2 Chronicles 24

1Joash was seven years old when he began to reign; and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem: and his mother’s name was Zibiah, of Beer-sheba.

1Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he ruled in Jerusalem for forty years; his mother was Zibiah from Beer-sheba.

2And Joash did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah all the days of Jehoiada the priest.

2Joash did what was right in the sight of the LORD as long as Jehoiada the priest was alive.

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

3Jehoiada chose two wives for him, and Joash had sons and daughters.

4And it came to pass after this, that Joash was minded to restore the house of Jehovah.

4After some time, Joash decided to repair the Temple of the LORD.

5And 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.

5He gathered the priests and Levites and told them, "Go out to the towns of Judah and collect the annual money from all the Israelites to repair the house of your God. Do it quickly." But the Levites did not hurry.

6And 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 tax of Moses the servant of Jehovah, and of the assembly of Israel, for the tent of the testimony?

6So the king called for Jehoiada the high priest and asked him, "Why haven't you required the Levites to bring in the tax from Judah and Jerusalem? This is the tax that Moses, the servant of the LORD, and the assembly of Israel required for the Tent of the Covenant."

7For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken up the house of God; and also all the dedicated things of the house of Jehovah did they bestow upon the Baalim.

7For the sons of that wicked woman Athaliah had broken into the house of God and had used all the holy items from the LORD’s Temple to worship the Baals.

8So the king commanded, and they made a chest, and set it without at the gate of the house of Jehovah.

8Then the king commanded them to make a chest and place it outside the gate of the LORD’s Temple.

9And they made a proclamation through Judah and Jerusalem, to bring in for Jehovah the tax that Moses the servant of God laid upon Israel in the wilderness.

9They sent a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem, telling the people to bring to the LORD the tax that Moses the servant of God had required of Israel in the wilderness.

10And all the princes and all the people rejoiced, and brought in, and cast into the chest, until they had made an end.

10All the leaders and all the people were happy to help; they brought their money and dropped it into the chest until it was full.

11And it was so, that, at what time the chest was brought unto the king’s officers by the hand of the Levites, and when they saw that there was much money, the king’s scribe and the chief priest’s officer came and emptied the chest, and took it, and carried it to its place again. Thus they did day by day, and gathered money in abundance.

11Whenever the Levites brought the chest to the king’s officials and saw that it was full of money, the king’s secretary and the high priest’s officer would empty it, and then take the chest back to its place. They did this every day and collected a large amount of money.

12And the king and Jehoiada gave it to such as did the work of the service of the house of Jehovah; and they hired masons and carpenters to restore the house of Jehovah, and also such as wrought iron and brass to repair the house of Jehovah.

12The king and Jehoiada gave the money to the men in charge of the work on the LORD’s Temple. They hired stonecutters and carpenters to restore the Temple, as well as workers in iron and bronze to repair it.

13So the workmen wrought, and the work of repairing went forward in their hands, and they set up the house of God in its state, and strengthened it.

13The workmen labored hard, and the repair work progressed under their care. They restored the house of God to its original design and made it strong.

14And when they had made an end, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada, whereof were made vessels for the house of Jehovah, even vessels wherewith to minister and to offer, and spoons, and vessels of gold and silver. And they offered burnt-offerings in the house of Jehovah continually all the days of Jehoiada.

14When they finished, they brought the leftover money to the king and Jehoiada. They used it to make gold and silver items for the Temple, including bowls, spoons, and other tools for the service and for burnt offerings. Burnt offerings were sacrificed in the LORD’s Temple continually as long as Jehoiada lived.

15But Jehoiada waxed old and was full of days, and he died; a hundred and thirty years old was he when he died.

15Jehoiada lived a long life, and he was one hundred and thirty years old when he died.

16And they buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, and toward God and his house.

16They buried him in the City of David with the kings because he had done much good in Israel for God and his Temple.

17Now after the death of Jehoiada came the princes of Judah, and made obeisance to the king. Then the king hearkened unto them.

17But after Jehoiada died, the leaders of Judah came and bowed down to the king, and the king listened to them.

18And they forsook the house of Jehovah, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherim and the idols: and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their guiltiness.

18They abandoned the Temple of the LORD, the God of their ancestors, and began to worship the Asherah poles and idols. Because of this guilt, God's anger came upon Judah and Jerusalem.

19Yet he sent prophets to them, to bring them again unto Jehovah; and they testified against them: but they would not give ear.

19The LORD sent prophets to the people to bring them back to him, and though the prophets warned them, the people would not listen.

20And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest; and he stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of Jehovah, so that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken Jehovah, he hath also forsaken you.

20Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood above the people and said, "This is what God says: Why do you disobey the LORD’s commands? You will not succeed. Because you have abandoned the LORD, he has abandoned you."

21And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of Jehovah.

21But they plotted against Zechariah, and by the king’s order, they stoned him to death in the courtyard of the LORD’s Temple.

22Thus 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, Jehovah look upon it, and require it.

22King Joash did not remember the kindness that Jehoiada, Zechariah’s father, had shown him. Instead, he killed Jehoiada’s son. As Zechariah was dying, he said, "May the LORD see this and call you to account!"

23And it came to pass at the end of the year, that the army of the Syrians 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.

23At the end of the year, the Syrian army marched against Joash. They invaded Judah and Jerusalem, killed all the leaders of the people, and sent all the loot back to the king in Damascus.

24For the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men; and Jehovah delivered a very great host into their hand, because they had forsaken Jehovah, the God of their fathers. So they executed judgment upon Joash.

24The Syrian army had come with only a small number of men, but the LORD let them defeat a very large Judean army because Judah had abandoned the LORD, the God of their ancestors. So the Syrians carried out God's judgment on Joash.

25And when they were departed from him (for they left him very sick), 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.

25When the Syrians withdrew, they left Joash severely wounded. His own officials plotted against him because he had murdered the son of Jehoiada the priest. They killed him in his bed, and he died. He was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.

26And these are they that conspired against him: Zabad the son of Shimeath the Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith the Moabitess.

26The men who plotted against him were Zabad, whose mother was Shimeath from Ammon, and Jehozabad, whose mother was Shimrith from Moab.

27Now concerning his sons, and the greatness of the burdens laid upon him, and the rebuilding of the house of God, behold, they are written in the commentary of the book of the kings. And Amaziah his son reigned in his stead.

27The accounts of Joash’s sons, the many prophecies against him, and the records of his rebuilding God’s Temple are written in the records of the book of the kings. Then his son Amaziah became king after him.