Joash Repairs the Temple
1Joash was seven years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for 40 years. His mother’s name was Zibiah. She was from Beersheba. 2Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. Joash lived that way as long as Jehoiada the priest was alive. 3Jehoiada chose two wives for Joash. They had sons and daughters by Joash.
4Some time later Joash decided to make the Lord’s temple look like new again. 5He called together the priests and Levites. He said to them, “Go to the towns of Judah. Collect the money that the nation of Israel owes every year. Use it to repair the temple of your God. Do it now.” But the Levites didn’t do it right away.
6So the king sent for Jehoiada the chief priest. He said to him, “Why haven’t you required the Levites to bring in the tax from Judah and Jerusalem? It was set up by the Lord’s servant Moses and the whole community of Israel. It was used for the tent where the tablets of the covenant law were kept.”
7The children of that evil woman Athaliah had broken into God’s temple. They had used even its sacred objects for the gods that were named Baal.
8King Joash commanded that a wooden chest be made. It was placed outside near the gate of the Lord’s temple. 9Then a message went out in Judah and Jerusalem. It said that the people should bring the tax to the Lord. God’s servant Moses had required Israel to pay that tax when they were in the desert. 10All the officials and people gladly brought their money. They dropped it into the chest until it was full. 11The chest was brought in by the Levites to the king’s officials. Every time the officials saw there was a large amount of money in the chest, it was emptied out. The royal secretary and the officer of the chief priest came and emptied it. Then they carried it back to its place. They did it regularly. They collected a great amount of money. 12The king and Jehoiada gave it to the people who were doing the work on the Lord’s temple. They hired people who could lay the stones and people who could work with wood. They also hired people who could work with iron and bronze. They hired all of them to repair the temple.
13The men in charge of the work did their best. The repairs went very well under them. They rebuilt God’s temple. They did it in keeping with its original plans. They made the temple even stronger. 14So they finished the work. Then they brought the rest of the money to the king and Jehoiada. It was used to pay for the objects that were made for the Lord’s temple. The objects were used for serving at the temple. They were also used for the burnt offerings. The objects included dishes and other things made out of gold and silver. As long as Jehoiada lived, burnt offerings were sacrificed continually at the Lord’s temple.
15Jehoiada had become very old. He died at the age of 130. 16He was buried with the kings in the City of David. That’s because he had done so many good things in Israel for God and his temple.
The Evil Things Joash Did
17After Jehoiada died, the officials of Judah came to King Joash. They bowed down to him. He listened to them. 18They turned their backs on the temple of the Lord, the God of their people. They worshiped poles made to honor the female god named Asherah. They also worshiped statues of other gods. Because Judah and Jerusalem were guilty of sin, God became angry with them. 19The Lord sent prophets to the people to bring them back to him. The prophets told the people what they were doing wrong. But the people wouldn’t listen.
20Then the Spirit of God came on Zechariah the priest. He was the son of Jehoiada. Zechariah stood in front of the people. He told them, “God says, ‘Why do you refuse to obey my commands? You will not have success. You have deserted me. So I have deserted you.’ ”
21But the people made evil plans against Zechariah. The king ordered them to kill Zechariah by throwing stones at him. They did it in the courtyard of the Lord’s temple. 22King Joash didn’t remember how kind Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had been to him. So he killed Jehoiada’s son. As Zechariah was dying he said, “May the Lord see this. May he hold you responsible.”
23In the spring, the army of Aram marched into Judah and Jerusalem against Joash. They killed all the leaders of the people. They took a large amount of goods from Judah. They sent it to their king in Damascus. 24The army of Aram had come with only a few men. But the Lord allowed them to win the battle over a much larger army. Judah had deserted the Lord, the God of their people. That’s why the Lord punished Joash. 25The army of Aram pulled back. They left Joash badly wounded. His officials planned to do evil things to him. That’s because he murdered the son of Jehoiada the priest. They killed Joash in his bed. So he died. He was buried in the City of David. But he wasn’t placed in the tombs of the kings.
26Those who made the plans against Joash were Zabad and Jehozabad. Zabad was the son of Shimeath. She was from Ammon. Jehozabad was the son of Shimrith. She was from Moab. 27The story of the sons of Joash is written in the notes on the records of the kings. The many prophecies about him are written there too. So is the record of how he made God’s temple look like new again. Joash’s son Amaziah became the next king after him.
