‘Do not put her to death at the temple of the Lord.’ 15So they seized her as she reached the entrance of the Horse Gate on the palace grounds, and there they put her to death.
16Jehoiada then made a covenant that he, the people and the king23:16 Or covenant between the Lord and the people and the king that they (see 2 Kings 11:17) would be the Lord’s people. 17All the people went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed the altars and idols and killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars.
18Then Jehoiada placed the oversight of the temple of the Lord in the hands of the Levitical priests, to whom David had made assignments in the temple, to present the burnt offerings of the Lord as written in the Law of Moses, with rejoicing and singing, as David had ordered. 19He also stationed gatekeepers at the gates of the Lord’s temple so that no-one who was in any way unclean might enter.
20He took with him the commanders of hundreds, the nobles, the rulers of the people and all the people of the land and brought the king down from the temple of the Lord. They went into the palace through the Upper Gate and seated the king on the royal throne. 21All the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was calm, because Athaliah had been slain with the sword.
