Read the Bible

¹ Joash [is] a son of seven years in his reigning, and he has reigned forty years in Jerusalem, and the name of his mother [is] Zibiah of Beer-Sheba.² And Joash does that which is right in the eyes of YHWH all the days of Jehoiada the priest.³ And Jehoiada takes two wives for him, and he begets sons and daughters.⁴ And it comes to pass after this, it has been with the heart of Joash to renew the house of YHWH,⁵ and he gathers the priests and the Levites, and says to them, "Go out to the cities of Judah, and gather money from all Israel to strengthen the house of your God sufficiently year by year, and you, hurry to the matter"; and the Levites have not hurried.⁶ And the king calls for Jehoiada the head and says to him, "Why have you not required of the Levites to bring in out of Judah and out of Jerusalem the tribute of Moses, servant of YHWH, and of the assembly of Israel, for the Tent of the Testimony?⁷ For sons of Athaliah, the wicked one, have broken up the house of God, and also, they have prepared all the holy things of the house of YHWH for Ba‘alim."⁸ And the king commands, and they make one chest, and put it at the gate of the house of YHWH outside,⁹ and give an intimation in Judah and in Jerusalem to bring to YHWH the tribute of Moses, servant of God, [laid] on Israel in the wilderness.¹⁰ And all the heads, and all the people rejoice, and they bring in, and cast into the chest, to completion.¹¹ And it comes to pass, at the time one brings in the chest for the inspection of the king by the hand of the Levites, and at their seeing that the money [is] abundant, that a scribe of the king has come in, and an officer of the head-priest, and they empty the chest, and take it up and turn it back to its place; thus they have done day by day, and gather money in abundance.¹² And the king and Jehoiada give it to the doers of the work of the service of the house of YHWH, and they are hiring hewers and craftsmen to renew the house of YHWH, and also—to craftsmen in iron and bronze to strengthen the house of YHWH.¹³ And those doing the business work, and there goes up lengthening to the work by their hand, and they establish the house of God by its proper measure, and strengthen it.¹⁴ And at their completing [it], they have brought in the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada, and they make [with] it vessels for the house of YHWH, vessels of serving, and of offering up, and spoons, even vessels of gold and silver; and they are causing burnt-offerings to ascend in the house of YHWH continually, all the days of Jehoiada.

¹⁵ And Jehoiada is aged and satisfied with days, and dies—a son of one hundred and thirty years in his death,¹⁶ and they bury him in the City of David with the kings, for he has done good in Israel, and with God and his house.¹⁷ And after the death of Jehoiada, heads of Judah have come in, and bow themselves to the king; then the king has listened to them,¹⁸ and they forsake the house of YHWH, God of their fathers, and serve the Asherim and the idols, and there is wrath on Judah and Jerusalem for this guilt of theirs.¹⁹ And He sends among them prophets, to bring them back to YHWH, and they testify against them, and they have not given ear;²⁰ and the Spirit of God has clothed Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest, and he stands above the people, and says to them, "Thus said God: Why are you transgressing the commands of YHWH, and do not prosper? Because you have forsaken YHWH, He forsakes you."²¹ And they conspire against him, and stone him [with] stone by the command of the king, in the court of the house of YHWH,²² and Joash the king has not remembered the kindness that his father Jehoiada did with him, and slays his son, and in his death he said, "YHWH sees and requires."²³ And it comes to pass, at the turn of the year, the force of Aram has come up against him, and they come to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroy all the heads of the people from the people, and they have sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus,²⁴ for with few men the force of Aram has come in, and YHWH has given into their hand a mighty force for multitude, because they have forsaken YHWH, God of their fathers; and they have executed judgments with Joash.²⁵ And in their going from him—for they left him with many diseases—his servants themselves have conspired against him for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and slay him on his bed, and he dies; and they bury him in the City of David, and have not buried him in the graves of the kings.²⁶ And these [are] those conspiring against him: Zabad son of Shimeath the Ammonitess, and Jehozabad son of Shimrith the Moabitess.²⁷ As for his sons, and the greatness of the burden on him, and the foundation of the house of God, behold, they are written on the commentary of the scroll of the Kings; and his son Amaziah reigns in his stead.