24 Joash was seven years old when he became the king of Judah. He ruled in Jerusalem for 40 years. His mother was Zibiah, who came from Beersheba. 2 Joash did things that pleased the Lord . He continued to do that all the time that Jehoiada the priest was alive. 3 Jehoiada chose two women for Joash to marry. She gave birth to sons and daughters for him.
4 After some time, Joash decided to repair the Lord 's temple. 5 He brought together the priests and the Levites. He told them, ‘Go around to all the towns in Judah. Bring here all the money that Israel's people offer each year for the temple. We will use it to repair the temple of your God. Go quickly and do it now!’
But the Levites did not do it immediately.
6 So the king told Jehoiada, the leader of the priests, to come to him. He said to him, ‘You have not told the Levites to bring the money that the people of Judah and Jerusalem have given. Why have you not done that? The Lord 's servant Moses and all Israel's people made the rule that people should give the money each year. It would be a tax to help with the tent of God's covenant.’ [ a ]
7 The sons of wicked Queen Athaliah had broken the door of God's temple. They had gone in there and they had taken the holy things. They had used them to worship the idols of Baal. That is why Joash wanted to repair the Lord 's temple.
8 The king told the Levites to make a big box. They put it outside the gate of the Lord 's temple. 9 Then he sent a command to everyone in Jerusalem and in the rest of Judah. He told them to bring the money to pay their tax to the Lord . That was the tax that God's servant Moses had told the Israelites that they should pay when they were in the wilderness. 10 All the officers and all the people were happy to give this money. They brought it to Jerusalem and they threw it into the box, until the box was full. 11 Every time that the box became full of money, the Levites took it to the king's officers. Then the king's secretary and the officer who served the leader of the priests took the money out of the box. Then they put the box outside the temple gate again. They did that every day, so that they had a lot of money.
12 The king and Jehoiada gave the money to the men who would take care of the work on the Lord 's temple. They paid men who could work with stone and wood to repair the temple. They also paid men who knew how to work with iron and bronze for this work.
13 These workers worked well so that they soon finished the work. They built the temple to be very strong, in the way that it should be. 14 When they had finished, there was some money that remained. So the workers took the money to the king and to Jehoiada. They decided to make tools to use in the temple. There were things that the priests used to serve the Lord in the temple, and to offer burnt offerings. They used gold and silver to make dishes and other things. While Jehoiada was still alive, the priests always made burnt offerings as sacrifices to the Lord in his temple.
15 But Jehoiada became very old and he died when he was 130 years old. 16 They buried him beside the kings in the City of David. They gave him that honour, because he had done many good things in Israel for God and for the temple.
17 After Jehoiada died, the important officers of Judah came to the king. They bent down low in front of him to give him honour. The king listened to their advice. 18 They stopped worshipping the Lord , the God of their ancestors, in his temple. Instead, they worshipped Asherah poles and idols. So God became very angry with the people of Judah and Jerusalem, because they were guilty of these sins. 19 The Lord sent his prophets to tell the people to turn back to him. They warned the people, but the people would not listen to them.
20 Then God's Spirit came to Jehoiada's son Zechariah with power. Zechariah stood in front of the people and he said, ‘This is what God says: “You are not obeying the Lord 's commands. So nothing will go well for you. You have turned away from the Lord , so now he has turned away from you!” ’
21 The people decided to punish Zechariah. The king gave a command to punish him with death. So they threw stones at him to kill him in the yard of the Lord 's temple. 22 King Joash forgot that Zechariah's father Jehoiada had been a faithful servant. He killed Jehoiada's son. Zechariah said, as he was dying, ‘I pray that the Lord sees what you have done! May he punish you because of it!’
23 At the end of that year, Syria's army attacked Judah and Jerusalem, where Joash lived. They killed all the leaders of Judah's people. They took many valuable things to send to their king in Damascus. 24 Syria's army was very small but the Lord gave them power over Judah's large army. He did that because Judah's people had turned away from the Lord , the God of their ancestors. Syria's army punished Joash as he deserved.
