Κεφάλαιο 23

Κεφάλαιο 23

ΚΑΙ ἐν τῷ ἔτει τῷ ὀγδόῳ ἐκραταίωσεν ᾿Ιωδαὲ καὶ ἔλαβε τοὺς ἑκατοντάρχους, τὸν ᾿Αζαρίαν υἱὸν ᾿Ιωρὰμ καὶ τὸν ᾿Ισμαὴλ υἱὸν ᾿Ιωανὰν καὶ τὸν ᾿Αζαρίαν υἱὸν ᾿Ωβὴδ καὶ τὸν Μαασαίαν υἱὸν ᾿Αδαΐα καὶ τὸν ᾿Ελισαφὰν υἱὸν Ζαχαρίου, μεθ ἑαυτοῦ εἰς οἶκον Κυρίου. 2 καὶ ἐκύκλωσαν τὸν ᾿Ιούδαν καὶ συνήγαγον τοὺς Λευίτας ἐκ πασῶν τῶν πόλεων ᾿Ιούδα καὶ ἄρχοντας πατριῶν τοῦ ᾿Ισραήλ, καὶ ἦλθον εἰς ῾Ιερουσαλήμ. 3 καὶ διέθεντο πᾶσα ἡ ἐκκλησία ᾿Ιούδα διαθήκην ἐν οἴκῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ μετὰ τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ ἔδειξεν αὐτοῖς τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· ἰδοὺ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ βασιλέως βασιλευσάτω, καθὼς ἐλάλησε Κύριος ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον Δαυίδ. 4 νῦν ὁ λόγος οὗτος, ὃν ποιήσετε· τὸ τρίτον ἐξ ὑμῶν εἰσπορευέσθωσαν τὸ σάββατον, τῶν ἱερέων καὶ τῶν Λευιτῶν, καὶ εἰς τὰς πύλας τῶν εἰσόδων, 5 καὶ τὸ τρίτον ἐν οἴκῳ τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ τὸ τρίτον ἐν τῇ πύλῃ τῇ μέσῃ, καὶ πᾶς ὁ λαὸς ἐν αὐλαῖς οἴκου Κυρίου. 6 καὶ μὴ εἰσελθέτω εἰς οἶκον Κυρίου ἐὰν μὴ οἱ ἱερεῖς καὶ οἱ Λευῖται καὶ οἱ λειτουργοῦντες τῶν Λευιτῶν· αὐτοὶ εἰσελεύσονται, ὅτι ἅγιοί εἰσι, καὶ πᾶς ὁ λαὸς φυλασσέτω φυλακὰς Κυρίου. 7 καὶ κυκλώσουσιν οἱ Λευῖται τὸν βασιλέα κύκλῳ, ἀνδρὸς σκεῦος σκεῦος ἐν χειρὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὁ εἰσπορευόμενος εἰς τὸν οἶκον ἀποθανεῖται· καὶ ἔσονται μετὰ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐκπορευομένου καὶ εἰσπορευομένου αὐτοῦ. 8 καὶ ἐποίησαν οἱ Λευῖται καὶ πᾶς ᾿Ιούδα κατὰ πάντα, ὅσα ἐνετείλατο αὐτοῖς ᾿Ιωδαὲ ὁ ἱερεύς, καὶ ἔλαβον ἕκαστος τοὺς ἄνδρας αὐτοῦ ἀπ ἀρχῆς τοῦ σαββάτου ἕως ἐξόδου τοῦ σαββάτου, ὅτι οὐ κατέλυσεν ᾿Ιωδαὲ ὁ ἱερεὺς τὰς ἐφημερίας. 9 καὶ ἔδωκεν ᾿Ιωδαὲ τὰς μαχαίρας καὶ τοὺς θυρεοὺς καὶ τὰ ὅπλα, ἃ ἦν τοῦ βασιλέως Δαυίδ, ἐν οἴκῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ. 10 καὶ ἔστησε τὸν λαὸν πάντα, ἕκαστον ἐν τοῖς ὅπλοις αὐτοῦ, ἀπὸ τῆς ὠμίας τοῦ οἴκου τῆς δεξιᾶς ἕως τῆς ὠμίας τῆς ἀριστερᾶς τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου καὶ τοῦ οἴκου ἐπὶ τὸν βασιλέα κύκλῳ. 11 καὶ ἐξήγαγε τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ ἔδωκεν ἐπ αὐτὸν τὸ βασίλειον καὶ τὰ μαρτύρια, καὶ ἐβασίλευσαν καὶ ἔχρισαν αὐτὸν ᾿Ιωδαὲ ὁ ἱερεὺς καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ εἶπαν· ζήτω ὁ βασιλεύς. 