2 Chronicles 24 – NIV & CCBT

New International Version

2 Chronicles 24:1-27

Joash Repairs the Temple

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

4Some time later Joash decided to restore the temple of the Lord. 5He called together the priests and Levites and said to them, “Go to the towns of Judah and collect the money due annually from all Israel, to repair the temple of your God. Do it now.” But the Levites did not act at once.

6Therefore 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 imposed by Moses the servant of the Lord and by the assembly of Israel for the tent of the covenant law?”

7Now the sons of that wicked woman Athaliah had broken into the temple of God and had used even its sacred objects for the Baals.

8At the king’s command, a chest was made and placed outside, at the gate of the temple of the Lord. 9A proclamation was then issued in Judah and Jerusalem that they should bring to the Lord the tax that Moses the servant of God had required of Israel in the wilderness. 10All the officials and all the people brought their contributions gladly, dropping them into the chest until it was full. 11Whenever the chest was brought in by the Levites to the king’s officials and they saw that there was a large amount of money, the royal secretary and the officer of the chief priest would come and empty the chest and carry it back to its place. They did this regularly and collected a great amount of money. 12The king and Jehoiada gave it to those who carried out the work required for the temple of the Lord. They hired masons and carpenters to restore the Lord’s temple, and also workers in iron and bronze to repair the temple.

13The men in charge of the work were diligent, and the repairs progressed under them. They rebuilt the temple of God according to its original design and reinforced it. 14When they had finished, they brought the rest of the money to the king and Jehoiada, and with it were made articles for the Lord’s temple: articles for the service and for the burnt offerings, and also dishes and other objects of gold and silver. As long as Jehoiada lived, burnt offerings were presented continually in the temple of the Lord.

15Now Jehoiada was old and full of years, and he died at the age of a hundred and thirty. 16He was buried with the kings in the City of David, because of the good he had done in Israel for God and his temple.

The Wickedness of Joash

17After the death of Jehoiada, the officials of Judah came and paid homage to the king, and he listened to them. 18They abandoned the temple of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and worshiped Asherah poles and idols. Because of their guilt, God’s anger came on Judah and Jerusalem. 19Although the Lord sent prophets to the people to bring them back to him, and though they testified against them, they would not listen.

20Then the Spirit of God came on Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood before the people and said, “This is what God says: ‘Why do you disobey the Lord’s commands? You will not prosper. Because you have forsaken the Lord, he has forsaken you.’ ”

21But they plotted against him, and by order of the king they stoned him to death in the courtyard of the Lord’s temple. 22King Joash did not remember the kindness Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had shown him but killed his son, who said as he lay dying, “May the Lord see this and call you to account.”

23At the turn of the year,24:23 Probably in the spring the army of Aram marched against Joash; it invaded Judah and Jerusalem and killed all the leaders of the people. They sent all the plunder to their king in Damascus. 24Although the Aramean army had come with only a few men, the Lord delivered into their hands a much larger army. Because Judah had forsaken the Lord, the God of their ancestors, judgment was executed on Joash. 25When the Arameans withdrew, they left Joash severely wounded. His officials conspired against him for murdering the son of Jehoiada the priest, and they killed him in his bed. So he died and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.

26Those who conspired against him were Zabad,24:26 A variant of Jozabad son of Shimeath an Ammonite woman, and Jehozabad, son of Shimrith24:26 A variant of Shomer a Moabite woman. 27The account of his sons, the many prophecies about him, and the record of the restoration of the temple of God are written in the annotations on the book of the kings. And Amaziah his son succeeded him as king.

Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)

歷代志下 24:1-27

猶大王約阿施

1約阿施七歲登基,在耶路撒冷執政四十年。他母親叫西比亞,是別示巴人。 2耶何耶大祭司在世之日,約阿施做耶和華視為正的事。 3耶何耶大為他娶了兩個妻子,她們都為他生兒育女。

4之後,約阿施有意整修耶和華的殿, 5便召集祭司和利未人,對他們說:「你們到猶大各城去向所有以色列人徵收銀子,用來作每年整修你們上帝殿的費用。你們要立刻辦理這事。」可是,利未人沒有立刻辦理。 6王就召來耶何耶大大祭司,問他:「你為什麼不吩咐利未人到耶路撒冷猶大去收稅呢?這稅是耶和華的僕人摩西以色列的會眾定的,以備聖幕之用。」 7因為惡婦亞她利雅的爪牙曾闖入耶和華上帝的殿,拿殿裡的聖物去供奉巴力

8於是,王下令造一個箱子,放在耶和華殿的門外, 9通告猶大耶路撒冷的人民要將上帝的僕人摩西在曠野為以色列人定的稅帶來獻給耶和華。 10全體首領和民眾都高高興興地把銀子帶來投進箱子裡,直到箱子滿了。 11利未人見箱子滿了,就抬到王的官員那裡。王的書記和大祭司的屬下會把箱子倒空,然後把箱子放回原處。日復一日,他們收了很多銀子。 12王與耶何耶大把銀子交給耶和華殿裡的辦事人員,他們就雇用石匠、木匠、鐵匠和銅匠來整修耶和華的殿。 13工人辛勤整修,工程進展順利,上帝的殿恢復了原貌,而且非常堅固。 14完工後,他們把剩餘的銀子交給王與耶何耶大,這些銀子被用來製造耶和華殿裡的器具:供奉和獻祭用的器皿、碟子和其他金銀器皿。耶何耶大在世之日,民眾常在耶和華的殿裡獻燔祭。

耶何耶大的政策被廢棄

15耶何耶大壽終正寢,享年一百三十歲。 16民眾把他葬在大衛城的王陵裡,因為他在以色列為上帝和上帝的殿做了美善的事。

17耶何耶大死後,猶大眾首領來朝拜王,王對他們言聽計從。 18他們離棄他們祖先的上帝耶和華的殿,去供奉亞舍拉神像及其他偶像。因他們所犯的罪,上帝的烈怒臨到猶大耶路撒冷19但耶和華仍然派先知到他們中間,引導他們歸向祂。先知警告他們,他們卻不聽。

20上帝的靈感動了耶何耶大祭司的兒子撒迦利亞,他便站在高處對民眾說:「耶和華上帝這樣說,『你們為什麼違反耶和華的誡命,以致不得亨通呢?既然你們背棄我,我也必離棄你們。』」 21他們想謀害撒迦利亞,就照著王的命令,在耶和華殿的院子裡用石頭打死了他。 22約阿施王不但不顧念撒迦利亞的父親耶何耶大對他的恩惠,還殺死了耶何耶大的兒子。撒迦利亞臨死的時候說:「願耶和華鑒察,為我伸冤!」

約阿施被殺

23當年年底,亞蘭的軍兵前來攻擊約阿施,入侵猶大耶路撒冷,殺了民眾的所有首領,把戰利品全都送到大馬士革王那裡。 24雖然亞蘭軍只來了一小隊,但耶和華把大隊的猶大軍兵交在他們手中,以懲罰約阿施,因為猶大人背棄了他們祖先的上帝耶和華。

25亞蘭人退兵的時候,約阿施受了重傷,他的臣僕叛變,把他殺死在床上,為耶何耶大祭司的兒子報了血仇。約阿施死後葬在大衛城,但沒有葬在王陵裡。 26殺他的是亞捫婦人示米押的兒子撒拔摩押婦人示米利的兒子約薩拔27至於約阿施的眾子、他所受的警告以及他整修上帝殿的事都記在列王史上。他兒子亞瑪謝繼位。