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.

Joas was seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Sabia of Bersabee.

2 And Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest.

And Joas did that which right in the sight of the Lord all the days of Jodae the priest.

3 Jehoiada took for himself two wives, and he had sons and daughters.

And Jodae took to himself two wives, and they bore sons and daughters.

4 Some time later, Joash set his heart on repairing the house of the LORD.

And it came to pass afterward that it came into the heart of Joas to repair the house of the Lord.

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.

And he gathered the priests and the Levites, and said to them, Go out into the cities of Juda, and collect money of all Israel to repair the house of the Lord from year to year, and make haste to speak [of it]. But the Levites hasted not.

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?”

And king Joas called Jodae the chief, and said to him, Why have you not looked after the Levites, so that they should bring from Juda and Jerusalem that which was prescribed by Moses the man of God, when he assembled Israel at the tabernacle of witness?

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.

For Gotholia was a transgressor, and her sons tore down the house of God; for they offered the holy things of the house of the Lord to Baalim.

8 At the king’s command a chest was made and placed outside, at the gate of the house of the LORD.

And the king said, Let a box be made, and let it be put at the gate of the house of the Lord without.

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.

And let [men] proclaim in Juda an in Jerusalem, that [the people] should bring to the Lord, as Moses the servant of God spoke concerning Israel in the wilderness.

10 All the officers and all the people rejoiced and brought their contributions, and they dropped them in the chest until it was full.

And all the princes and all the people gave, and brought in, and cast into the box until it was filled.

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.

And it came to pass, when they brought in the box to the officers of the king by the hand of the Levites, and when they saw that the money was more than sufficient, then came the king's scribe, and the officer of the high priest, and emptied the box, and restored it to its place. Thus they did day by day, and collected much money.

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.

And the king and Jodae the priest gave it to the workmen employed in the service of the house of the Lord, and they hired masons and carpenters to repair the house of the Lord, also smiths and braziers to repair the house of the Lord.

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.

And the workmen wrought, and the works prospered in their hands, and they established the house of the Lord on its foundation, and strengthened [it].

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.

And when they had finished [it], they brought to the king and to Jodae the remainder of the money, and they made vessels for the house of the Lord, vessels of service for whole burnt offerings, and gold and silver [censers]: and they offered up whole burnt offerings in the house of the Lord continually all the days of Jodae.

15 When Jehoiada was old and full of years, he died at the age of 130.

And Jodae grew old, being full of days, and he died, being a hundred and thirty years old at his death.

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.

And they buried him with the kings in the city of David, because he had dealt well with Israel, and with God and his house.

17 After the death of Jehoiada, however, the officials of Judah came and paid homage to the king, and he listened to them.

And it came to pass after the death of Jodae, [that] the princes of Juda went in, and did obeisance to the king. Then the king listened to them.

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.

And they forsook the house of the Lord God of their fathers, and served the Astartes and idols: and there was wrath upon Juda and Jerusalem in that day.

19 Nevertheless, the LORD sent prophets to bring the people back to Him and to testify against them; but they would not listen.

yet he sent prophets to them, to turn them to the Lord; but they listened not: and he testified to them, but they obeyed not.

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.’”

And the Spirit of God came upon Azarias the son of Jodae the priest, and he stood up above the people, and said, Thus says the Lord, Why do you transgress the commandments of the Lord? so shall you not prosper; for you have forsaken the Lord, and he will forsake you.

21 But they conspired against Zechariah, and by order of the king, they stoned him in the courtyard of the house of the LORD.

And they conspired against him, and stone him by command of king Joas in the court of the Lord's house.

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.”

So Joas remembered not the kindness which his father Jodae had exercised towards him, but killed his son. And as he died, he said, The Lord look upon [it], and judge.

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.

And it came to pass after the end of the year, [that] the host of Syria went up against him, and came against Juda and Jerusalem: and they killed all the chiefs of the people amongst the people, and all their spoils they sent to the king of Damascus.

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.

For the army of Syria came with few men, yet God gave into their hands a very large army, because they had forsaken the God of their fathers; and he brought judgements on Joas.

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.

And after they had departed from him, when they had left him in sore diseases, then his servants conspired against him because of the blood of the son of Jodae the priest, and killed him on his bed, and he died, and they buried him in the city of David, but they buried him not in the sepulchre of the kings.

26 Those who conspired against Joash were Zabad son of Shimeath the Ammonitess and Jehozabad son of Shimrith the Moabitess.

And they that conspired against him were Zabed the son of Samaath the Ammanite, and Jozabed the son of Samareth the Moabite.

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.

And all his sons, and the five came to him: and the other [matters], behold, they are written in the book of the kings. And Amasias his son reigned in his stead.