12 καὶ ἤκουσε Γοθολία τὴν φωνὴν τοῦ λαοῦ τρεχόντων καὶ ἐξομολογουμένων καὶ αἰνούντων τὸν βασιλέα καὶ εἰσῆλθε πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα εἰς οἶκον Κυρίου. 13 καὶ εἶδε καὶ ἰδοὺ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐπὶ τῆς στάσεως αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς εἰσόδου οἱ ἄρχοντες καὶ αἱ σάλπιγγες καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες περὶ τὸν βασιλέα, καὶ πᾶς ὁ λαὸς τῆς γῆς ηὐφράνθη καὶ ἐσάλπισαν ταῖς σάλπιγξι καὶ οἱ ᾄδοντες ἐν τοῖς ὀργάνοις ᾠδοὶ καί ὑμνοῦντες αἶνον· καὶ διέρρηξε Γοθολία τὴν στολὴν αὐτῆς καὶ ἐβόησεν· ἐπιτιθέμενοι ἐπιτίθεσθε. 14 καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ᾿Ιωδαὲ ὁ ἱερεύς, καὶ ἐνετείλατο ᾿Ιωδαὲ ὁ ἱερεὺς τοῖς ἑκατοντάρχοις καὶ τοῖς ἀρχηγοῖς τῆς δυνάμεως καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· ἐκβάλετε αὐτὴν ἐκτὸς τοῦ οἴκου καὶ εἰσέλθατε ὀπίσω αὐτῆς, καὶ ἀποθανέτω μαχαίρᾳ· ὅτι εἶπεν ὁ ἱερεύς· μὴ ἀποθανέτω ἐν οἴκῳ Κυρίου. 15 καὶ ἔδωκαν αὐτῇ ἄνεσιν καὶ διῆλθε διὰ τῆς πύλης τῶν ἱππέων τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ ἐθανάτωσαν αὐτὴν ἐκεῖ. 16 καὶ διέθετο ᾿Ιωδαὲ διαθήκην ἀνὰ μέσον αὐτοῦ καὶ τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ τοῦ βασιλέως εἶναι λαὸν τῷ Κυρίῳ. 17 καὶ εἰσῆλθε πᾶς ὁ λαὸς τῆς γῆς εἰς οἶκον Βάαλ καὶ κατέσπασαν αὐτὸν καὶ τὰ θυσιαστήρια αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰ εἴδωλα αὐτοῦ ἐλέπτυναν καὶ τὸν Ματθὰν ἱερέα Βάαλ ἐθανάτωσαν ἐναντίον τῶν θυσιαστηρίων αὐτοῦ. 18 καὶ ἐνεχείρισεν ᾿Ιωδαὲ ὁ ἱερεὺς τὰ ἔργα οἴκου Κυρίου διὰ χειρὸς ἱερέων καὶ Λευιτῶν καὶ ἀνέστησε τὰς ἐφημερίας τῶν ἱερέων καὶ τῶν Λευιτῶν, ἃς διέστειλε Δαυὶδ ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον Κυρίου καὶ ἀνενέγκαι ὁλοκαυτώματα Κυρίῳ, καθὼς γέγραπται ἐν νόμῳ Μωυσῆ, ἐν εὐφροσύνῃ καὶ ἐν ᾠδαῖς διὰ χειρὸς Δαυίδ. 19 καὶ ἔστησαν οἱ πυλωροὶ ἐπὶ τὰς πύλας οἴκου Κυρίου, καὶ οὐκ εἰσελεύσεται ἀκάθαρτος εἰς πᾶν πρᾶγμα. 20 καὶ ἔλαβε τοὺς πατριάρχας καὶ τοὺς δυνατοὺς καὶ τοὺς ἄρχοντας τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ πάντα τὸν λαὸν τῆς γῆς καὶ ἐπεβίβασαν τὸν βασιλέα εἰς οἶκον Κυρίου, καὶ εἰσῆλθε διὰ τῆς πύλης τῆς ἐσωτέρας εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ ἐκάθισαν τὸν βασιλέα ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου τῆς βασιλείας. 21 καὶ ηὐφράνθη πᾶς ὁ λαὸς τῆς γῆς, καὶ ἡ πόλις ἡσύχασε, καὶ τὴν Γοθολίαν ἐθανάτωσαν μαχαίρᾳ.