2 Chronicles 24

1 Joash was seven years old when he became the king [of Judah], and he ruled in Jerusalem for 40 years. His mother’s name was Zibiah; she was from Beersheba [city].

Seven years old, was Joash when he began to reign, and, forty years, reigned he, in Jerusalem, —and, the name of his mother, was Zibiah, of Beersheba.

2 Joash did what pleased Yahweh as long as Jehoiada was [the Supreme] Priest.

And Joash did that which was right, in the eyes of Yahweh, -all the days of Jehoiada the priest.

3 Jehoiada chose two women to be Joash’s wives. And they bore Joash sons and daughters.

And Jehoiada took for him two wives, —and he begat sons and daughters.

4 Some years later, Joash decided that the temple should be repaired.

And it came to pass, after this, that it was near the heart of Joash to renew the house of Yahweh.

5 He summoned the priests and other descendants of Levi and said to them, “Go to the towns in Judah and collect from the people the tax money that they are required to pay each year, and use that money to pay for repairing the temple. Do it immediately.” But the descendants of Levi did not do it immediately.

So he gathered together the priests and the Levites, and said unto them—Go ye out unto the cities of Judah, and gather out of all Israel silver to repair the house of your God, year by year, and, ye, shall hasten the matter, —but the Levites hastened it not.

6 So the king summoned Jehoiada and said to him, “Why have you not required the descendants of Levi to bring to Jerusalem from various places in Judah the annual/yearly tax that Moses said that the people of Judah must pay, for taking care of the Sacred Tent?”

Then the king called for Jehoiada the chief, and said unto him, Wherefore hast thou not required of the Levites, to bring in out of Judah and out of Jerusalem the tribute of Moses the servant of Yahweh, and of the convocation of Israel, —for the tent of testimony?

7 [The temple needed to be repaired] because the sons of that wicked woman Athaliah had entered into the temple [and had wrecked some of the things], and had also used some of the sacred items that were in it for [the worship of] Baal.

For, as for Athaliah the Lawless, her sons, brake up the House of God, —moreover, all the hallowed things of the house of Yahweh, offered they unto the Baalim.

8 So, obeying what the king commanded, the descendants of Levi made a chest and placed it outside the temple, at one of the entrances.

So the king bade [them], and they made a certain chest, —and set it in the gate of the house of Yahweh, outside.

9 Then the king sent letters everywhere in Judah, requesting everyone to bring their tax money to the temple, like Moses had required the Israeli people to do [when they were] in the desert.

And they made a proclamation, throughout Judah and Jerusalem, to bring in unto Yahweh the tribute of Moses the servant of God, laid upon Israel in the desert.

10 All the officials and the other people [agreed, and they] brought their contributions gladly. They put the money into the chest until it was full.

And all the rulers and all the people rejoiced, —and brought in and cast into the chest, until they had finished.

11 Whenever the descendants of Levi brought the chest to the king’s officials, and they saw that there was a lot of money in it, the king’s secretary and the assistant to the [Supreme] Priest would take all the money from the chest, and then put the chest back in its place. They did this frequently, and they collected a huge amount of money.

And it came to pass, what time the chest was brought into the office of the king by the hand of the Levites, and when they had seen that abundant was the silver, that the scribe of the king came in, and the officer of the chief priest, and they emptied the chest, and bare it, and put it back in its place, —thus, they did, day by day, and collected silver, in abundance;

12 The king and Jehoiada gave the money to the men who were supervising the work of repairing the temple. Those men hired stoneworkers and carpenters to repair the temple. They also hired men who worked with iron and bronze to repair things in the temple [that were broken].

and the king and Jehoiada gave it unto such as were doing the work of labouring upon the house of Yahweh, and they were hiring masons and carpenters, to renew the house of Yahweh, —moreover also, such as were fashioners of iron and bronze, to repair the house of Yahweh.

13 The men who did the repair work worked hard, and the work of repairing the temple progressed. They rebuilt the temple so that it was like it was originally, and they even made it stronger.

So the doers of the work wrought, and the work of restoration went forward, in their hand, —and they caused the house of God to stand forth according to its due proportions, and made it strong.

14 When they had finished the repair work, they brought to the king and to Jehoiada the money that they had not used for the repairs. That money was used to make things to use for offering the sacrifices that were completely burned [on the altar], and to make bowls and other gold and silver things for the temple. As long as Joash lived, the people continually brought to the temple sacrifices that were to be completely burned on the altar.

And, when they had finished, they brought in before the king and Jehoiada the rest of the silver, and he made it into utensils for the house of Yahweh, utensils of attendance, and bowls and spoons, even utensils of gold and silver. Then were they offering ascending-sacrifices in the house of Yahweh, continually, all the days of Jehoiada.

