2 Chronicles 24

1 Joash was seven when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for forty years. His mother's name was Zibiah of Beersheba.

Joas was of seuene yeer, whanne he bigan to regne, and he regnyde fourti yeer in Jerusalem; the name of his modir was Sebia of Bersabee.

2 Joash did what was right in the Lord's sight during the lifetime of Jehoiada the priest.

And he dide that, that was good bifor the Lord, in alle the daies of Joiada, the preest.

3 Jehoiada arranged for him to marry two wives, and he had sons and daughters.

Sotheli and Joas took twei wyues, of whyche he gendride sones and douytris.

4 Some time later, Joash decided to repair the Lord's Temple.

After whiche thingis it pleside Joas to reparele the hows of the Lord.

5 He summoned the priests and Levites and told them, “Go to the towns of Judah and collect the yearly dues from everyone in Israel to repair the Temple of your God. Do it right away.” But the Levites did not go right away.

And he gaderide togidere preestis and dekenes, and seide to hem, Go ye out to the citees of Juda, and gadere ye of al Israel money, to the reparelyng of the temple of `youre Lord God, bi ech yeer; and do ye this hiyyngli.

6 So the king called for Jehoiada the high priest and asked him, “Why haven't you ordered the Levites to collect from Judah and Jerusalem the tax that Moses, the Lord's servant, and the assembly of Israel imposed to maintain the Tent of the Law?”

Certis the dekenes diden necgligentli. And the kyng clepide Joiada, the prince, and seide to hym, Whi was it not charge to thee, to constreyne the dekenes to brynge yn money of Juda and of Jerusalem, which money was ordeyned of Moises, the seruaunt of `the Lord, that al the multitude of Israel schulde brynge it in to the tabernacle of witnessyng?

7 (The supporters of that wicked woman Athaliah had broken into God's Temple and had stolen the holy objects of the Lord's Temple and used them to worship the Baals.)

For the worste Athalia, and hir sones, distrieden the hows of God; and of alle thingis, that weren halewid to the temple of the Lord, thei ourneden the temple of Baalym.

8 The king ordered a collection chest to be made and placed outside the entrance to the Lord's Temple.

Therfor the kyng comaundide, and thei maden an arke, and settiden it bisidis the yate of the Lord with out forth.

9 A decree was proclaimed throughout Judea and Jerusalem to bring to the Lord the tax that Moses, the Lord's servant, imposed on Israel in the wilderness.

And it was prechid in Juda and Jerusalem, that ech man schulde brynge to the Lord the prijs, which Moyses, the seruaunt of God, ordeynede on al Israel, in deseert.

10 All the leaders and all the people were glad to do so and brought their taxes. They dropped them in the chest until it was full.

And alle the princes and al the puple weren glad, and thei entriden, and brouyten, and senten in to the arke of the Lord, so that it was fillid.

11 Every so often the Levites took the chest to the king's officials. When they saw that it contained a large amount of money, the king's secretary and the chief officer of the high priest would come and empty the chest. Then they would carry it back to its place. They did this every day and collected a great deal of money.

And whanne it was tyme, that thei schulden bere the arke bifor the kyng bi the hondis of dekenes, for thei sien myche money, the clerk of the kyng entride, and he whom the firste preest hadde ordeynede, and thei schedden out the money, that was in the arke; sotheli thei baren ayen the arke to `his place. And so thei diden bi alle daies, and money with out noumbre was gaderid togidere;

12 Then the king and Jehoiada would allocate the money of those supervising the work on the Lord's Temple to hire stonecutters and carpenters to restore the Lord's Temple and craftsmen in iron and bronze to repair the Lord's Temple.

which the kyng and Joiada yauen to hem that weren souereyns of the werkis of the hows of the Lord. And thei hiriden therof kitteris of stonys, and crafti men of alle werkis, that thei schulden reparele the hows of the Lord; also thei hiriden smythis of yrun, and of bras, that that thing schulde be vndurset, that bigan to falle.

13 The men doing the repairs worked hard and made good progress. They restored God's Temple to its original condition and strengthened it.

Thei that wrouyten diden craftili, and the crasyng of the wallis was stoppid bi the hondis of hem; and thei reisiden the hows of the Lord in to the formere staat, and maden it to stonde stidfastli.

14 When they finished, they returned the money that was left to the king and Jehoiada, and with it utensils were made for the Lord's Temple, both for the worship services and for the burnt offerings, also bowls for incense and vessels of gold and silver. Burnt offerings were regularly offered in the Lord's Temple regularly throughout Jehoiada's lifetime.

