歷代志下 24
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)
猶大王約阿施
24 約阿施七歲登基，在耶路撒冷執政四十年。他母親叫西比亞，是別示巴人。 2 耶何耶大祭司在世之日，約阿施做耶和華視為正的事。 3 耶何耶大為他娶了兩個妻子，她們都為他生兒育女。
4 之後，約阿施有意整修耶和華的殿， 5 便召集祭司和利未人，對他們說：「你們到猶大各城去向所有以色列人徵收銀子，用來作每年整修你們上帝殿的費用。你們要立刻辦理這事。」可是，利未人沒有立刻辦理。 6 王就召來耶何耶大大祭司，問他：「你為什麼不吩咐利未人到耶路撒冷和猶大去收稅呢？這稅是耶和華的僕人摩西和以色列的會眾定的，以備聖幕之用。」 7 因為惡婦亞她利雅的爪牙曾闖入耶和華上帝的殿，拿殿裡的聖物去供奉巴力。
8 於是，王下令造一個箱子，放在耶和華殿的門外， 9 通告猶大和耶路撒冷的人民要將上帝的僕人摩西在曠野為以色列人定的稅帶來獻給耶和華。 10 全體首領和民眾都高高興興地把銀子帶來投進箱子裡，直到箱子滿了。 11 利未人見箱子滿了，就抬到王的官員那裡。王的書記和大祭司的屬下會把箱子倒空，然後把箱子放回原處。日復一日，他們收了很多銀子。 12 王與耶何耶大把銀子交給耶和華殿裡的辦事人員，他們就雇用石匠、木匠、鐵匠和銅匠來整修耶和華的殿。 13 工人辛勤整修，工程進展順利，上帝的殿恢復了原貌，而且非常堅固。 14 完工後，他們把剩餘的銀子交給王與耶何耶大，這些銀子被用來製造耶和華殿裡的器具：供奉和獻祭用的器皿、碟子和其他金銀器皿。耶何耶大在世之日，民眾常在耶和華的殿裡獻燔祭。
耶何耶大的政策被廢棄
15 耶何耶大壽終正寢，享年一百三十歲。 16 民眾把他葬在大衛城的王陵裡，因為他在以色列為上帝和上帝的殿做了美善的事。
17 耶何耶大死後，猶大眾首領來朝拜王，王對他們言聽計從。 18 他們離棄他們祖先的上帝耶和華的殿，去供奉亞舍拉神像及其他偶像。因他們所犯的罪，上帝的烈怒臨到猶大和耶路撒冷。 19 但耶和華仍然派先知到他們中間，引導他們歸向祂。先知警告他們，他們卻不聽。
20 上帝的靈感動了耶何耶大祭司的兒子撒迦利亞，他便站在高處對民眾說：「耶和華上帝這樣說，『你們為什麼違反耶和華的誡命，以致不得亨通呢？既然你們背棄我，我也必離棄你們。』」 21 他們想謀害撒迦利亞，就照著王的命令，在耶和華殿的院子裡用石頭打死了他。 22 約阿施王不但不顧念撒迦利亞的父親耶何耶大對他的恩惠，還殺死了耶何耶大的兒子。撒迦利亞臨死的時候說：「願耶和華鑒察，為我伸冤！」
約阿施被殺
23 當年年底，亞蘭的軍兵前來攻擊約阿施，入侵猶大和耶路撒冷，殺了民眾的所有首領，把戰利品全都送到大馬士革王那裡。 24 雖然亞蘭軍只來了一小隊，但耶和華把大隊的猶大軍兵交在他們手中，以懲罰約阿施，因為猶大人背棄了他們祖先的上帝耶和華。
25 亞蘭人退兵的時候，約阿施受了重傷，他的臣僕叛變，把他殺死在床上，為耶何耶大祭司的兒子報了血仇。約阿施死後葬在大衛城，但沒有葬在王陵裡。 26 殺他的是亞捫婦人示米押的兒子撒拔和摩押婦人示米利的兒子約薩拔。 27 至於約阿施的眾子、他所受的警告以及他整修上帝殿的事都記在列王史上。他兒子亞瑪謝繼位。
2 Chronicles 24
Contemporary English Version
King Joash of Judah
(2 Kings 12.1-16)
24 Joash was only 7 years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled 40 years from Jerusalem. His mother Zibiah was from the town of Beersheba.
