The Second Book of Chronicles, starting at chapter 22
{22:1} The inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah his youngest son
king in his place; for the band of men who came with the Arabians to
the camp had slain all the eldest. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king
of Judah reigned. {22:2} Forty-two years old was Ahaziah when he began
to reign; and he reigned one year in Jerusalem: and his mother's name
was Athaliah the daughter of Omri. {22:3} He also walked in the ways
of the house of Ahab; for his mother was his counselor to do wickedly.
{22:4} He did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, as did the
house of Ahab; for they were his counselors after the death of his
father, to his destruction. {22:5} He walked also after their counsel,
and went with Jehoram the son of Ahab king of Israel to war against
Hazael king of Syria at Ramoth Gilead: and the Syrians wounded Joram.
{22:6} He returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which they
had given him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria.
Azariah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Jehoram the
son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick. {22:7} Now the
destruction of Ahaziah was of God, in that he went to Joram: for when
he was come, he went out with Jehoram against Jehu the son of Nimshi,
whom Yahweh had anointed to cut off the house of Ahab. {22:8} It
happened, when Jehu was executing judgment on the house of Ahab, that
he found the princes of Judah, and the sons of the brothers of
Ahaziah, ministering to Ahaziah, and killed them. {22:9} He sought
Ahaziah, and they caught him (now he was hiding in Samaria), and they
brought him to Jehu, and killed him; and they buried him, for they
said, He is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought Yahweh with all his
heart. The house of Ahaziah had no power to hold the kingdom. {22:10}
Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she
arose and destroyed all the royal seed of the house of Judah. {22:11}
But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took Joash the son of
Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king's sons who were slain,
and put him and his nurse in the bedchamber. So Jehoshabeath, the
daughter of king Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest (for she was
the sister of Ahaziah), hid him from Athaliah, so that she didn't kill
him. {22:12} He was with them hid in the house of God six years: and
Athaliah reigned over the land.
{23:1} In the seventh year Jehoiada strengthened himself, and took
the captains of hundreds, Azariah the son of Jeroham, and Ishmael the
son of Jehohanan, and Azariah the son of Obed, and Maaseiah the son of
Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zichri, into covenant with him.
{23:2} They went about in Judah, and gathered the Levites out of all
the cities of Judah, and the heads of fathers' [houses] of Israel, and
they came to Jerusalem. {23:3} All the assembly made a covenant with
the king in the house of God. He said to them, Behold, the king's son
shall reign, as Yahweh has spoken concerning the sons of David. {23:4}
This is the thing that you shall do: a third part of you, who come in
on the Sabbath, of the priests and of the Levites, shall be porters of
the thresholds; {23:5} and a third part shall be at the king's house;
and a third part at the gate of the foundation: and all the people
shall be in the courts of the house of Yahweh. {23:6} But let none
come into the house of Yahweh, save the priests, and those who
minister of the Levites; they shall come in, for they are holy: but
all the people shall keep the charge of Yahweh. {23:7} The Levites
shall compass the king round about, every man with his weapons in his
hand; and whoever comes into the house, let him be slain: and be you
with the king when he comes in, and when he goes out. {23:8} So the
Levites and all Judah did according to all that Jehoiada the priest
commanded: and they took every man his men, those who were to come in
on the Sabbath; with those who were to go out on the Sabbath; for
Jehoiada the priest didn't dismiss the shift. {23:9} Jehoiada the
priest delivered to the captains of hundreds the spears, and bucklers,
and shields, that had been king David's, which were in the house of
God. {23:10} He set all the people, every man with his weapon in his
hand, from the right side of the house to the left side of the house,
along by the altar and the house, by the king round about. {23:11}
Then they brought out the king's son, and put the crown on him, and
[gave him] the testimony, and made him king: and Jehoiada and his sons
anointed him; and they said, [Long] live the king. {23:12} When
Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and praising the king,
she came to the people into the house of Yahweh: {23:13} and she
looked, and, behold, the king stood by his pillar at the entrance, and
the captains and the trumpets by the king; and all the people of the
land rejoiced, and blew trumpets; the singers also [played] on
instruments of music, and led the singing of praise. Then Athaliah
tore her clothes, and said, Treason! treason! {23:14} Jehoiada the
priest brought out the captains of hundreds who were set over the
army, and said to them, Have her forth between the ranks; and whoever
follows her, let him be slain with the sword: for the priest said,
Don't kill her in the house of Yahweh. {23:15} So they made way for
her; and she went to the entrance of the horse gate to the king's
house: and they killed her there. {23:16} Jehoiada made a covenant
between himself, and all the people, and the king, that they should be
Yahweh's people. {23:17} All the people went to the house of Baal, and
broke it down, and broke his altars and his images in pieces, and
killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. {23:18} Jehoiada
appointed the officers of the house of Yahweh under the hand of the
priests the Levites, whom David had distributed in the house of
Yahweh, to offer the burnt offerings of Yahweh, as it is written in
the law of Moses, with rejoicing and with singing, according to the
order of David. {23:19} He set the porters at the gates of the house
of Yahweh, that no one who was unclean in anything should enter in.