And whanne thei hadden fillid alle werkis, thei brouyten bifor the kyng and Joiada the tother part of the money, of which money vessels weren maad in to the seruyce of the temple, and to brent sacrifices; also viols, and othere vessels of gold and of siluer `weren maad therof. And brent sacrifices weren offrid in the hows of the Lord contynueli, in alle the daies of Joiada.

15 Jehoiada grew old and died at the age of 130, having lived a full life.

Forsothe Joiada ful of daies wexide eld, and he was deed, whanne he was of an hundrid yeer and thritti;

16 He was buried with the kings in the City of David, for all the good he had done in Israel for God and his Temple.

and thei birieden hym in the citee of Dauid with kyngis; for he hadde do good with Israel, and with his hows.

17 But after the death of Jehoiada, the leaders of Judah came to swear their loyalty to the king, and he listened to their advice.

But aftir that Joiada diede, the princes of Juda entriden, and worschipiden the kyng, which was flaterid with her seruices, and assentide to hem.

18 They abandoned the Temple of the Lord, the God of their forefathers, and worshiped Asherah poles and idols. Judah and Jerusalem were punished because of their sin.

And thei forsoken the temple of the Lord God of her fadris, and seruyden idols in wodis, and grauen ymagis; and the ire of the Lord was maad ayens Juda and Jerusalem for this synne.

19 The Lord sent prophets to bring the people back to him and to warn them; but they refused to listen.

And he sente to hem profetis, that thei schulen turne ayen to the Lord; whiche profetis witnessynge thei nolden here.

20 Then the Spirit of God came to Zechariah, son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood before the people and told them, “This is what God says: ‘Why do you break the Lord's commandments so that you cannot be successful? Since you have abandoned the Lord, he has abandoned you.’”

Therfor the Spirit of the Lord clothide Zacharie, the preest, the sone of Joiada; and he stood in the siyt of the puple, and seide to hem, The Lord seith these thingis, Whi breken ye the comaundement of the Lord, `which thing schal not profite to you, and ye han forsake the Lord, that he schulde forsake you?

21 Then the leaders hatched a plot to kill Zechariah, and on the orders of the king they stoned him to death in the courtyard of the Lord's Temple.

Whiche weren gaderide togidere ayens hym, and senten stonys, bi comaundement `of the kyng, in the large place of the hows of the Lord.

22 King Joash showed he had forgotten all about the loyalty and love shown to him by Jehoiada, Zechariah's father, by killing his son. As he died, Zechariah cried out, “May the Lord see what you've done and pay you back!”

And kyng Joas hadde not mynde on the merci which Joiada, the fadir of Zacharie, hadde doon with hym; but he killide the sone of Joiada. And whanne Zacharie diede, he seide, The Lord se, and seke.

23 At the end of the year, the Aramean army came to attack Joash. They invaded Judah and Jerusalem and killed all the people's leaders, and sent all their plunder back to the king of Damascus.

And whanne a yeer was turned aboute, `ether endid, the oost of Sirie stiede ayens Joas, and it cam in to Juda and in to Jerusalem, and it killide alle the princes of the puple; and thei senten al the prey to the kyng, to Damask.

24 Even though the Aramean army had come with only a few men, the Lord gave them the victory over a very large army, because Judah had abandoned the Lord, the God of their forefathers. In this way they punished Joash.

And certeyn, whanne a ful litle noumbre of men of Sirie was comun, the Lord bitook in her hondis a multitude with out noumbre, for thei hadden forsake the Lord God of her fadris. Also thei vsiden schameful domes in Joas;

25 When the Arameans departed, they left Joash badly wounded. But then his own officers plotted against him for murdering the son of Jehoiada the priest, and they killed him in his bed. He was buried in the City of David, but not in the cemetery of the kings.

and thei yeden awei, and leften hym in grete sorewis. Sotheli hise seruauntis risiden ayens hym, in to veniaunce of the blood of the sone of Joiada, preest; and killiden hym in his bed, and he was deed. And thei birieden hym in the citee of Dauid, but not in the sepulcris of kyngis.

26 Those who plotted against him were Zabad, son of Shimeath, an Ammonite woman, and Jehozabad, son of Shimrith, a Moabite woman.

Forsothe Sabath, the sone of Semath of Amon, and Josabeth, the sone of Semarith of Moab, settiden tresouns to hym.

27 The story of the sons of Joash, as well as the many prophecies about him and about the restoration of God's Temple, are recorded in the Commentary on the Book of the Kings. His son Amaziah took over as king.

Sotheli hise sones, and the summe of money that was gaderid vndur hym, and the reparelyng of the hows of God, ben writun diligentli in the book of Kyngis.