25-26 Joash had received bad wounds in the battle. When Syria's army went away, Joash's officers decided to kill him. They were angry because he had killed Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada the priest. So they murdered him in his bed. The two officers who did this were Zabad and Jehozabad. Zabad's mother was Shimeath, who came from Ammon. Jehozabad's mother was Shimrith, who came from Moab.
Joash's people buried him in the City of David. But they did not bury him beside the graves of the other kings.
27 The things that happened while Joash was king are written in a book. The book is called ‘The history of the kings’. It includes a list of Joash's sons, and the many messages that prophets spoke about him. It also includes a report of the work which he did on God's temple.
Joash's son Amaziah became king after him.
24 Joash was seven years old when he became king. He ruled 40 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah. Zibiah was from the town of Beersheba. 2 Joash did right in front of the Lord as long as Jehoiada the priest was living. 3 Jehoiada chose two wives for Joash. Joash had sons and daughters.
4 Then later on, Joash decided to rebuild the Lord ’s Temple. 5 Joash called the priests and the Levites together. He said to them, “Go out to the towns of Judah and gather the money all the Israelites pay every year. Use that money to rebuild your God’s Temple. Hurry and do this.” But the Levites didn’t hurry.
6 So King Joash called Jehoiada the leading priest. The king said, “Jehoiada, why haven’t you made the Levites bring in the tax money from Judah and Jerusalem? Moses, the Lord ’s servant, and the Israelites used that tax money for the Tent of the Agreement.”
7 In the past, Athaliah’s sons broke into God’s Temple and used the holy things in the Lord ’s Temple for their worship of the Baal gods. Athaliah was a very wicked woman.
8 King Joash gave a command for a box to be made and put outside the gate at the Lord ’s Temple. 9 Then the Levites made an announcement in Judah and Jerusalem. They told the people to bring in the tax money for the Lord . That tax money is what Moses the servant of God had required the Israelites to give while they were in the desert. 10 All the leaders and the people were happy. They brought their money and put it in the box. They continued giving until the box was full. 11 Then the Levites would take the box to the king’s officials. They saw that the box was full of money. The king’s secretary and the leading priest’s officer came and took the money out of the box. Then they took the box back to its place again. They did this often and gathered much money. 12 Then King Joash and Jehoiada gave the money to the people who worked on the Lord ’s Temple. And the people who worked on the Lord ’s Temple hired skilled woodcarvers and carpenters to rebuild the Lord ’s Temple. They also hired workers who knew how to work with iron and bronze to rebuild the Lord ’s Temple.
13 The men who supervised the work were very faithful. The work to rebuild the Temple was successful. They built God’s Temple the way it was before and they made it stronger. 14 When the workers finished, they brought the money that was left to King Joash and Jehoiada. They used that money to make things for the Lord ’s Temple. These things were used for the service in the Temple and for offering burnt offerings. They also made bowls and other things from gold and silver. The priests offered burnt offerings in the Lord ’s Temple every day while Jehoiada was alive.
15 Jehoiada became old. He had a very long life, and he died when he was 130 years old. 16 The people buried Jehoiada in the City of David where the kings are buried. The people buried Jehoiada there because in his life he did much good in Israel for God and for God’s Temple.
17 After Jehoiada died, the leaders of Judah came and bowed to King Joash. The king listened to the leaders. 18 They all stopped worshiping at the Temple of the Lord , the God their ancestors worshiped. Instead, they started worshiping Asherah poles and other idols. Because they sinned in this way, God was angry with the people of Judah and Jerusalem. 19 God sent prophets to the people to bring them back to the Lord . The prophets warned them, but they refused to listen.
20 The Spirit of God filled Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, and he stood in front of the people and said, “This is what God says: ‘Why do you people refuse to obey the Lord ’s commands? You will not be successful. You have left the Lord . So he has also left you!’”
21 But the people made plans against Zechariah. The king commanded the people to kill Zechariah, so they threw rocks at him until he was dead. The people did this in the courtyard of the Lord ’s Temple. 22 Joash the king didn’t remember Jehoiada’s kindness to him. Jehoiada was Zechariah’s father. But Joash killed Zechariah, Jehoiada’s son. Before Zechariah died, he said, “May the Lord see what you are doing and punish you!”