Yoashi Akarabati Hekalu
(2 Wafalme 12:1-16)
124:1 2Fal 11:21; 12:1Yoashi alikuwa na umri wa miaka saba alipoanza kutawala, naye akatawala huko Yerusalemu kwa miaka arobaini. Mama yake aliitwa Sibia aliyekuwa ametoka Beer-Sheba. 224:2 2Nya 25:2; 26:5Yoashi akafanya yaliyo mema machoni pa Bwana miaka yote ya Yehoyada kuhani. 3Yehoyada akamwoza wake wawili, akazaa watoto wa kiume na wa kike.
4Baada ya muda, Yoashi akaamua kukarabati Hekalu la Bwana. 524:5 Kut 30:16; Mt 17:24; 1Nya 26:20; 11:1; 2Fal 12:4; 2Nya 29:3; 34:8Akawaita pamoja makuhani na Walawi akawaambia, “Nendeni katika miji ya Yuda mkakusanye fedha wanazopaswa kulipa kila mwaka kutoka kwa Israeli wote, ili kukarabati Hekalu la Mungu wenu. Fanyeni hivyo sasa.” Lakini Walawi hawakufanya upesi.
624:6 Kut 35:21; Hes 1:50; Mdo 7:44; Hes 17:7-8; Kut 30:12-16; 2Fal 12:7Kwa hiyo mfalme akamwita Yehoyada kuhani mkuu na kumwambia, “Kwa nini hukuwaambia Walawi walete kutoka Yuda na Yerusalemu kodi iliyowekwa na Mose mtumishi wa Bwana pamoja na kusanyiko la Israeli kwa ajili ya Hema ya Ushuhuda?”
724:7 2Nya 21:17; 22:3-4; Za 12:8Kwa kuwa wana wa yule mwanamke mwovu Athalia, walikuwa wamevunja na kuingia katika Hekalu la Mungu, nao wakawa wamevitumia hata vile vitu vilivyowekwa wakfu kwa Bwana kwa mabaali.
824:8 2Fal 12:9Kwa amri ya mfalme, likatengenezwa kasha, nalo likawekwa nje kwenye lango la Hekalu la Bwana. 924:9 Kut 36:6Tangazo likatolewa katika Yuda na Yerusalemu kwamba inapasa wamletee Bwana kodi ile ambayo Mose, mtumishi wa Bwana alikuwa amewaagiza Israeli huko jangwani. 1024:10 Kut 25:2; 1Nya 29:3-9Maafisa wote na watu wote wakaleta michango yao kwa furaha, wakaweka kwenye kasha mpaka likajaa. 1124:11 2Fal 12:10Ikawa kila wakati kasha lilipoletwa ndani na Walawi kwa maafisa wa mfalme na kuona kwamba kuna kiasi kikubwa cha fedha, mwandishi wa mfalme na afisa wa kuhani mkuu walikuwa wanakuja na kumimina, kisha kulirudisha mahali pake. Walifanya hivi mara kwa mara, nao wakakusanya fedha nyingi sana. 1224:12 2Nya 34:11Mfalme na Yehoyada wakawapa wale watu waliofanya kazi iliyotakiwa katika Hekalu la Bwana. Wakawaajiri waashi na maseremala ili kutengeneza Hekalu la Bwana, pia wafanyakazi za chuma na shaba ili kukarabati Hekalu la Bwana.
1324:13 Neh 4:7Watu walioshughulika na kazi walikuwa wenye bidii, nayo kazi ya kukarabati ikaendelea vizuri mikononi mwao. Wakalitengeneza upya Hekalu la Bwana likarudi katika hali yake ya awali na kuliimarisha. 1424:14 1Fal 7:50; 2Fal 12:13; Kut 29:38; Ebr 7:27; 1Pet 1:18-19; Ufu 5:9Walipokamilisha kazi hiyo ya kukarabati, wakaleta fedha zilizobaki wakampa mfalme na Yehoyada, nao kwa hizo wakatengeneza vyombo kwa ajili ya Hekalu la Bwana: Vyombo kwa ajili ya huduma na kwa ajili ya sadaka ya kuteketezwa, pia mabakuli na vitu vingine vya dhahabu na fedha. Wakati wote Yehoyada alipokuwa hai, sadaka za kuteketezwa zilitolewa wakati wote katika Hekalu la Bwana.
