Parallel Bible results for "2 chronicles 24"

2 Chronicles 24

Common English Bible CEB

1 Jehoash was 7 years old when he became king, and he ruled for forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zibiah; she was from Beer-sheba.

2 Jehoash did what was right in the LORD's eyes as long as Jehoiada the priest was alive.

3 Jehoiada had him marry two wives, and Jehoash fathered sons and daughters.

4 Sometime later, Jehoash wanted to renovate the LORD's temple.

5 He gathered the priests and the Levites and said, "Go to the cities of Judah and collect the annual tax of silver due from all Israel for the upkeep of God's temple. Do it right away." But the Levites procrastinated.

6 So the king summoned the chief priest Jehoiada and asked him, "Why haven't you required the Levites to bring in from Judah and Jerusalem the tax imposed by the LORD's servant Moses and the Israelite assembly for the covenant tent?" (

7 Now wicked Athaliah and her followers had broken into God's temple and used all the holy objects of the LORD's temple in their worship of the Baals.)

8 So at the king's command a box was made and placed outside the gate of the LORD's temple.

9 Then a proclamation was issued throughout Judah and Jerusalem requiring the people to bring to the LORD the tax that God's servant Moses had imposed on Israel in the wilderness.

10 This so pleased all the leaders and all the people that they gladly dropped their money in the box until it was full.

11 Whenever the box was brought by the Levites to the royal accountants, as soon as they saw that a large amount of money was in the box, the royal scribe and the representative of the high priest would come, empty the box, and return it to its place. This took place day after day, and a large amount of money was collected.

12 The king and Jehoiada would give it to those in charge of the work on the LORD's temple who in turn hired masons and carpenters to renovate the LORD's temple, as well as metalworkers for the iron and bronze to repair the LORD's temple.

13 The workers labored hard, and the restoration progressed smoothly under their control until they had brought God's temple back to its original state and reinforced it.

14 As soon as they finished, they brought the remaining money to the king and Jehoiada. They used it to make equipment for the LORD's temple, including what was used for the service and the entirely burned offerings, pans, and other objects made of gold and silver. As long as Jehoiada lived, the entirely burned offerings were regularly offered in the LORD's temple.

15 Jehoiada grew old, and when he reached the age of 130, he died.

16 He was buried among the kings in David's City because of his exemplary service to Israel, God, and God's temple.

17 After Jehoiada's death, however, the leaders of Judah came and bowed before the king, and the king listened to them.

18 They abandoned the temple of the LORD, their ancestors' God, and worshipped sacred poles and idols. Anger came upon Judah and Jerusalem as a consequence of their sin,

19 and though God sent prophets to them to bring them back to the LORD and to warn them, they refused to listen.

20 Then the spirit of God enwrapped Zechariah the son of the priest Jehoiada. Standing before the people, he told them, "This is what God says: Why do you defy the LORD's commands and keep yourselves from prospering? Because you have abandoned the LORD, he has abandoned you!"

21 But the people plotted against Zechariah, and at the king's command stoned him to death in the courtyard of the LORD's temple.

22 King Jehoash failed to remember the loyalty that Jehoiada, Zechariah's father, had shown him and murdered Jehoida's son, who cried out as he lay dying, "May the LORD see and seek vengeance!"

23 That spring the Aramean army marched against Jehoash. They attacked Judah and Jerusalem, destroyed all the people's leaders, and sent all the loot to the king of Damascus.

24 Although the Aramean forces were relatively small, the LORD handed over to them a very large army, because the people of Judah had abandoned the LORD, their ancestors' God. Jehoash was justly punished.

25 The Arameans left him badly wounded, but his own officials plotted against him for murdering the son of the priest Jehoiada. So they killed him in his bed. He died and was buried in David's City but not in the royal cemetery.

26 Those who plotted against him were the Ammonite Zabad, Shimeath's son, and the Moabite Jehozabad, Shimrith's son.

27 The list of Jehoash's sons, the many prophecies against him, and the account of his restoration of God's temple are written in the comments on the records of the kings. His son Amaziah succeeded him as king.