23 At the end of the year, the Aramean army came against Joash. They attacked Judah and Jerusalem and killed all the leaders of the people. They sent all the valuable things to the king of Damascus. 24 The Aramean army came with only a small group of men, but the Lord let them defeat the much larger army of Judah. This was a punishment for Joash because the people of Judah had left the Lord , the God their ancestors worshiped. 25 When the Arameans left Joash, he was badly wounded. His own servants made plans against him. They did this because Joash killed Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest. The servants killed Joash on his own bed. After he died, the people buried him in the City of David, but not in the place where the kings are buried.
26 These are the servants who made plans against Joash: Zabad and Jehozabad. Zabad’s mother was Shimeath, a woman from Ammon. And Jehozabad’s mother was Shimrith from Moab. 27 The story about Joash’s sons, the great prophecies against him, and how he rebuilt God’s Temple are written in the book, Commentary on the Kings . Joash’s son Amaziah became the new king after him.
24 Joash was seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Zibiah of Beersheba.
2 And Joash did that which was right in the sight of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the priest.
3 And Jehoiada took for him two wives; and he begat sons and daughters.
4 And it came to pass after this, that Joash was minded to repair the house of the Lord .
5 And he gathered together the priests and the Levites, and said to them, Go out unto the cities of Judah, and gather of all Israel money to repair the house of your God from year to year, and see that ye hasten the matter. Howbeit the Levites hastened it not.
6 And the king called for Jehoiada the chief, and said unto him, Why hast thou not required of the Levites to bring in out of Judah and out of Jerusalem the collection, according to the commandment of Moses the servant of the Lord , and of the congregation of Israel, for the tabernacle of witness?
7 For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken up the house of God; and also all the dedicated things of the house of the Lord did they bestow upon Baalim.
8 And at the king's commandment they made a chest, and set it without at the gate of the house of the Lord .
9 And they made a proclamation through Judah and Jerusalem, to bring in to the Lord the collection that Moses the servant of God laid upon Israel in the wilderness.
10 And all the princes and all the people rejoiced, and brought in, and cast into the chest, until they had made an end.
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, the king's scribe and the high priest's officer came and emptied the chest, and took it, and carried it to his place again. Thus they did day by day, and gathered money in abundance.
12 And the king and Jehoiada gave it to such as did the work of the service of the house of the Lord , and hired masons and carpenters to repair the house of the Lord , and also such as wrought iron and brass to mend the house of the Lord .
13 So the workmen wrought, and the work was perfected by them, and they set the house of God in his state, and strengthened it.
14 And when they had finished it, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada, whereof were made vessels for the house of the Lord , even vessels to minister, and to offer withal, and spoons, and vessels of gold and silver. And they offered burnt offerings in the house of the Lord continually all the days of Jehoiada.
15 But Jehoiada waxed old, and was full of days when he died; an hundred and thirty years old was he when he died.
16 And they buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, both toward God, and toward his house.
17 Now after the death of Jehoiada came the princes of Judah, and made obeisance to the king. Then the king hearkened unto them.
18 And they left the house of the Lord God of their fathers, and served groves and idols: and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their trespass.
19 Yet he sent prophets to them, to bring them again unto the Lord ; and they testified against them: but they would not give ear.
20 And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the Lord , that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the Lord , he hath also forsaken you.
21 And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of the Lord .
22 Thus Joash the king remembered not the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but slew his son. And when he died, he said, The Lord look upon it, and require it.
23 And it came to pass at the end of the year, that the host 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 sent all the spoil of them unto the king of Damascus.
24 For the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men, and the Lord delivered a very great host into their hand, because they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers. So they executed judgment against Joash.
25 And when they were departed from him, (for they left him in great diseases,) his own servants conspired against him for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada 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.
26 And these are they that conspired against him; Zabad the son of Shimeath an Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith a Moabitess.
27 Now concerning his sons, and the greatness of the burdens laid upon him, and the repairing of the house of God, behold, they are written in the story of the book of the kings. And Amaziah his son reigned in his stead.