1524:15 Ay 5:26Basi Yehoyada alikuwa mzee aliyeshiba siku wakati alipofariki. Alikufa akiwa na umri wa miaka 130. 1624:16 1Fal 2:10Wakamzika pamoja na wafalme katika Mji wa Daudi, kwa sababu ya mema aliyokuwa ametenda katika Israeli kwa ajili ya Mungu na Hekalu lake.
Uovu Wa Yoashi
1724:17 Mdo 20:29Baada ya kifo cha Yehoyada, wakuu wa Yuda walikuja kumpa mfalme heshima, naye akawasikiliza. 1824:18 Yos 24:20; 1Fal 14:23; Yer 17:2; Yos 22:20; 2Nya 19:2; Amu 5:8; 2Sam 24:1; 2Nya 28:13; Hos 5:10Wakaacha Hekalu la Bwana, Mungu wa baba zao, wakaabudu nguzo za maashera na sanamu. Kwa sababu ya hatia yao, hasira ya Mungu ikawajia Yuda na Yerusalemu. 1924:19 Hes 11:29; Zek 1:4; 2Nya 36:15; Neh 9:26; Yer 7:25-26; 25:4; Lk 11:47-51Ingawa Bwana aliwatuma manabii wawarudishe watu kwake na ingawa waliwaonya, hawakuwasikiliza.
2024:20 Amu 3:10; Mt 23:35; 1Nya 12:18; Hes 14:41; 2Nya 15:2; Kum 31:17; 2Nya 15:1-2; Amu 6:34; 1Sam 13:13-14; Kum 29:25-26; Yer 2:19Ndipo Roho wa Bwana akaja juu ya Zekaria mwana wa Yehoyada kuhani. Akasimama mbele ya watu akasema, “Hili ndilo asemalo Mungu, ‘Kwa nini mnakataa kuzitii amri za Bwana? Hamtafanikiwa kwa kuwa mmemwacha Bwana, yeye naye amewaacha ninyi.’ ”
2124:21 Yos 7:25; Mdo 7:58-59; Neh 9:26; Yer 26:21; 20:2; Mt 23:35Lakini wakafanya shauri baya juu yake na kwa amri ya mfalme wakampiga kwa mawe mpaka akafa katika ukumbi wa Hekalu la Bwana. 2224:22 Mwa 9:5Mfalme Yoashi hakukumbuka wema aliotendewa na Yehoyada baba yake Zekaria ila alimuua mwanawe, ambaye alisema wakati akiwa amelala akingojea kufa, “Bwana na alione hili na alipize kisasi.”
2324:23 2Fal 12:17-18Mwishoni mwa ule mwaka, jeshi la Waaramu likaja dhidi ya Yoashi, likavamia Yuda na Yerusalemu na kuwaua viongozi wote wa watu. Wakapeleka nyara zao zote kwa mfalme wao huko Dameski. 2424:24 2Nya 14:9; Law 26:23-25; Kum 28:25; 32:30; Isa 10:5; 30:17Ingawa jeshi la Waaramu lilikuwa limekuja na watu wachache tu, Bwana akatia mikononi mwao jeshi kubwa kuliko lao. Kwa sababu Yuda walikuwa wamemwacha Bwana, Mungu wa baba zao, hukumu ilitekelezwa juu ya Yoashi. 2524:25 2Nya 21:20; 2Fal 12:18-20; Za 10:14Waaramu walipoondoka, walimwacha Yoashi akiwa mgonjwa sana. Maafisa wake wakafanya hila dhidi yake kwa sababu alikuwa amemuua mwana wa Kuhani Yehoyada, nao wakamuulia kitandani mwake. Hivyo akafa na wakamzika katika Mji wa Daudi, lakini si katika makaburi ya wafalme.
2624:26 2Fal 12:21; Rut 1:4Wale waliofanya hila mbaya dhidi yake walikuwa Zabadi, mwana wa Shimeathi mwanamke Mwamoni, Yehozabadi, mwana wa Shimrithi mwanamke Mmoabu. 27Kwa habari za wanawe, unabii mwingi kumhusu na kumbukumbu za kutengenezwa upya kwa Hekalu la Mungu, zimeandikwa katika kitabu cha kumbukumbu za wafalme. Amazia mwanawe akawa mfalme baada yake.
