The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Chronicles 24
1 Joash was seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in
Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah,
of Beersheba.
2 Joash did that which was right in Yahweh’s eyes all the days of Jehoiada the
priest.
3 Jehoiada took for him two wives, and
he became the father of sons and daughters.
4 After this, Joash intended to restore
Yahweh’s house.
5 He gathered together the priests and
the Levites, and said to them, “Go outto the
cities of Judah, and gather money to repair
the house of your God from all Israel from
year to year. See that you expedite this
matter.” However the Levites didn’t do it
right away.
6 The king called for Jehoiada the chief,
and said to him, “Why haven’t you required of the Levites to bring in the tax of
Moses the servant of Yahweh, and of the
assembly of Israel, out of Judah and out of
Jerusalem, for the Tent of the Testimony?”
7 For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked
woman, had broken up God’s house; and
they also gave all the dedicated things of
Yahweh’s house to the Baals.
8 So the king commanded, and they
made a chest, and set it outside at the gate
of Yahweh’s house.
9 They made a proclamation through Judah and Jerusalem, to bring in for Yahweh
the tax that Moses the servant of God laid
on Israel in the wilderness.
10 All the princes and all the people rejoiced, and brought in, and cast into the
chest, until they had filled it.
11 Whenever the chest was brought to
the king’s officers by the hand of the
Levites, and when they saw that there was
much money, the king’s scribe and the
chief priest’s officer came and emptied the
chest, and took it, and carried it to its place
again. Thus they did day by day, and
gathered money in abundance.
12 The king and Jehoiada gave it to those
who did the work of the service of Yahweh’s house. They hired masons and carpenters to restore Yahweh’s house, and
also those who worked iron and bronze to
repair Yahweh’s house.
13 So the workmen worked, and the work
of repairing went forward in their hands.
They set up God’s house as it was designed,
and strengthened it.
14 When they had finished, they brought
the rest of the money before the king
and Jehoiada, from which were made vessels for Yahweh’s house, even vessels with
which to minister and to offer, including
spoons and vessels of gold and silver. They offered burnt offerings in Yahweh’s house
continually all the days of Jehoiada.
15 But Jehoiada grew old and was full of
days, and he died. He was one hundred
thirty years old when he died.
16 They buried him in David’s city among
the kings, because he had done good in
Israel, and toward God and his house.
17 Now after the death of Jehoiada, the
princes of Judah came and bowed down to
the king. Then the king listened to them.
18 They abandoned the house of Yahweh, the God of their fathers, and served
the Asherah poles and the idols, so wrath
came on Judah and Jerusalem for this their
guiltiness.
19 Yet he sent prophets to them to bring
them again to Yahweh, and they testified
against them; but they would not listen.
20 The Spirit of God came on Zechariah
the son ofJehoiada the priest; and he stood
above the people, and said to them, “God
says, ‘Why do you disobey Yahweh’s commandments, so that you can’t prosper? Because you have forsaken Yahweh, he has
also forsaken you.’ ”
21 They conspired against him, and
stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of Yahweh’s
house.
22 Thus Joash the king didn’t remember
the kindness which Jehoiada his father
had done to him, but killed his son. When
he died, he said, “May Yahweh look at it,
and repay it.”
23 At the end of the year, the army of the
Syrians came up against him. They came
to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all
the princes of the people from among the
people, and sent all their plunder to the
king of Damascus.
24 For the army of the Syrians came with
a small company of men; and Yahweh delivered a very great army into their hand,
because they had forsaken Yahweh, the
God of their fathers. So they executed
judgment on Joash.
25 When they had departed from him
(for they left him seriously wounded), his
own servants conspired against him for
the blood ofthe sons ofJehoiada the priest,
and killed him on his bed, and he died.
They buried him in David’s city, but they
didn’t bury him in the tombs of the kings.
26 These are those who conspired against
him: Zabad the son of Shimeath the Ammonitess and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith the Moabitess.
27 Now concerning his sons, the greatness of the burdens laid on him, and the
rebuilding of God’s house, behold, they are
written in the commentary of the book of
the kings. Amaziah his son reigned in his
place.