THE SECOND BOOK OF THE
CHRONICLES
2 Chronicles 24 ©
Joash is pious as long as Jehoiada lives, v. 1, etc. He marries two wives, 3. Causes the temple to be repaired, 4. Jehoiada dies, 15. Is very honorably buried, 16. Joash becomes an idolater, 17. Causes Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada, to be put to death for reproving idolatry, 20. He is preyed upon and smitten by the Syrians, 23. Murdered by his own servants, 25. Amaziah, his son, becomes king, 27.
JOASH was 1sevena years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Zibiah of Beer-sheba.
And Joash did that which was right in the sight of the LORD 2all the days of Jehoiada the priest.
And Jehoiada 3took for him two wives; and he begat sons and daughters.
¶And it came to pass after this, 4that Joash was minded to 5repair the house of the LORD.
And he gathered together the priests and the Levites, and said to them, Go out unto the cities of Judah, and gather of all 6Israel money to 7repair the house of your God 8from year to year, and see that ye hasten 9the matter. Howbeit the Levites hastened it not.
And the king called for Jehoiada 10the chief, and said unto him, Why hast thou not 11required of the Levites to bring in out of Judah and out of Jerusalem the 12collection, according to the commandment of Mosesb the servant of the LORD, and of the congregation of Israel, 13for the tabernacle of witness?
14For 15the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken up the house of God; and also 16all the 17dedicated things of the house of the LORD did they bestow upon 18Baalim.
And at the king’s 19commandment they made a chest, and set it without 20at the gate of the house of the LORD.
And 21they made a proclamation through Judah and Jerusalem, to bring in to the LORD the 22collection that Moses the servant of God laid 23upon Israel in the wilderness.
And all the princes and all the people rejoiced, and brought in, and cast into the chest, until they 24had made an end.
Now it came to pass, that 25at what time the chest was 26brought unto the king's office by the hand of the Levites, and when they saw that there was much money, the king's scribe and the high priest’s 27officer came and emptied the chest, and took it, and carried it to 28his place again. Thus they did 29day by day, and gathered money in abundance.
And the king and Jehoiada gave it to such as 30did the work of the service of the house of the LORD, and hired 31masons and 32carpenters to repair the house of the LORD, and also such as wrought iron and brass to mend the house of the LORD.
So the workmen wrought, and the work was 33perfected by them, and they set the house of God in his 34state, and strengthened it.
And when they had 35finished it, 36they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada, whereof 37were made vessels for the house of the LORD, even vessels to minister, and to 38offer withal, and spoons, and vessels of gold and silver. 39And they offered burnt offerings in the house of the LORD continually 40all the days of Jehoiada.
¶But Jehoiada waxed old, and was 41full of days when he died; an hundred and thirty years old 42was he when he died.
And they buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had 43done good in 44Israel, both toward 45God, and toward 46his house.
Now after the death of Jehoiada came the princes of Judah, and 47made obeisance to the king. Then the king 48hearkened unto them.
And they left the house of the LORD God of their fathers, and served groves and 49idols: and 50wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their trespass.
Yet he sent prophets to them, to bring them again unto the LORD; and they 51testified against them: but they would not give ear.
And the Spirit of God 52came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, 53which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the LORD, thatc ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the LORD, he hath also forsaken you.
And they conspired against him, and stonedd him with stones at the commandment of the king in the 54court of the house of the LORD.
Thus Joash the king remembered not the 55kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but slew his son. And when he died, he said, The LORD look upon it, and 56require it.
¶And it came to pass at the end of the year, that the host of Syria came up against him: and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people, and sent all the spoil of them unto the king of 57Damascus.
For the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men, and the LORD delivered a very great host into their hand, because they had 58forsaken the LORD God of their fathers. So 59they executed 60judgment against Joash.
And when they were departed from him, (for they left him in great diseases,) his own servants 61conspired against him for the 62blood 63of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and slew him on his bed, and he died: and they buried him in the city of David, but they buried him not in the sepulchres of the kings.
And thesee are they that conspired against him; 64Zabad the son of Shimeath an Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of 65Shimrith a Moabitess.
¶Now concerning his 66sons, and the greatness 67of the burdens laid upon him, and 68the repairing of the house of God, behold, they are written in the 69story of the book of the kings. And Amaziah his son reigned in his stead.