歷代志下 24

1 約阿施登基的時候年七歲，在耶路撒冷作王四十年。他母親名叫西比亞，是別是巴人。

Seven years old was Joash when he became king, and forty years did he reign in Jerusalem: and the name of his mother was Zibyah of Beer-sheba'.

2 祭司耶何耶大在世的時候，約阿施行耶和華眼中看為正的事。

And Joash did what is right in the eyes of the Lord, all the days of Yehoyada' the priest.

3 耶何耶大為他娶了兩個妻，並且生兒養女。

And Yehoyada' took for himself two wives, and he begat sons and daughters.

4 此後，約阿施有意重修耶和華的殿，

And it came to pass after this, that Yoash had it in his mind to renew the house of the Lord.

5 便召聚眾祭司和利未人，吩咐他們說：「你們要往猶大各城去，使以色列眾人捐納銀子，每年可以修理你們上帝的殿；你們要急速辦理這事。」只是利未人不急速辦理。

And he gathered together the priests and the Levites, and said to them, Go out unto the cities of Judah, and gather from all Israel money to repair the house of your God from year to year, and ye shall make haste in this matter. But the Levites made no haste.

6 王召了大祭司耶何耶大來，對他說：「從前耶和華的僕人摩西，為法櫃的帳幕與以色列會眾所定的捐項，你為何不叫利未人照這例從猶大和耶路撒冷帶來作殿的費用呢？」（

Then called the king for Yehoyada' the chief, and said unto him, Why hast thou not required from the Levites to bring in out of Judah and out of Jerusalem the contribution [fixed by] Moses the servant of the Lord, and of the congregation of Israel, for the tabernacle of the testimony?

7 因為那惡婦亞她利雅的眾子曾拆毀上帝的殿，又用耶和華殿中分別為聖的物供奉巴力。）

For the sons of the wicked 'Athalyahu have made breaches [in] the house of God; and also the holy things of the house of the Lord have they applied to the Be'alim.

8 於是王下令，眾人做了一櫃，放在耶和華殿的門外，

And at the king's order they made a chest, and placed it at the gate of the house of the Lord on the outside.

9 又通告猶大和耶路撒冷的百姓，要將上帝僕人摩西在曠野所吩咐以色列人的捐項給耶和華送來。

And they made a proclamation through Judah and Jerusalem, to bring in to the Lord the contribution [fixed by] Moses the servant of God upon Israel in the wilderness.

10 眾首領和百姓都歡歡喜喜地將銀子送來，投入櫃中，直到捐完。

And all the princes and all the people rejoiced, and they brought it in, and cast it into the chest, until it was full.

11 利未人見銀子多了，就把櫃抬到王所派的司事面前；王的書記和大祭司的屬員來將櫃倒空，仍放在原處。日日都是這樣，積蓄的銀子甚多。

Now it came to pass, that at what time the chest was brought unto the king's office by the hand of the Levites, and when they saw that there was much money, then came the king's scribe and the high-priest's officer and emptied the chest, and took it up, and brought it back to its place. Thus did they day by day, and gathered money in abundance.

12 王與耶何耶大將銀子交給耶和華殿裏辦事的人，他們就雇了石匠、木匠重修耶和華的殿，又雇了鐵匠、銅匠修理耶和華的殿。

And the king and Yehoyada' gave it to those who overlooked the service of the house of the Lord, and these hired masons and carpenters to renew the house of the Lord, and also to the workers in iron and copper to repair the house of the Lord.

13 工人操作，漸漸修成，將上帝殿修造得與從前一樣，而且甚是堅固。

So the workmen wrought, and the work was restored through their means, and they replaced the house of God in its [former] state, and strengthened it.

14 工程完了，他們就把其餘的銀子拿到王與耶何耶大面前，用以製造耶和華殿供奉所用的器皿和調羹，並金銀的器皿。 耶何耶大在世的時候，眾人常在耶和華殿裏獻燔祭。

And when they had completed it, they brought before the king and Yehoyada' the rest of the money, and they made of it vessels for the house of the Lord, the vessels of the service and for the sacrificing, and the spoons, and [other] vessels of gold and silver. And they offered burnt-offerings in the house of the Lord continually all the days of Yehoyada'.

