2 Chronicles 24
1 Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years. His mother’s name was Zibiah; she was from Beersheba.
[約阿士為王]約阿士即位時纔七歲；在耶路撒冷作王凡四十年；他的母親名叫漆彼雅，是貝爾舍巴人。
2 And Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest.
大司祭約雅達在生之日，約阿士行了上主視為正義的事。
3 Jehoiada took for himself two wives, and he had sons and daughters.
約雅達為他娶了兩個妻子，且生了子女。[重修聖殿]
4 Some time later, Joash set his heart on repairing the house of the LORD.
此後，約阿士有意重修上主的殿，
5 So he gathered the priests and Levites and said, “Go out to the cities of Judah and collect the money due annually from all Israel, to repair the house of your God. Do it quickly.” The Levites, however, did not make haste.
便召集司祭和肋未人來，吩咐他們說：「你們往猶大各城去，向全以色列人捐錢，按每年需要，修補你們天主的殿；你們應急速辦理此事。」但是肋未人沒有趕緊辦理。
6 So the king called Jehoiada the high priest and said, “Why have you not required the Levites to bring from Judah and Jerusalem the tax imposed by Moses the servant of the LORD and by the assembly of Israel for the Tent of the Testimony?”
君王遂將大司祭約雅達召來，對他說：「你為什麼不勒令肋未人在猶大和耶路撒冷捐款，像上主的僕人梅瑟為作證的會幕，巷以色列會眾徵收﹖」
7 For the sons of that wicked woman Athaliah had broken into the house of God and had even used the sacred objects of the house of the LORD for the Baals.
原來，惡婦阿塔里雅和附合他的人使上主的殿失修，且將上主殿內的捐獻都用於巴耳。
8 At the king’s command a chest was made and placed outside, at the gate of the house of the LORD.
君王於是下令，製一個箱子，放在上主的殿門外，
9 And a proclamation was issued in Judah and Jerusalem that they were to bring to the LORD the tax imposed by Moses the servant of God on Israel in the wilderness.
並在猶大和耶路撒冷發出通告，要人為上主捐款，像天主的僕人梅瑟在曠野曾向以色列徵收捐款一樣。
10 All the officers and all the people rejoiced and brought their contributions, and they dropped them in the chest until it was full.
眾首領和全民眾都很高興來捐獻，將錢投入箱內，直到投滿。
11 Whenever the chest was brought by the Levites to the king’s overseers and they saw that there was a large amount of money, the royal scribe and the officer of the high priest would come and empty the chest and carry it back to its place. They did this daily and gathered the money in abundance.
當肋未人將錢箱抬到君王的有司那裏時，見稅錢很多，遂請君王的書記和大司祭的屬員前來，將錢箱倒空，然後拿去放在原處；天天如此，所以收集了很多的錢。
12 Then the king and Jehoiada would give the money to those who supervised the labor on the house of the LORD to hire stonecutters and carpenters to restore the house of the LORD, as well as workers in iron and bronze to repair the house of the LORD.
君王和約雅達便將錢交給主管上主殿的人，雇用石工和木工，招請鐵匠和銅匠，修理上主的殿宇。
13 So the workmen labored, and in their hands the repair work progressed. They restored the house of God according to its specifications, and they reinforced it.
工匠都勤於工作，修葺的工作在他們手下日有進展，竟將天主的殿修理得與先前一樣，而且異常堅固。
14 When they were finished, they brought the rest of the money to the king and Jehoiada to make with it the articles for the house of the LORD—utensils for the service and for the burnt offerings, dishes, and other objects of gold and silver. Throughout the days of Jehoiada, burnt offerings were presented regularly in the house of the LORD.
他們完工以後，將剩下的錢，送到君王和約雅達那裏；他們遂叫人用來製造上主殿內的傢俱，為禮儀和全燔祭用得器皿、香盤以及各種金銀器皿。約雅達有生之日，在上主的殿內，時時有人奉獻全燔祭。[約阿士變節]
15 When Jehoiada was old and full of years, he died at the age of 130.
約雅達逝世時，年紀已很老；死時享年一百三十歲，
16 And Jehoiada was buried with the kings in the City of David, because he had done what was good in Israel for God and His temple.
與列王同葬在達味城，因為他在以色列對天主和天主的殿立了大功。
17 After the death of Jehoiada, however, the officials of Judah came and paid homage to the king, and he listened to them.
但在約雅達死後，猶大的首領前來朝覲君王，君王竟附和了他們的主意，
18 They abandoned the house of the LORD, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherah poles and idols. So wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this guilt of theirs.
離棄了上主他們祖先天主的殿，去奉事阿舍辣和偶像。由於這個重罪，怒降到了猶大和耶路撒冷
19 Nevertheless, the LORD sent prophets to bring the people back to Him and to testify against them; but they would not listen.
上主仍派先知來引導他們歸向上主，先知雖警告他們，無奈他們不肯聽從。
20 Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest, who stood up before the people and said to them, “This is what God says: ‘Why do you transgress the commandments of the LORD so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the LORD, He has forsaken you.’”
天主的神充滿在大司祭約雅達的兒子則加黎雅身上，他便站在民眾面前，對他們說：「天主這樣說：你們為什麼違犯上主的誡命，招致不利呢﹖因為你們拋棄了上主，他也要拋棄你們。」
21 But they conspired against Zechariah, and by order of the king, they stoned him in the courtyard of the house of the LORD.
民眾都想殺害他，遂按君王的命令，在上主殿的庭院裏，用石頭將他砸死了。
22 Thus King Joash failed to remember the kindness that Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had extended to him. Instead, Joash killed Jehoiada’s son. As he lay dying, Zechariah said, “May the LORD see this and call you to account.”
這樣，約阿士絲毫未念及他父親約雅達對待自己的恩德，反而殺了他的兒子。則加黎雅臨死時喊說：「願上主鑒察，加以追究! 」[約阿士被殺]
23 In the spring, the army of Aram went to war against Joash. They entered Judah and Jerusalem and destroyed all the leaders of the people, and they sent all the plunder to their king in Damascus.
次年歲首，阿蘭軍隊上來攻打約阿士，侵入了猶大和耶路撒冷，殺了民間所有的首領，將掠奪的戰利品送到大馬士革。
24 Although the Aramean army had come with only a few men, the LORD delivered into their hand a very great army. Because Judah had forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers, judgment was executed on Joash.
阿蘭軍隊雖只來了一小隊人，但上主卻將一支龐大的軍隊交在他們手中，這是因為民眾離棄了上主，他們祖先的天主；如此阿蘭人懲罰了約阿士。
25 And when the Arameans had withdrawn, they left Joash severely wounded. His own servants conspired against him for shedding the blood of the son of Jehoiada the priest, and they killed him on his bed. So he died and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.
當他們離開約阿士時，約阿士正患重病，他的臣僕造反背叛了他，為報大司祭約雅達的兒子的血仇，將他打死在床上；他死後，葬在達味城，但沒有埋在王陵內。
26 Those who conspired against Joash were Zabad son of Shimeath the Ammonitess and Jehozabad son of Shimrith the Moabitess.
造反背叛他的是阿孟女人史默阿特的兒子匝巴得，和摩阿布女人史默黎特的兒子約匝巴得。
27 The accounts of the sons of Joash, as well as the many pronouncements about him and about the restoration of the house of God, are indeed written in the Treatise of the Book of the Kings. And his son Amaziah reigned in his place.
至於約阿士的兒子，以及他所受的種種警戒，和重修天主殿宇的事，都記載在列王傳記上。他的兒子阿瑪責雅繼位為王。