The Message Bible MSG

1 Joash was seven years old when he became king; he was king for forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Gazelle (Zibiah). She was from Beersheba.

2 Taught and trained by Jehoiada the priest, Joash did what pleased God throughout Jehoiada's lifetime.

3 Jehoiada picked out two wives for him; he had a family of both sons and daughters.

4 The time came when Joash determined to renovate The Temple of God.

5 He got the priests and Levites together and said, "Circulate through the towns of Judah every year and collect money from the people to repair The Temple of your God. You are in charge of carrying this out."

6 But the Levites dragged their feet and didn't do anything.

7 Then the king called in Jehoiada the chief priest and said, "Why haven't you made the Levites bring in from Judah and Jerusalem the tax Moses, servant of God and the congregation, set for the upkeep of the place of worship? You can see how bad things are - wicked Queen Athaliah and her sons let The Temple of God go to ruin and took all its sacred artifacts for use in Baal worship."

8 Following the king's orders, they made a chest and placed it at the entrance to The Temple of God.

9 Then they sent out a tax notice throughout Judah and Jerusalem: "Pay the tax that Moses the servant of God set when Israel was in the wilderness."

10 The people and their leaders were glad to do it and cheerfully brought their money until the chest was full.

11 Whenever the Levites brought the chest in for a royal audit and found it to be full, the king's secretary and the official of the chief priest would empty the chest and put it back in its place. Day after day they did this and collected a lot of money.

12 The king and Jehoiada gave the money to the managers of The Temple project; they in turn paid the masons and carpenters for the repair work on The Temple of God.

13 The construction workers kept at their jobs steadily until the restoration was complete - the house of God as good as new!

14 When they had finished the work, they returned the surplus money to the king and Jehoiada, who used the money for making sacred vessels for Temple worship, vessels for the daily worship, for the Whole-Burnt-Offerings, bowls, and other gold and silver liturgical artifacts.

15 He died at a ripe old age - 130 years old!

16 They buried him in the royal cemetery because he had such a distinguished life of service to Israel and God and God's Temple.

17 But after the death of Jehoiada things fell apart. The leaders of Judah made a formal presentation to the king and he went along with them.

18 Things went from bad to worse; they deserted The Temple of God and took up with the cult of sex goddesses. An angry cloud hovered over Judah and Jerusalem because of this sin.

19 God sent prophets to straighten them out, warning of judgment. But nobody paid attention.

20 Then the Spirit of God moved Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest to speak up: "God's word: Why have you deliberately walked away from God's commandments? You can't live this way! If you walk out on God, he'll walk out on you."

21 But they worked out a plot against Zechariah, and with the complicity of the king - he actually gave the order! - they murdered him, pelting him with rocks, right in the court of The Temple of God.

22 That's the thanks King Joash showed the loyal Jehoiada, the priest who had made him king. He murdered Jehoiada's son. Zechariah's last words were, "Look, God! Make them pay for this!"

23 A year or so later Aramean troops attacked Joash. They invaded Judah and Jerusalem, massacred the leaders, and shipped all their plunder back to the king in Damascus.

24 The Aramean army was quite small, but God used them to wipe out Joash's large army - their punishment for deserting God, the God of their ancestors. Arameans implemented God's judgment against Joash.

25 They left Joash badly wounded and his own servants finished him off - it was a palace conspiracy, avenging the murder of the son of Jehoiada the priest. They killed him in his bed. Afterward they buried him in the City of David, but he was not honored with a grave in the royal cemetery.

26 The temple conspirators were Zabad, whose mother was Shimeath from Ammon, and Jehozabad, whose mother was Shimrith from Moab.

27 The story of his sons, the many sermons preached to Joash, and the account of his repairs on The Temple of God can be found contained in the commentary on the royal history. Amaziah, Joash's son, was the next king.