2 Chronicles 24
24
1Joash was seven when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for forty years. His mother's name was Zibiah of Beersheba. 2Joash did what was right in the Lord's sight during the lifetime of Jehoiada the priest. 3Jehoiada arranged for him to marry two wives, and he had sons and daughters.
4Some time later, Joash decided to repair the Lord's Temple. 5He summoned the priests and Levites and told them, “Go to the towns of Judah and collect the yearly dues from everyone in Israel to repair the Temple of your God. Do it right away.” But the Levites did not go right away.
6So the king called for Jehoiada the high priest and asked him, “Why haven't you ordered the Levites to collect from Judah and Jerusalem the tax that Moses, the Lord's servant, and the assembly of Israel imposed to maintain the Tent of the Law?”#24:6. “Tent of the Law”: or, “Tent of the Testimony.”
7(The supporters of that wicked woman Athaliah had broken into God's Temple and had stolen the holy objects of the Lord's Temple and used them to worship the Baals.)#24:7. “Baals”: different pagan gods.
8The king ordered a collection chest to be made and placed outside the entrance to the Lord's Temple. 9A decree was proclaimed throughout Judea and Jerusalem to bring to the Lord the tax that Moses, the Lord's servant, imposed on Israel in the wilderness. 10All the leaders and all the people were glad to do so and brought their taxes. They dropped them in the chest until it was full.
11Every so often the Levites took the chest to the king's officials. When they saw that it contained a large amount of money, the king's secretary and the chief officer of the high priest would come and empty the chest. Then they would carry it back to its place. They did this every day and collected a great deal of money. 12Then the king and Jehoiada would allocate the money of those supervising the work on the Lord's Temple to hire stonecutters and carpenters to restore the Lord's Temple and craftsmen in iron and bronze to repair the Lord's Temple.
13The men doing the repairs worked hard and made good progress. They restored God's Temple to its original condition and strengthened it. 14When they finished, they returned the money that was left to the king and Jehoiada, and with it utensils were made for the Lord's Temple, both for the worship services and for the burnt offerings, also bowls for incense and vessels of gold and silver. Burnt offerings were regularly offered in the Lord's Temple throughout Jehoiada's lifetime. 15Jehoiada grew old and died at the age of 130, having lived a full life. 16He was buried with the kings in the City of David, for all the good he had done in Israel for God and his Temple.
17But after the death of Jehoiada, the leaders of Judah came to swear their loyalty to the king, and he listened to their advice. 18They abandoned the Temple of the Lord, the God of their forefathers, and worshiped Asherah poles and idols. Judah and Jerusalem were punished because of their sin.
19The Lord sent prophets to bring the people back to him and to warn them; but they refused to listen.
20Then the Spirit of God came to Zechariah, son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood before the people and told them, “This is what God says: ‘Why do you break the Lord's commandments so that you cannot be successful? Since you have abandoned the Lord, he has abandoned you.’”
21Then the leaders hatched a plot to kill Zechariah, and on the orders of the king they stoned him to death in the courtyard of the Lord's Temple. 22King Joash showed he had forgotten all about the loyalty and love shown to him by Jehoiada, Zechariah's father, by killing his son. As he died, Zechariah cried out, “May the Lord see what you've done and pay you back!”
23At the end of the year, the Aramean army came to attack Joash. They invaded Judah and Jerusalem and killed all the people's leaders, and sent all their plunder back to the king of Damascus. 24Even though the Aramean army had come with only a few men, the Lord gave them the victory over a very large army, because Judah had abandoned the Lord, the God of their forefathers. In this way they punished Joash.
25When the Arameans departed, they left Joash badly wounded. But then his own officers plotted against him for murdering the son of Jehoiada the priest, and they killed him in his bed. He was buried in the City of David, but not in the cemetery of the kings. 26Those who plotted against him were Zabad, son of Shimeath, (an Ammonite woman), and Jehozabad, son of Shimrith, (a Moabite woman).
27The story of the sons of Joash, as well as the many prophecies about him and about the restoration of God's Temple, are recorded in the Commentary on the Book of the Kings. His son Amaziah took over as king.
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com
2 Chronicles 24
24
Joash Repairs the Temple
1 # For ver. 1-14, see 2 Kgs. 11:21–12:15 Joash#24:1 Spelled Jehoash in 2 Kings 12:1 was seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba. 2#[ch. 26:5]And Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the priest. 3Jehoiada got for him two wives, and he had sons and daughters.
