24:1
Joash was seven years old when he came to the throne and he reigned for forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zibiah of Beersheba.
24:2
Joash did what Yahweh regards as right throughout the lifetime of Jehoiada the priest.
24:3
Jehoiada found him two wives and he fathered several sons and daughters.
24:4
Later, Joash made up his mind to repair the Temple of Yahweh.
24:5
Calling the priests and the Levites together, he said, 'Go out to the towns of Judah and collect money from all Israel for annual repairs to the Temple of Yahweh. Do this quickly.' But the Levites were in no hurry,
24:6
so the king summoned Jehoiada the chief priest and said, 'Why have you not insisted on the Levites' bringing in the tax from Judah and Jerusalem for the Tent of Witness, as imposed by Moses servant of Yahweh and the community of Israel?' --
24:7
Athaliah and her sons, whom she corrupted, despoiled the Temple of God and even assigned all the sacred revenues of the Temple of Yahweh to Baal.
24:8
So, at the king's order, a chest was made and put outside the gate of the Temple of Yahweh,
24:9
and a proclamation was issued throughout Judah and Jerusalem that the tax, which Moses servant of God had imposed on Israel in the desert, was to be brought to Yahweh.
24:10
Then all the officials and all the people gladly brought in their contributions, depositing them in the chest until the payment was complete.
24:11
Whenever the chest was brought by the Levites for royal inspection and found to contain a large sum of money, the king's secretary and the chief priest's representative would come and empty the chest and then have it returned to its place. This was done day after day and a great deal of money was collected.
24:12
The king and Jehoiada handed it over to the foreman attached to the Temple of Yahweh, and the hired masons and carpenters set about repairing the Temple of Yahweh; and iron-workers and bronze-workers laboured to repair the Temple of Yahweh.
24:13
The workmen got on with the task -- the repair work made good progress at their hands -- until they had restored the Temple of God to its former state and reconditioned it.
24:14
When they had finished, they brought the balance of the money to the king and Jehoiada, and with this vessels were made for the Temple of Yahweh, vessels for the liturgy and for the burnt offerings, bowls and other gold and silver vessels. And the perpetual burnt offering was offered in the Temple of Yahweh throughout Jehoiada's lifetime.
24:15
But Jehoiada, growing old, had his fill of days and died. He died at the age of a hundred and thirty years,
24:16
and was buried with the kings in the City of David because he had served Israel and God and his Temple well.
24:17
After Jehoiada's death the officials of Judah came to pay court to the king, and the king listened to their advice,
24:18
and they abandoned the Temple of Yahweh, God of their ancestors, for the worship of sacred poles and idols. Judah and Jerusalem incurred wrath because of this guilt of theirs.
24:19
He sent their prophets to lead them back to Yahweh; these put the case against them, but they would not listen.
24:20
The spirit of God then invested Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood up before the people and said, 'God says this, "Why transgress Yahweh's commands to your certain ruin? For if you abandon Yahweh, he will abandon you."
24:21
They then plotted against him and, at the king's order, stoned him in the court of the Temple of Yahweh.
24:22
Thus King Joash, forgetful of the devotion which Jehoiada father of Zechariah had displayed on his behalf, murdered his son, who cried out as he died, 'Yahweh will see this and avenge it!'
24:23
At the turn of the year, the Aramaean army made war on Joash. When they reached Judah and Jerusalem, they massacred all the nation's government officials and sent all their booty to the king of Damascus.
24:24
Although the invading Aramaean army was only a small body of men, Yahweh allowed them to defeat a very large army because they had abandoned Yahweh, God of their ancestors; thus they executed judgement on Joash. After they had retired -- for they left him seriously wounded-
24:25
his own retainers plotted against him to avenge the blood of the son of Jehoiada the priest and murdered him in his bed. When he died he was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.
24:26
These were the conspirators: Zabad son of Shimeath the Ammonite and Jehozabad son of Shimrith the Moabite.
24:27
As regards his sons, the heavy tribute imposed on him, and the restoration of the Temple of God, this is recorded in the Commentary on the Book of the Kings. His son Amaziah succeeded him.
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