24 ( A ) Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned for forty years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Zibiah from Beersheba. 2 ( B ) Joash did what was right in the sight of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the priest. 3 Jehoiada took two wives for him, and he fathered sons and daughters.
4 Now it came about after this that Joash [ a ] decided ( C ) to restore the house of the Lord . 5 He gathered the priests and Levites and said to them, “Go out to the cities of Judah and collect money from all ( D ) Israel to [ b ] repair the house of your God annually, and you shall [ c ] do the work quickly.” But the Levites did not act quickly. 6 So the king summoned Jehoiada, the chief priest , and said to him, “Why have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah and from Jerusalem ( E ) the [ d ] contribution of Moses, the servant of the Lord , and the congregation of Israel, ( F ) for the tent of the testimony?” 7 For ( G ) the sons of the wicked Athaliah had broken into the house of God, and even [ e ] used the holy things of the house of the Lord for the Baals.
8 So the king commanded, and ( H ) they made a chest and set it outside by the gate of the house of the Lord . 9 ( I ) And they made a proclamation in Judah and Jerusalem to bring to the Lord ( J ) the [ f ] contribution commanded by Moses the servant of God on Israel in the wilderness. 10 All the officers and all the people rejoiced, and they brought in their contribution and [ g ] dropped it into the chest until they had finished. 11 It happened that whenever the chest was brought to the king’s officer by the Levites, and ( K ) they saw that the money was substantial, the king’s scribe and the chief priest’s officer would come and empty the chest, and pick it up and return it to its place. They did this daily and collected a large amount of money. 12 The king and Jehoiada gave it to those who did the work of the service of the house of the Lord ; and they hired masons and carpenters to restore the house of the Lord , and also workers in iron and bronze to repair the house of the Lord . 13 So the workmen labored, and the repair work progressed in their hands, and they [ h ] restored the house of God according to its [ i ] specifications and strengthened it. 14 When they had finished, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada; and it was made into utensils for the house of the Lord , utensils for the service and the burnt offerings, and pans and utensils of gold and silver. And they offered burnt offerings in the house of the Lord continually, all the days of Jehoiada.
15 Now Jehoiada [ j ] reached a good old age and he died; he was 130 years old at his death. 16 And they buried him ( L ) in the city of David with the kings, because he had done well in ( M ) Israel and [ k ] for God and His house.
17 But after the death of Jehoiada the officials of Judah came and bowed down to the king, and the king listened to them. 18 And they abandoned ( N ) the house of the Lord , the God of their fathers, and ( O ) served the [ l ] Asherim and the idols; so ( P ) wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this guilt of theirs. 19 Yet ( Q ) He sent prophets to them to bring them back to the Lord ; and they testified against them, but they would not listen.
20 ( R ) Then the Spirit of God [ m ] covered Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada the priest like clothing; and he stood above the people and said to them, “This is what God has said, ‘ ( S ) Why do you break the commandments of the Lord and do not prosper? ( T ) Because you have abandoned the Lord , He has also abandoned you.’” 21 So ( U ) they conspired against him, and at the command of the king they stoned him [ n ] to death in the courtyard of the house of the Lord . 22 So Joash the king did not remember the kindness which Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had shown him, but he murdered his son. And as Zechariah died he said, “May ( V ) the Lord see and [ o ] avenge!”
23 Now it happened at the turn of the year that ( W ) the army of the Arameans came up against Joash ; and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, destroyed all the officials of the people from among the people, and sent all their spoils to the king of Damascus. 24 Indeed, the army of the Arameans came with a small number of men; yet ( X ) the Lord handed a very great army over to them, ( Y ) because [ p ] Judah and Joash had abandoned the Lord , the God of their fathers. So they executed judgment on Joash.
25 ( Z ) When they left him (for they left him very sick), his own servants conspired against him because of the blood of the [ q ] son of Jehoiada the priest, and they murdered him on his bed. So he died, and they buried him in the city of David, but they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings. 26 Now these are the men who conspired against him: Zabad the son of Shimeath the Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith the Moabitess. 27 As to his sons and the many pronouncements against him and ( AA ) the [ r ] rebuilding of the house of God, behold, they are written in the [ s ] ( AB ) treatise of the Book of the Kings. Then his son Amaziah became king in his place.