4After this Joash #[1 Chr. 22:7] decided to #ver. 12restore the house of the Lord. 5And he gathered the priests and the Levites and said to them, “Go out to the cities of #See ch. 21:2Judah and gather from all Israel money to repair the house of your God from year to year, and see that you act quickly.” But the Levites did not act quickly. 6So the king summoned Jehoiada the chief and said to him, “Why have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah and Jerusalem #See Ex. 30:12-16 the tax levied by Moses, the servant of the Lord, and the congregation of Israel for #See Num. 17:7, 8the tent of testimony?” 7For #[ch. 21:17] the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken into the house of God, and had also used all #[1 Kgs. 15:15]the dedicated things of the house of the Lord for the Baals.
8So the king commanded, and they made a chest and set it outside the gate of the house of the Lord. 9And #[Ezra 1:1] proclamation was made throughout Judah and Jerusalem to bring in for the Lord #[See ver. 6 above]the tax that Moses the servant of God laid on Israel in the wilderness. 10And all the princes and all the people rejoiced and brought their tax and dropped it into the chest until they had finished.#24:10 Or until it was full 11And whenever the chest was brought to the king’s officers by the Levites, when they saw that there was much money in it, the king’s secretary and the officer of the chief priest would come and empty the chest and take it and return it to its place. Thus they did day after day, and collected money in abundance. 12And the king and Jehoiada gave it to those who had charge of the work of the house of the Lord, and they hired masons and carpenters to restore the house of the Lord, and also workers in iron and bronze to repair the house of the Lord. 13So those who were engaged in the work labored, and the repairing went forward in their hands, and they restored the house of God to its proper condition and strengthened it. 14And when they had finished, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada, and with it #[2 Kgs. 12:13]were made utensils for the house of the Lord, both for the service and for the burnt offerings, and dishes for incense and vessels of gold and silver. And they offered burnt offerings in the house of the Lord regularly all the days of Jehoiada.
15But Jehoiada grew old and full of days, and died. He was 130 years old at his death. 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.
17Now after the death of Jehoiada the princes of Judah came and paid homage to the king. Then the king listened to them. 18And they abandoned the house of the Lord, the God of their fathers, and served #See Deut. 16:21 the Asherim and the idols. And #ch. 19:2, 10; 28:11, 13; 29:8; 32:25wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this guilt of theirs. 19#Jer. 25:4; [Matt. 23:34; Luke 11:49]; See ch. 36:15 Yet he sent prophets among them to bring them back to the Lord. #Neh. 13:15, 21These testified against them, but they would not pay attention.
Joash’s Treachery
20 # ch. 15:1; 20:14 Then the Spirit of God clothed Zechariah #[Matt. 23:35] the son of Jehoiada the priest, and he stood above the people, and said to them, “Thus says God, #[Num. 14:41] ‘Why do you break the commandments of the Lord, so that you cannot prosper? #ch. 15:2Because you have forsaken the Lord, he has forsaken you.’” 21But #[Neh. 9:26] they conspired against him, #Matt. 23:35; Luke 11:51and by command of the king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the Lord. 22Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness that Jehoiada, Zechariah’s father, had shown him, but killed his son. And when he was dying, he said, “May the Lord see #[Gen. 9:5]and avenge!”#24:22 Or and require it
Joash Assassinated
23At the end of the year #[2 Kgs. 12:17, 18]the army of the Syrians came up against Joash. They came to Judah and Jerusalem and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people and sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus. 24Though the army of the Syrians had come with few men, #Isa. 30:17; [Lev. 26:8, 36, 37] the Lord delivered into their hand a very great army, #[See ver. 20 above] because Judah#24:24 Hebrew they had forsaken the Lord, the God of their fathers. Thus they #[ch. 22:8]executed judgment on Joash.
25When they had departed from him, leaving him #[Deut. 28:35] severely wounded, #For ver. 25-27, see 2 Kgs. 12:20, 21 his servants conspired against him because of the blood of #[ver. 21, 22] the son#24:25 Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew sons of Jehoiada the priest, and killed him on his bed. So he died, and they buried him in the city of David, #[ch. 21:20; 28:27]but they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings. 26Those who conspired against him were Zabad the son of Shimeath the Ammonite, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith the Moabite. 27Accounts of his sons and of the many oracles against him and of #ver. 12 the rebuilding#24:27 Hebrew founding of the house of God are written in the #ch. 13:22Story#24:27 Or Exposition of the Book of the Kings. And Amaziah his son reigned in his place.
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