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。
Joash was seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah, of Beersheba.
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。
Joash did that which was right in the LORD’s eyes all the days of Jehoiada the priest.
3 耶何耶大為他娶了兩個妻，並且生兒養女。
Jehoiada took for him two wives, and he became the father of sons and daughters.
4 此後，約阿施有意重修耶和華的殿，
After this, Joash intended to restore the LORD’s house.
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。
He gathered together the priests and the Levites, and said to them, “Go out to the cities of Judah, and gather money to repair the house of your God from all Israel from year to year. See that you expedite this matter.” However the Levites didn’t do it right away.
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？」（
The king called for Jehoiada the chief, and said to him, “Why haven’t you required of the Levites to bring in the tax of Moses the servant of the LORD, and of the assembly of Israel, out of Judah and out of Jerusalem, for the Tent 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 Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken up God’s house; and they also gave all the dedicated things of the LORD’s house to the Baals.
8 於是王下令，眾人做了一櫃，放在耶和華殿的門外，
So the king commanded, and they made a chest, and set it outside at the gate of the LORD’s house.
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。
They made a proclamation through Judah and Jerusalem, to bring in for the LORD the tax that Moses the servant of God laid on 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。
All the princes and all the people rejoiced, and brought in, and cast into the chest, until they had filled it.
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。
Whenever the chest was brought to the king’s officers by the hand of the Levites, and when they saw that there was much money, the king’s scribe and the chief priest’s officer came and emptied the chest, and took it, and carried it to its place again. Thus they did 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。
The king and Jehoiada gave it to those who did the work of the service of the LORD’s house. They hired masons and carpenters to restore the LORD’s house, and also those who worked iron and bronze to repair the LORD’s house.
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 worked, and the work of repairing went forward in their hands. They set up God’s house as it was designed, 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。
When they had finished, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada, from which were made vessels for the LORD’s house, even vessels with which to minister and to offer, including spoons and vessels of gold and silver. They offered burnt offerings in the LORD’s house continually all the days of Jehoiada.
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，
But Jehoiada grew old and was full of days, and he died. He was one hundred and thirty years old 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。
They buried him in David’s city amongst the kings, because he had done good in Israel, and towards 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。
Now after the death of Jehoiada, the princes of Judah came and bowed down to the king. Then the king listened to 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。
They abandoned the house of the LORD, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherah poles and the idols, so wrath came on 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。
Yet he sent prophets to them to bring them again to the LORD, and they testified against them; but they would not listen.
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。」
The Spirit of God came on Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest; and he stood above the people, and said to them, “God says, ‘Why do you disobey the LORD’s commandments, so that you can’t prosper? Because you have forsaken the LORD, he has 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。
They conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the LORD’s house.
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！」
Thus Joash the king didn’t remember the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but killed his son. When he died, he said, “May the LORD look at it, and repay it.”
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。
At the end of the year, the army of the Syrians came up against him. They came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the princes of the people from amongst the people, and sent all their plunder to 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。
For the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men; and the LORD delivered a very great army into their hand, because they had forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers. So they executed judgement on Joash.
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。
When they had departed from him (for they left him seriously wounded), his own servants conspired against him for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and killed him on his bed, and he died. They buried him in David’s city, but they didn’t bury him in the tombs 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。
These are those who conspired against him: Zabad the son of Shimeath the Ammonitess and Jehozabad 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, the greatness of the burdens laid on him, and the rebuilding of God’s house, behold, they are written in the commentary of the book of the kings. Amaziah his son reigned in his place.