{23:20} He took the captains of hundreds, and the nobles, and the
governors of the people, and all the people of the land, and brought
down the king from the house of Yahweh: and they came through the
upper gate to the king's house, and set the king on the throne of the
kingdom. {23:21} So all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city
was quiet. Athaliah they had slain with the sword.
{24:1} Joash was seven years old when he began to reign; and he
reigned forty years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Zibiah, of
Beersheba. {24:2} Joash did that which was right in the eyes of Yahweh
all the days of Jehoiada the priest. {24:3} Jehoiada took for him two
wives; and he became the father of sons and daughters. {24:4} It
happened after this, that Joash was minded to restore the house of
Yahweh. {24:5} He gathered together the priests and the Levites, and
said to them, Go out to the cities of Judah, and gather of all Israel
money to repair the house of your God from year to year; and see that
you hasten the matter. However the Levites didn't hurry. {24:6} The
king called for Jehoiada the chief, and said to him, Why haven't you
required of the Levites to bring in out of Judah and out of Jerusalem
the tax of Moses the servant of Yahweh, and of the assembly of Israel,
for the tent of the testimony? {24:7} For the sons of Athaliah, that
wicked woman, had broken up the house of God; and also all the
dedicated things of the house of Yahweh did they bestow on the Baals.
{24:8} So the king commanded, and they made a chest, and set it
outside at the gate of the house of Yahweh. {24:9} 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.
{24:10} All the princes and all the people rejoiced, and brought in,
and cast into the chest, until they had made an end. {24:11} It was
so, that 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. {24:12} The king and
Jehoiada gave it to such as did the work of the service of the house
of Yahweh; and they hired masons and carpenters to restore the house
of Yahweh, and also such as worked iron and brass to repair the house
of Yahweh. {24:13} So the workmen worked, and the work of repairing
went forward in their hands, and they set up the house of God in its
state, and strengthened it. {24:14} When they had made an end, they
brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada, of which
were made vessels for the house of Yahweh, even vessels with which to
minister and to offer, and spoons, and vessels of gold and silver.
They offered burnt offerings in the house of Yahweh continually all
the days of Jehoiada. {24:15} But Jehoiada grew old and was full of
days, and he died; one hundred thirty years old was he when he died.
{24:16} They buried him in the city of David among the kings, because
he had done good in Israel, and toward God and his house. {24:17} Now
after the death of Jehoiada came the princes of Judah, and made
obeisance to the king. Then the king listened to them. {24:18} They
forsook the house of Yahweh, the God of their fathers, and served the
Asherim and the idols: and wrath came on Judah and Jerusalem for this
their guiltiness. {24:19} Yet he sent prophets to them, to bring them
again to Yahweh; and they testified against them: but they would not
give ear. {24:20} The Spirit of God came on Zechariah the son of
Jehoiada the priest; and he stood above the people, and said to them,
Thus says God, Why disobey you the commandments of Yahweh, so that you
can't prosper? because you have forsaken Yahweh, he has also forsaken
you. {24:21} They conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at
the commandment of the king in the court of the house of Yahweh.
{24:22} 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, Yahweh look on it, and require it. {24:23} It happened at the
end of the year, that the army of the Syrians came up against him: and
they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the princes of the
people from among the people, and sent all the spoil of them to the
king of Damascus. {24:24} 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. {24:25} When they were
departed for him (for they left him very sick), his own servants
conspired against him for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the
priest, and killed him on his bed, and he died; and they buried him in
the city of David, but they didn't bury him in the tombs of the kings.
{24:26} These are those who conspired against him: Zabad the son of
Shimeath the Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith the
Moabitess. {24:27} Now concerning his sons, and the greatness of the
burdens [laid] on him, and the rebuilding of the house of God, behold,
they are written in the commentary of the book of the kings. Amaziah
his son reigned in his place.
___
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