2 While Jehoiada the priest was alive, Joash obeyed the Lord by doing right. 3 Jehoiada even chose two women for Joash to marry so he could have a family.
4 Some time later, Joash decided it was time to repair the temple. 5 He called together the priests and Levites and said, “Go everywhere in Judah and collect the annual tax from the people. I want this done at once—we need that money to repair the temple.”
But the Levites were in no hurry to follow the king's orders. 6 (A) So he sent for Jehoiada the high priest and asked, “Why didn't you send the Levites to collect the taxes? The Lord's servant Moses and the people agreed long ago that this tax would be collected and used to pay for the upkeep of the sacred tent. 7 And now we need it to repair the temple because the sons of that evil woman Athaliah came in and wrecked it. They even used some of the sacred objects to worship the god Baal.”
8 Joash gave orders for a wooden box to be made and had it placed outside, near the gate of the temple. 9 He then sent letters everywhere in Judah and Jerusalem, asking everyone to bring their taxes to the temple, just as Moses had required their ancestors to do.
10 The people and their leaders agreed, and they brought their money to Jerusalem and placed it in the box. 11 Each day, after the Levites took the box into the temple, the king's secretary and the high priest's assistant would dump out the money and count it. Then the empty box would be taken back outside.
This happened day after day, and soon a large amount of money was collected. 12 Joash and Jehoiada turned the money over to the men who were supervising the repairs to the temple. They used the money to hire stonecutters, carpenters, and experts in working with iron and bronze.
13 These workers went right to work repairing the temple, and when they were finished, it looked as good as new. 14 They did not use all the tax money for the repairs, so the rest of it was handed over to Joash and Jehoiada, who then used it to make dishes and other gold and silver objects for the temple.
Sacrifices to please the Lord[a] were offered regularly in the temple for as long as Jehoiada lived. 15 He died at the ripe old age of 130 years, 16 and he was buried in the royal tombs in Jerusalem, because he had done so much good for the people of Israel, for God, and for the temple.
Joash Turns Away from the Lord
17 After the death of Jehoiada the priest, the leaders of Judah went to Joash and talked him into doing what they wanted. 18 The people of Judah soon stopped worshiping in the temple of the Lord God and started worshiping idols and the symbols of the goddess Asherah. These sinful things made the Lord God angry with the people of Judah and Jerusalem, 19 but he still sent prophets who warned them to turn back to him. The people refused to listen.
20 (B) God's Spirit spoke to Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest, and Zechariah told everyone that God was saying: “Why are you disobeying me and my laws? This will only bring punishment! You have deserted me, so now I will desert you.”
21-22 King Joash forgot that Zechariah's father had always been a loyal friend. So when the people of Judah plotted to kill Zechariah, Joash joined them and gave orders for them to stone him to death in the courtyard of the temple. As Zechariah was dying, he said, “I pray that the Lord will see this and punish all of you.”
Joash Is Killed
23 In the spring of the following year, the Syrian army invaded Judah and Jerusalem, killing all of the nation's leaders. They collected everything of value that belonged to the people and took it back to their king in Damascus. 24 The Syrian army was very small, but the Lord let them defeat Judah's large army, because he was punishing Joash and the people of Judah for turning away from him.
25-26 Joash was severely wounded during the battle, and as soon as the Syrians left Judah, two of his officials, Zabad and Jehozabad,[b] decided to revenge the death of Zechariah. They plotted and killed Joash while he was in bed, recovering from his wounds. Joash was buried in Jerusalem, but not in the royal tombs. 27 The History of the Kings also tells more about the sons of Joash, what the prophets said about him, and how he repaired the temple. Amaziah son of Joash became king after his father's death.
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