The Wickedness of Joash

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^(A) the temple of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and worshiped Asherah poles and idols.^(B) Because of their guilt, God’s anger^(C) 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.^(D)

²⁰ Then the Spirit^(E) of God came on Zechariah^(F) 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.^(G) Because you have forsaken the Lord, he has forsaken^(H) you.’”

²¹ But they plotted against him, and by order of the king they stoned^(I) him to death^(J) in the courtyard of the Lord’s temple.^{(K) 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.”^(L)

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.^(M) They sent all the plunder to their king in Damascus. ²⁴ Although the Aramean army had come with only a few men,^(N) the Lord delivered into their hands a much larger army.^(O) 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^(P) in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.