15 耶何耶大年紀老邁，日子滿足而死。死的時候年一百三十歲，

And Yehoyada' became old, and was full of days, and died: he was old one hundred and thirty years when he died.

16 葬在大衛城列王的墳墓裏；因為他在以色列人中行善，又事奉上帝，修理上帝的殿。

And they buried him in the city of David among the kings; because he had done a good thing in Israel, and toward God, and his house.

17 耶何耶大死後，猶大的眾首領來朝拜王；王就聽從他們。

But after the death of Yehoyada' came the princes of Judah, and bowed themselves down to the king. Then did the king hearken unto them.

18 他們離棄耶和華－他們列祖上帝的殿，去事奉亞舍拉和偶像；因他們這罪，就有忿怒臨到猶大和耶路撒冷。

And they forsook the house of the Lord the God of their fathers, and served the Asherim and the idols: and there came wrath over Judah and Jerusalem for this their guiltiness.

19 但上帝仍遣先知到他們那裏，引導他們歸向耶和華。這先知警戒他們，他們卻不肯聽。

And he sent prophets among them, to bring them back again unto the Lord; and they gave them warning; but they did not give ear.

20 那時，上帝的靈感動祭司耶何耶大的兒子撒迦利亞，他就站在上面對民說：「上帝如此說：你們為何干犯耶和華的誡命，以致不得亨通呢？因為你們離棄耶和華，所以他也離棄你們。」

And the spirit of God endued Zechariah the son of Yehoyada' the priest, and he stood up above the people, and he said unto them, Thus hath said the [true] God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the Lord? ye cannot prosper so; because [as] ye have forsaken the Lord, he hath also forsaken you.

21 眾民同心謀害撒迦利亞，就照王的吩咐，在耶和華殿的院內用石頭打死他。

And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the command of the king in the court of the house of the Lord.

22 這樣，約阿施王不想念撒迦利亞的父親耶何耶大向自己所施的恩，殺了他的兒子。撒迦利亞臨死的時候說：「願耶和華鑒察伸冤！」

And king Joash did not remember the kindness which Yehoyada' his father had shown to him, but slew his son. And when he died, he said, The Lord will see [this], and require [my blood].

23 滿了一年，亞蘭的軍兵上來攻擊約阿施，來到猶大和耶路撒冷，殺了民中的眾首領，將所掠的財貨送到大馬士革王那裏。

And it came to pass at the expiration of the year, that the army of Syria came up against him: and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people, and all their spoil they sent off unto the king of Damascus.

24 亞蘭的軍兵雖來了一小隊，耶和華卻將大隊的軍兵交在他們手裏，是因猶大人離棄耶和華－他們列祖的上帝，所以藉亞蘭人懲罰約阿施。

Indeed with a small company of men did the army of Syria come; but the Lord delivered into their hand an army exceedingly numerous; because they had forsaken the Lord the God of their fathers. And on Joash they executed punishment.

25 亞蘭人離開約阿施的時候，他患重病；臣僕背叛他，要報祭司耶何耶大兒子流血之仇，殺他在床上，葬他在大衛城，只是不葬在列王的墳墓裏。

And when these were gone away from him—for they left him [suffering] with great diseases—his own servants conspired against him because of the blood of the sons of Yehoyada' the priest, and slew him on his bed, and he died: and they buried him in the city of David, but they buried him not in the sepulchres of the kings.

26 背叛他的是亞捫婦人示米押的兒子撒拔和摩押婦人示米利的兒子約薩拔。

And these are those that conspired against him; Zabad the son of Shim'ath the 'Ammonitess, and Yehozabad the son of Shimrith the Moabitess.

27 至於他的眾子和他所受的警戒，並他重修上帝殿的事，都寫在列王的傳上。他兒子亞瑪謝接續他作王。

Now concerning his sons, and the great prophecy concerning him, and the founding of the house of God, behold, they are written in the story of the book of the kings. And Amazyahu his son became king in his stead.