Common English Bible CEB
New King James Version NKJV
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.
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Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zibiah of Beersheba.
2 Jehoash did what was right in the LORD's eyes as long as Jehoiada the priest was alive.
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Joash did what was right in the sight of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the priest.
3 Jehoiada had him marry two wives, and Jehoash fathered sons and daughters.
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And Jehoiada took two wives for him, and he had sons and daughters.
4 Sometime later, Jehoash wanted to renovate the LORD's temple.
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Now it happened after this that Joash set his heart on repairing the house of the Lord.
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.
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Then he gathered the priests and the Levites, and said to them, "Go out to the cities of Judah, and gather from all Israel money to repair the house of your God from year to year, and see that you do it quickly." However the Levites did not do it quickly.
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?" (
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So the king called Jehoiada the chief priest, and said to him, "Why have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah and from Jerusalem the collection, according to the commandment of Moses the servant of the Lord and of the assembly of Israel, for the tabernacle of witness?"
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.)
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For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken into the house of God, and had also presented all the dedicated things of the house of the Lord to the Baals.
8 So at the king's command a box was made and placed outside the gate of the LORD's temple.
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Then at the king's command they made a chest, and set it outside at the gate of the house of the Lord.
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.
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And they made a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to bring to the Lord the collection that Moses the servant of God 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.
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Then all the leaders and all the people rejoiced, brought their contributions, and put them into the chest until all had given.
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.
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So it was, at that time, when the chest was brought to the king's official by the hand of the Levites, and when they saw that there was much money, that the king's scribe and the high priest's officer came and emptied the chest, and took it and returned it to its place. Thus they did day by day, and gathered money in abundance.
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.
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The king and Jehoiada gave it to those who did the work of the service of the house of the Lord; and they hired masons and carpenters to repair the house of the Lord, and also those who worked in iron and bronze to restore the house of the Lord.
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.
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So the workmen labored, and the work was completed by them; they restored the house of God to its original condition 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.
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When they had finished, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada; they made from it articles for the house of the Lord, articles for serving and offering, spoons and vessels of gold and silver. And they offered burnt offerings in the house of the Lord continually all the days of Jehoiada.
15 Jehoiada grew old, and when he reached the age of 130, he died.
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But Jehoiada grew old and was full of days, and he died; he was one hundred and thirty years old when 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.
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And they buried him in the City of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, both toward God and His house.
17 After Jehoiada's death, however, the leaders of Judah came and bowed before the king, and the king listened to them.
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Now after the death of Jehoiada the leaders of Judah came and bowed down to 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,
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Therefore they left the house of the Lord God of their fathers, and served wooden images and idols; and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem because of their trespass.
19 and though God sent prophets to them to bring them back to the LORD and to warn them, they refused to listen.
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Yet He sent prophets to them, to bring them back to the Lord; and they testified against them, but they would not 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!"
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Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, who stood above the people, and said to them, "Thus says God: 'Why do you transgress the commandments of the Lord, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord, He also has forsaken 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.
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So they conspired against him, and at the command of the king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the Lord.
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!"
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Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but killed his son; and as he died, he said, "The Lord look on it, and repay!"
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.
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So it happened in the spring of the year that the army of Syria came up against him; and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the leaders of the people from among the people, and sent all their spoil 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.
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For the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men; but the Lord delivered a very great army into their hand, because they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers. So they executed judgment against Joash.
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.
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And when they had withdrawn from him (for they left him severely wounded), his own servants conspired against him because of the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and killed him on his bed. So he died. And they buried him in the City of David, but they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings.
26 Those who plotted against him were the Ammonite Zabad, Shimeath's son, and the Moabite Jehozabad, Shimrith's son.
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These are the ones who conspired against him: Zabad the son of Shimeath the Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith the Moabitess.
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.
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Now concerning his sons, and the many oracles about him, and the repairing of the house of God, indeed they are written in the annals of the book of the kings. Then Amaziah his son reigned in his place.
Copyright © 2011 Common English Bible
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.