2 Chronicles 24

Modern

Literal

Joash Repairs the Temple

¹Joash 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.

¹Joash was a son of seven years in his reigning, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Zibiah of Beersheba.

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

²And Joash did right in the eyes of YHWH all the days of Jehoiada the priest.

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

³And Jehoiada took for him two wives, and he begat sons and daughters.

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

⁴And it came to pass after this that it was with the heart of Joash to renew the house of YHWH.

⁵So 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.

⁵And he gathered the priests and the Levites, and he said to them, “Go out to the cities of Judah, and gather from all Israel silver to repair the house of your God sufficiently year by year, and you, hurry to the matter.” But the Levites hurried not.

⁶So 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?”

⁶And the king called Jehoiada the chief and said to him, “Why have you not required of the Levites to bring in from Judah and from Jerusalem the tribute of Moses the servant of YHWH and of the assembly of Israel for the Tent of the Testimony?”

⁷For 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.

⁷For the sons of Athaliah the wicked one had broken into the house of God, and also all the holy things of the house of YHWH they had presented to the Baals.

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

⁸And the king spoke, and they made one chest and set it at the gate of the house of YHWH outside.

⁹And 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.

⁹And they made a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to bring to YHWH the tribute of Moses the servant of God upon Israel in the wilderness.

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

¹⁰And all the leaders and all the people rejoiced, and they brought them in and put them into the chest, until it was filled.

¹¹Whenever 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.

¹¹And it came to pass at the time when the chest was brought in to the official of the king by the hand of the Levites and they saw, that there was much silver, that a scribe of the king came, and an officer of the high priest, and emptied the chest, and they took it and returned it to its place. Thus they did day by day, and they gathered silver in abundance.

¹²Then 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.

¹²And the king and Jehoiada gave it to those doing the work of the service of the house of YHWH, and they hired hewers and craftsmen to renew the house of YHWH, and also craftsmen in iron and bronze to strengthen the house of YHWH.

¹³So 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.

¹³And those working labored in the work, and went up the restoration of the work by their hand, and they made stand the house of God according to its measurement, and they strengthened it.

¹⁴When they were finished, they brought the rest of the money to the king and Jehoiada, and with it were made 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.

¹⁴And at their completing it, they brought before the king and Jehoiada the rest of the silver, and they made from it articles for the house of YHWH, articles of serving and of offering up, and dishes, and vessels of gold and silver. And they offered burnt offerings in the house of YHWH continually all the days of Jehoiada.

Jehoiada’s Death and Burial

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

¹⁵And Jehoiada grew old and was full of days, and he died a son of a hundred and thirty years in his death.

¹⁶And 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.

¹⁶And they buried him in the City of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel and with God and His house.

The Wickedness of Joash

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

¹⁷And after the death of Jehoiada, the leaders of Judah came and bowed down to the king. Then the king listened to them.

¹⁸They 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.

¹⁸And they forsook the house of YHWH, God of their fathers, and they served the Asherim and the idols. And wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this on account of their guilt.

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

¹⁹And He sent to them prophets to bring them back to YHWH. And they testified against them, and they would not give an ear.

²⁰Then 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.’”

²⁰And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest, and he stood over against the people, and he said to them, “Thus says God, ‘Why do you transgress the commandments of YHWH, so that you do not prosper? Because you have forsaken YHWH, He has forsaken you.’”

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

²¹And they conspired against him and stoned him with stones at the command of the king in the court of the house of YHWH.

²²Thus 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.”

²²And Joash the king did not remember the kindness that Jehoiada his father had done to him, and he killed his son. And as he died, he said, “May YHWH look on this and require it.”

The Death of Joash

²³In the spring,^a 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.

²³And it came to pass at the coming around of the year that the army of Aram came up against him, and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and they destroyed all the leaders of the people from among the people, and all the plunder they sent to the king of Damascus.

²⁴Although 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.

²⁴For with a small company of men the army of Aram came, and YHWH delivered into their hands an exceedingly great force, because they had forsaken YHWH, God of their fathers. And against Joash they executed judgment.

²⁵And when the Arameans had withdrawn, they left Joash severely wounded. His own servants conspired against him for shedding the blood of the son^a 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.

²⁵And in their going from him—for they left him severely wounded—his own servants conspired against him on account of the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and they killed him on his bed, and he died. And they buried him in the City of David, and they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings.

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

²⁶And these are those conspiring against him: Zabad son of Shimeath the Ammonitess and Jehozabad son of Shimrith the Moabitess.

²⁷The accounts of the sons of Joash and the many pronouncements about him, and of the restoration^a of the house of God, are indeed written in the Treatise^b of the Book of the Kings. And his son Amaziah reigned in his place.

²⁷And his sons, and the many oracles about him, and the repairing of the house of God, indeed they are written in the Treatise of the Book of the Kings. And Amaziah his son reigned in his place.