14. Athaliah saw the king by the column where new kings usually stood. She also saw the leaders and men playing the trumpets for him. She saw that all the people were very happy. She heard the trumpets, and she tore her clothes to show she was upset. Then Athaliah shouted, “Treason! Treason!”
15. Jehoiada the priest gave a command to the captains who were in charge of the soldiers. Jehoiada told them, “Take Athaliah outside of the Temple area. Kill any of her followers, but don’t kill them in the Lord’S Temple.”
16. So the soldiers grabbed Athaliah and killed her as soon as she went through the horse’s entrance to the palace.
17. Then Jehoiada made the agreement between the Lord and the king and the people. This agreement showed that the king and the people belonged to the Lord. Jehoiada also made the agreement between the king and the people.
18. Then all the people went to the temple of Baal. They destroyed the statue of Baal and his altars. They broke them into many pieces. They also killed Baal’s priest, Mattan, in front of the altars. So Jehoiada the priest put men in charge of maintaining the Lord’S Temple.
19. The priest led all the people. They went from the Lord’S Temple to the king’s palace. The king’s special guards and the captains went with the king, and all the other people followed them. They went to the entrance to the king’s palace. Then King Joash sat on the throne.
20. All the people were happy, and the city was peaceful. And Queen Athaliah was killed with a sword near the king’s palace.