2 Chronicles 24

1 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'.

Joash was seven years old when he began to reign; he reigned for forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zibiah, of Beersheba.

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

Joash did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh all the days of Jehoiada, the priest.

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

Jehoiada took for him two wives, and he became the father of sons and daughters.

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

It came about after this, that Joash decided to restore the house of Yahweh.

5 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.

He gathered together the priests and the Levites, and he said to them, “Go out every year to the cities of Judah and gather from all Israel money to repair the house of your God. Make sure that you start right away.” The Levites did nothing at first.

6 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?

So the king called for Jehoiada the high priest and said to him, “Why have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah and Jerusalem the tax levied by Moses the servant of Yahweh and by the assembly of Israel for the tent of the covenant decrees?”

7 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.

For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken up the house of God and had given all the holy things of the house of Yahweh to the Baals.

8 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.

So the king commanded, and they made a chest and placed it outside at the entrance to the house of Yahweh.

9 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.

Then they made a proclamation through Judah and Jerusalem, for the people to bring in for Yahweh the tax that Moses the servant of God levied on Israel in the wilderness.

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

All the leaders and all the people rejoiced and brought money in and put it into the chest until they finished filling it.

11 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.

It happened that whenever the chest was brought to the king's officials by the hand of the Levites, and whenever they saw that there was much money in it, the king's scribe and the high priest's official would come, empty the chest, and take it and carry it back to its place. They did this day after day, gathering large amounts of money.

12 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.

The king and Jehoiada gave the money to those who did the work of serving in the house of Yahweh. These men hired stonemasons and carpenters to restore the house of Yahweh, and also those who worked in iron and bronze.

13 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.

So the workmen labored, and the work of repairing went forward in their hands; they set up the house of God in its original design and strengthened it.

14 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'.

When they finished, they brought the rest of the money to the king and Jehoiada. This money was used to make furnishings for the house of Yahweh, utensils with which to serve and make offerings—spoons and utensils of gold and silver. They offered burnt offerings in the house of Yahweh continually for all the days of Jehoiada.

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

Jehoiada grew old and was full of days, and then he died; he was 130 years old when he died.

16 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.

They buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, toward God, and to God's house.

17 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.

Now after the death of Jehoiada, the leaders of Judah came and did honor to the king. Then the king listened to them.

18 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.

They forsook the house of Yahweh, the God of their ancestors, and worshiped the Asherah gods and the idols. God's anger came on Judah and Jerusalem for this wrongdoing of theirs.

19 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.

Yet he sent prophets to them to bring them again to himself, Yahweh; the prophets testified against the people, but they refused to listen.

20 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.

The Spirit of God came on Zechariah son of Jehoiada, the priest; Zechariah stood above the people and said to them, “God says this: Why do you transgress the commandments of Yahweh, so that you cannot prosper? Since you have forsaken Yahweh, he has also forsaken you.”

21 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.

But they plotted against him; at the king's command, they stoned him with stones in the courtyard of the house of Yahweh.

22 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].

In this manner, Joash, the king, ignored the kindness that Jehoiada, Zechariah's father, had done to him. Instead, he killed Jehoiada's son. When Zechariah was dying, he said, “May Yahweh see this and call you to account.”

23 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.

It came about at the end of the year, that the army of Aram came up against Joash. They came to Judah and Jerusalem; they killed all the leaders of the people and sent all the plunder from them to the king of Damascus.

24 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.

Although the army of the Arameans had come with only a few soldiers, Yahweh gave them victory over a very great army, because Judah had forsaken Yahweh, the God of their ancestors. In this way the Arameans brought judgment on Joash.

25 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.

By the time that the Arameans had gone, Joash had been severely wounded. His own servants plotted against him because of the murder of the sons of Jehoiada, the priest. They killed him in his bed, and he died; they buried him in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.

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

These were the persons who plotted against him: Zabad son of Shimeath, an Ammonite woman; and Jehozabad son of Shimrith, a Moabite woman.

27 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.

Now the accounts about his sons, the important prophecies that were spoken about him, and the rebuilding of the house of God, see, they are written in the commentary on the book of the kings. Amaziah his son became king in his place.