15 Jehoiada lived to become very old. He died when he was 130 years old.

But Jehoiada waxed old and became satisfied with days, and died, —a hundred and thirty years old, when he died.

16 He was buried where the kings had been buried, in [the part of Jerusalem called] ‘The City of David’. [He was buried there] because of the good things that he had done in Judah for God and for God’s temple.

And they buried him in the city of David, with the kings, —because he had done good in Israel, both toward God and his house.

17 After Jehoiada died, the leaders of Judah went to Joash, bowed in front of him, and persuaded him to do what they wanted.

Now, after the death of Jehoiada, came the rulers of Judah, and bowed themselves down unto the king, —then, hearkened the king unto them.

18 So they and the other people stopped worshiping at the temple, and they started worshiping the poles dedicated to [the goddess] Asherah and other idols. Because of their doing those sinful things, God was very angry with the people of Jerusalem and [with the people in other places in] Judah.

And they forsook the house of Yahweh, God of their fathers, and served the Sacred Stems, and the images, —so there was wrath against Judah and Jerusalem, for this their guilt.

19 Although Yahweh sent prophets to persuade them to return to him, and although the prophets told them about the evil things that they had done, the people would not pay attention.

And he sent among them prophets, to bring them back unto Yahweh, —and they testified against them, but they would not give ear.

20 Then God’s Spirit came upon Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada the [Supreme] Priest. He stood up front of the people and said, “This is what God says: ‘Why are you disobeying what I, Yahweh, have commanded? You have abandoned me, so I will abandon you.’”

And, the spirit of God, clothed Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest, and he took his stand above the people, —and said unto them, Thus, saith God, Wherefore are, ye, transgressing the commandments of Yahweh, so that ye cannot prosper, because ye have forsaken Yahweh, therefore hath he forsaken you.

21 But the people planned to kill Zechariah. And the king joined them in doing it. The people killed Zechariah by throwing stones at him in the temple courtyard.

So they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones, by the commandment of the king, —in the court of the house of Yahweh.

22 King Joash had forgotten about how Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had been kind to him. That’s why he gave orders for the people to kill Jehoiada’s son Zechariah, who said as he was dying, “I hope that Yahweh will see [what you are doing to me] and punish [you for doing it].”

Thus Joash the king, remembered not, the lovingkindness which Jehoiada his father had done for him, but slew his son, —and, as he died, he said, Yahweh see and require!

23 Near the end of that year (OR, early in the following year), the army of Syria marched to attack [the army of] Joash. They invaded Judah and attacked Jerusalem and killed all the leaders of the people. They [seized many valuable things and] sent them to their king in Damascus, [their capital city.]

And it came to pass, when the year had gone round, that the force of Syria came up against him, and they entered Judah, and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the rulers of the people, from among the people, —and, all the spoil of them, sent they unto the king of Damascus.

24 The army of Syria [that came to Judah] was very small, but Yahweh allowed them to defeat the large army of Judah, because he was punishing Joash and the other people of Judah for having abandoned him, the God whom their ancestors worshiped.

Although, with a comparatively few men, came the force of Syria, yet, Yahweh, delivered into their hand an exceeding large force, —because they had forsaken Yahweh, the God of their fathers, —and, upon Joash, executed they judgments.

25 Before the battle ended, Joash was severely wounded. Then his officials decided to kill him for murdering Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada the [Supreme] Priest. They killed him while he was in his bed. He was buried in [the part of Jerusalem called] ‘The City of David’, but they did not bury him in the place where the other kings had been buried.

And, when they had departed from him, for they left him with sore diseases, his own servants conspired against him, for the blood of the son of Jehoiada the priest, and slew him upon his bed, and he died, —and, though they buried him in the city of David, yet did they not bury him in the sepulchres of the kings.

26 Those who conspired to kill him were Zabad the son of Shimeath, who was a woman from the Ammon [people-group], and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith, who was a woman from the Moab [people-group].

Now, these, are they that conspired against him, —Zabad son of Shimeath the Ammonitess, and Jehozabad son of Shimrith the Moabitess.

27 An account of the things that were done by the sons of Joash and the many prophecies about Joash and what he did to repair the temple are written in the scroll called ‘the History of the Kings [of Judah and Israel]’. Then after Joash died, Amaziah his son became the king.

But, as for his sons, and the greatness of the oracle on him, and the foundation of the house of God, lo! there they are written, in the commentary of the Book of Kings, —and Amaziah his son reigned in his stead.