2 Chronicles 24
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Judah’s King Joash
24 Joash(A) was seven years old when he became king and reigned 40 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah; she was from Beer-sheba. 2 Throughout the time of Jehoiada the priest, Joash did what was right in the Lord’s sight.(B) 3 Jehoiada acquired two wives for him, and he was the father of sons and daughters.
Repairing the Temple
4 Afterward,(C) Joash took it to heart to renovate(D) the Lord’s temple. 5 So he gathered the priests and Levites and said, “Go out to the cities of Judah and collect money from all Israel to repair the temple of your God as needed year by year,(E) and do it quickly.”
However, the Levites did not hurry. 6 So the king called Jehoiada the high priest and said, “Why haven’t you required the Levites to bring from Judah and Jerusalem the tax imposed by the Lord’s servant Moses and the assembly of Israel for the tent(F) of the testimony? 7 For the sons of that wicked Athaliah broke into the Lord’s temple and even used the sacred things of the Lord’s temple for the Baals.”
8 At the king’s command a chest was made and placed outside the gate of the Lord’s temple. 9 Then a proclamation(G) was issued in Judah and Jerusalem that the tax God’s servant Moses imposed on Israel in the wilderness be brought to the Lord. 10 All the leaders and all the people rejoiced, brought the tax, and put it in the chest until it was full. 11 Whenever the chest was brought by the Levites to the king’s overseers, and when they saw that there was a large amount of money, the king’s secretary and the high priest’s deputy came and emptied the chest, picked it up, and returned it to its place. They did this daily and gathered the money in abundance. 12 Then the king and Jehoiada gave it to those in charge of the labor on the Lord’s temple, who were hiring stonecutters and carpenters to renovate the Lord’s temple, also blacksmiths and coppersmiths to repair the Lord’s temple.(H)
13 The workmen did their work, and through them the repairs progressed. They restored God’s temple to its specifications and reinforced it. 14 When they finished, they presented the rest of the money to the king and Jehoiada, who made articles for the Lord’s temple with it—articles for ministry and for making burnt offerings, and ladles[a] and articles of gold and silver. They regularly offered burnt offerings in the Lord’s temple throughout Jehoiada’s life.
Joash’s Apostasy
15 Jehoiada died when he was old and full of days; he was 130 years old at his death. 16 He was buried in the city of David with the kings(I) because he had done what was good in Israel with respect to God and His temple.
17 However, after Jehoiada died, the rulers of Judah came and paid homage to the king. Then the king listened to them, 18 and they abandoned the temple of Yahweh, the God of their ancestors and served the Asherah poles and the idols.(J) So there was wrath(K) against Judah and Jerusalem for this guilt of theirs. 19 Nevertheless, He sent them prophets(L) to bring them back to the Lord; they admonished them, but the people would not listen.(M)
20 The Spirit of God took control of[b](N) Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood above the people and said to them, “This is what God says, ‘Why are you transgressing the Lord’s commands and you do not prosper?(O) Because you have abandoned the Lord, He has abandoned you.’”(P) 21 But they conspired against him and stoned him at the king’s command in the courtyard of the Lord’s temple.(Q) 22 King Joash didn’t remember the kindness that Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had extended to him, but killed his son. While he was dying, he said, “May the Lord see and demand(R) an account.”
Aramean Invasion of Judah
23 At the turn of the year, an Aramean army went to war against Joash.(S) They entered Judah and Jerusalem and destroyed all the leaders of the people among them and sent all the plunder to the king of Damascus. 24 Although the Aramean army came with only a few men, the Lord handed over(T) a vast army to them because the people of Judah had abandoned(U) Yahweh, the God of their ancestors. So they executed judgment on Joash.
Joash Assassinated
25 When(V) the Arameans saw that Joash had many wounds, they left him. His servants conspired against him, and killed him on his bed, because he had shed the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest. So he died, and they buried him in the city of David, but they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings.(W)
26 Those who conspired against him were Zabad, son of the Ammonite woman Shimeath, and Jehozabad, son of the Moabite woman Shimrith.[c](X) 27 Concerning his sons, the many oracles about him, and the restoration(Y) of the Lord’s temple, they are recorded in the Writing(Z) of the Book of the Kings. His son Amaziah became king in his place.
