2 Chronicles 24

24 ¹ Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zibiah, from Beersheba. ² Joash did what was right in the eyes of our Father all the days of Jehoiada the priest. ³ Jehoiada chose two wives for him, and he had sons and daughters.

⁴ Some time later, Joash set his heart on restoring the house of our Father. ⁵ He gathered the priests and the Levites and said to them, "Go out to the cities of Judah and collect money from all Israel, year by year, to repair the house of your Father; and do it quickly." But the Levites did not act quickly. ⁶ So the king summoned Jehoiada the chief priest and said to him, "Why haven't you required the Levites to bring in from Judah and Jerusalem the tax that Moses the servant of our Father and the assembly imposed on Israel for the tent of the testimony?" ^a a v6 The tent of the testimony was Israel's portable wilderness sanctuary, the Tabernacle. ⁷ For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken into the house of our Father and had even used all the holy things of the house of our Father in worship of the Baals.

⁸ At the king's command, they made a chest and placed it outside, at the gate of the house of our Father. ⁹ Then they issued a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to bring to our Father the tax that Moses the servant of our Father had imposed on Israel in the wilderness. ¹⁰ All the officials and all the people rejoiced; they brought their contributions and dropped them into the chest until it was full. ¹¹ Whenever the chest was brought to the king's overseers by the Levites, and they saw that there was much money, the king's secretary and the officer of the chief priest would come and empty the chest, then carry it back to its place. They did this day after day and collected money in abundance. ¹² The king and Jehoiada gave it to those who carried out the work on the house of our Father, and they hired masons and carpenters to restore the house of our Father, and also workers in iron and bronze to repair it. ¹³ The workers labored, and the repairs moved forward; they restored the house of our Father to its proper condition and strengthened it. ¹⁴ When they had finished, they brought the rest of the money to the king and Jehoiada, and from it they made utensils for the house of our Father: vessels for the service and for the burnt offerings, and dishes and vessels of gold and silver. And they offered burnt offerings in the house of our Father continually throughout Jehoiada's lifetime.

¹⁵ Now Jehoiada grew old and full of years, and he died; he was a hundred and thirty years old at his death. ¹⁶ They buried him in the City of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, and for our Father and his house.

Joash Forsakes Our Father After Jehoiada Dies

¹⁷ After the death of Jehoiada, the officials of Judah came and bowed before the king, and the king listened to them. ¹⁸ They abandoned the house of our Father, the God of their ancestors, and served the Asherah poles and the idols. So wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem because of their guilt. ¹⁹ Yet our Father sent prophets to them to turn them back to himself. They testified against them, but they would not listen.

²⁰ Then the Spirit of our Father came upon Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood up before the people and said to them, "This is what our Father says: Why do you break his commandments, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken him, he has forsaken you."

²¹ But they conspired against him, and at the king's command they stoned him in the courtyard of the house of our Father. ²² King Joash did not remember the kindness that Jehoiada, Zechariah's father, had shown him, but killed his son. As Zechariah was dying he said, "May our Father see this and call it to account."

Our Father's Judgment Falls on Faithless Joash

²³ At the turn of the year, the army of Aram marched against Joash. They invaded Judah and Jerusalem and destroyed all the officials of the people, and sent all their plunder to the king of Damascus. ²⁴ Though the Aramean army had come with only a few men, our Father delivered into their hands a very large army, because Judah had forsaken our Father, the God of their ancestors. So judgment was carried out on Joash.

²⁵ When the Arameans withdrew from him, leaving him severely wounded, his own servants conspired against him because of the blood of the son of Jehoiada the priest, and they killed him on his bed. So he died, and they buried him in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings. ²⁶ These are the men who conspired against him: Zabad son of Shimeath the Ammonite woman, and Jehozabad son of Shimrith the Moabite woman. ²⁷ As for his sons, the many prophecies spoken against him, and the restoration of the house of our Father, they are written in the commentary on the Book of the Kings. And his son Amaziah became king in his place.