24 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. 2 Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord ( C ) all the years of Jehoiada the priest. 3 Jehoiada chose two wives for him, and he had sons and daughters.
4 Some time later Joash decided to restore the temple of the Lord . 5 He called together the priests and Levites and said to them, “Go to the towns of Judah and collect the money ( D ) due annually from all Israel, ( E ) to repair the temple of your God. Do it now.” But the Levites ( F ) did not act at once.
6 Therefore the king summoned Jehoiada the chief priest and said to him, “Why haven’t you required the Levites to bring in 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 covenant law?” ( G )
7 Now the sons of that wicked woman Athaliah had broken into the temple of God and had used even its sacred objects for the Baals.
8 At the king’s command, a chest was made and placed outside, at the gate of the temple of the Lord . 9 A proclamation was then issued in Judah and Jerusalem that they should bring to the Lord the tax that Moses the servant of God had required of Israel in the wilderness. 10 All the officials and all the people brought their contributions gladly, ( H ) dropping them into the chest until it was full. 11 Whenever the chest was brought in by the Levites to the king’s officials and they saw that there was a large amount of money, the royal secretary and the officer of the chief priest would come and empty the chest and carry it back to its place. They did this regularly and collected a great amount of money. 12 The king and Jehoiada gave it to those who carried out the work required for the temple of the Lord . They hired ( I ) masons and carpenters to restore the Lord ’s temple, and also workers in iron and bronze to repair the temple.
13 The men in charge of the work were diligent, and the repairs progressed under them. They rebuilt the temple of God according to its original design and reinforced it. 14 When they had finished, they brought the rest of the money to the king and Jehoiada, and with it were made articles for the Lord ’s temple: articles for the service and for the burnt offerings, and also dishes and other objects of gold and silver. As long as Jehoiada lived, burnt offerings were presented continually in the temple of the Lord .
15 Now Jehoiada was old and full of years, and he died at the age of a hundred and thirty. 16 He was buried with the kings in the City of David, because of the good he had done in Israel for God and his temple.
17 After the death of Jehoiada, the officials of Judah came and paid homage to the king, and he listened to them. 18 They abandoned ( J ) the temple of the Lord , the God of their ancestors, and worshiped Asherah poles and idols. ( K ) Because of their guilt, God’s anger ( L ) came on Judah and Jerusalem. 19 Although the Lord sent prophets to the people to bring them back to him, and though they testified against them, they would not listen. ( M )
20 Then the Spirit ( N ) of God came on Zechariah ( O ) son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood before the people and said, “This is what God says: ‘Why do you disobey the Lord ’s commands? You will not prosper. ( P ) Because you have forsaken the Lord , he has forsaken ( Q ) you.’”
21 But they plotted against him, and by order of the king they stoned ( R ) him to death ( S ) in the courtyard of the Lord ’s temple. ( T ) 22 King Joash did not remember the kindness Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had shown him but killed his son, who said as he lay dying, “May the Lord see this and call you to account.” ( U )
23 At the turn of the year, [ a ] the army of Aram marched against Joash; it invaded Judah and Jerusalem and killed all the leaders of the people. ( V ) They sent all the plunder to their king in Damascus. 24 Although the Aramean army had come with only a few men, ( W ) the Lord delivered into their hands a much larger army. ( X ) Because Judah had forsaken the Lord , the God of their ancestors, judgment was executed on Joash. 25 When the Arameans withdrew, they left Joash severely wounded. His officials conspired against him for murdering the son of Jehoiada the priest, and they killed him in his bed. So he died and was buried ( Y ) in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.
26 Those who conspired against him were Zabad, [ b ] son of Shimeath an Ammonite woman, and Jehozabad, son of Shimrith [ c ] ( Z ) a Moabite woman. ( AA ) 27 The account of his sons, the many prophecies about him, and the record of the restoration of the temple of God are written in the annotations on the book of the kings. And Amaziah his son succeeded him as king.