Footnotes
- 2 Chronicles 24:14 Or dishes, or spoons; lit palms
- 2 Chronicles 24:20 Lit God clothed Himself with; Jdg 6:34; 1Ch 12:18
- 2 Chronicles 24:26 = Shomer in 2Kg 12:21
2 Chronicles 24
Common English Bible
Jehoash rules
24 Jehoash[a] was 7 years old when he became king, and he ruled for forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah; she was from Beer-sheba. 2 Jehoash did what was right in the Lord’s eyes as long as Jehoiada the priest was alive. 3 Jehoiada had him marry two wives, and Jehoash fathered sons and daughters.
4 Sometime later, Jehoash wanted to renovate the Lord’s temple. 5 He gathered the priests and the Levites and said, “Go to the cities of Judah and collect the annual tax of silver due from all Israel for the upkeep of God’s temple. Do it right away.”
But the Levites procrastinated. 6 So the king summoned the chief priest Jehoiada and asked him, “Why haven’t you required the Levites to bring in from Judah and Jerusalem the tax imposed by the Lord’s servant Moses and the Israelite assembly for the covenant tent?” (7 Now wicked Athaliah and her followers had broken into God’s temple and used all the holy objects of the Lord’s temple in their worship of the Baals.) 8 So at the king’s command a box was made and placed outside the gate of the Lord’s temple. 9 Then a proclamation was issued throughout Judah and Jerusalem requiring the people to bring to the Lord the tax that God’s servant Moses had imposed on Israel in the wilderness. 10 This so pleased all the leaders and all the people that they gladly dropped their money in the box until it was full. 11 Whenever the box was brought by the Levites to the royal accountants, as soon as they saw that a large amount of money was in the box, the royal scribe and the representative of the high priest would come, empty the box, and return it to its place. This took place day after day, and a large amount of money was collected. 12 The king and Jehoiada would give it to those in charge of the work on the Lord’s temple who in turn hired masons and carpenters to renovate the Lord’s temple, as well as metalworkers for the iron and bronze to repair the Lord’s temple. 13 The workers labored hard, and the restoration progressed smoothly under their control until they had brought God’s temple back to its original state and reinforced it. 14 As soon as they finished, they brought the remaining money to the king and Jehoiada. They used it to make equipment for the Lord’s temple, including what was used for the service and the entirely burned offerings, pans, and other objects made of gold and silver. As long as Jehoiada lived, the entirely burned offerings were regularly offered in the Lord’s temple.
15 Jehoiada grew old, and when he reached the age of 130, he died. 16 He was buried among the kings in David’s City because of his exemplary service to Israel, God, and God’s temple.
17 After Jehoiada’s death, however, the leaders of Judah came and bowed before the king, and the king listened to them. 18 They abandoned the temple of the Lord, their ancestors’ God, and worshipped sacred poles[b] and idols. Anger came upon Judah and Jerusalem as a consequence of their sin, 19 and though God sent prophets to them to bring them back to the Lord and to warn them, they refused to listen. 20 Then the spirit of God enwrapped Zechariah the son of the priest Jehoiada. Standing before the people, he told them, “This is what God says: Why do you defy the Lord’s commands and keep yourselves from prospering? Because you have abandoned the Lord, he has abandoned you!” 21 But the people plotted against Zechariah, and at the king’s command stoned him to death in the courtyard of the Lord’s temple. 22 King Jehoash failed to remember the loyalty that Jehoiada, Zechariah’s father, had shown him and murdered Jehoiada’s son, who cried out as he lay dying, “May the Lord see and seek vengeance!”
23 That spring the Aramean army marched against Jehoash. They attacked Judah and Jerusalem, destroyed all the people’s leaders, and sent all the loot to the king of Damascus. 24 Although the Aramean forces were relatively small, the Lord handed over to them a very large army, because the people of Judah had abandoned the Lord, their ancestors’ God. Jehoash was justly punished. 25 The Arameans left him badly wounded, but his own officials plotted against him for murdering the son[c] of the priest Jehoiada. So they killed him in his bed. He died and was buried in David’s City but not in the royal cemetery. 26 Those who plotted against him were the Ammonite Zabad, Shimeath’s son, and the Moabite Jehozabad, Shimrith’s son. 27 The list of Jehoash’s sons, the many prophecies against him, and the account of his restoration of God’s temple are written in the comments on the records of the kings. His son Amaziah succeeded him as king.
Footnotes
- 2 Chronicles 24:1 Heb Joash (see 24:2, 4, 22, 24); the king's name is variously spelled in either long Jehoash or short Joash form in 2 Kgs.
- 2 Chronicles 24:18 Heb asherim, perhaps objects devoted to the goddess Asherah
- 2 Chronicles 24:25 LXX, Vulg; MT sons
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