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Young Joash Influenced by Jehoiada

24 Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned for forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah from Beersheba. Joash did what was right in the sight of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the priest [his uncle]. Jehoiada took two wives for him, and he fathered sons and daughters.

Faithless Priests

Now it came about after this that Joash decided to restore the house (temple) of the Lord. He gathered the priests and the Levites and said to them, “Go out to the cities of Judah and collect money from all Israel to repair the house of your God from year to year; and see that you do it quickly.” But the Levites did not act quickly. So the king called for Jehoiada the high priest and said to him, “Why have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah and Jerusalem the tax for the tent of the testimony which was authorized by Moses, the servant of the Lord and the servant of the assembly of Israel?” For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken into the house of God and also had used all the holy and dedicated things of the house of the Lord for the Baals.

Temple Repaired

So at the king’s command they made a chest and set it outside by the gate of the house of the Lord. Then they made a proclamation in Judah and Jerusalem to bring in for the Lord the tax that Moses the servant of God imposed on Israel in the wilderness. 10 All the officers and all the people rejoiced and brought their tax and dropped it into the chest until they had finished [and the chest was full]. 11 It came about that whenever the Levites brought the chest to the king’s official, and whenever they saw that there was a large amount of money, the king’s secretary and the chief priest’s representative would come and empty the chest, and take it, and return it to its place. They did this day after day and collected a large amount of money. 12 The king and Jehoiada gave it to those who did the work of the service of the house of the Lord; and they would hire masons and carpenters (craftsmen) and also those who worked in iron and bronze to repair and restore the house of the Lord. 13 So the workmen labored, and the repair work progressed in their hands; and they restored and organized the house of God in accordance with its specifications and strengthened it. 14 When they had finished, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada; and it was [melted down and] made into utensils for the house of the Lord, utensils for ministering and for burnt offerings, and bowls and utensils of gold and silver. And they offered burnt offerings in the house of the Lord continually all the days of Jehoiada.

15 Now when Jehoiada grew old and was full of days, he died. He was a hundred and thirty years old at his death. 16 They buried him in the City of David among the kings, because he had done good [things] in Israel and toward God and His house.

17 Now after the death of Jehoiada [the priest, who had hidden Joash], the officials of Judah came and [a]bowed down to King Joash; then the king listened to them. 18 They abandoned the house of the Lord, the God of their fathers, and served the [b]Asherim and the idols; so [God’s] wrath came on Judah and Jerusalem for their sin and guilt. 19 Yet God sent prophets among them to bring them back to the Lord; these prophets testified against them, but they would not listen.

Joash Murders Son of Jehoiada

20 Then the Spirit of God came over Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, and he stood above the people and said to them, “This is what God has said: ‘Why do you transgress the commandments of the Lord so that you cannot prosper? Because you have abandoned (turned away from) the Lord, He has also abandoned (turned away from) you.’” 21 So they conspired against Zechariah and stoned him [to death] at the command of the king, in the courtyard of the house of the Lord. 22 Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness which Jehoiada, Zechariah’s father, had shown him, but he murdered his son. And when Zechariah was dying, he said, “May the Lord see this and require an accounting!”

Aram Invades and Defeats Judah

23 Now it happened at the end of the year, that the army of Aram (Syria) went up against Joash. They came to Judah and Jerusalem and killed all the leaders among the people and sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus. 24 Though the army of the Arameans came with a small company of men, the Lord handed over a very large army into their hands, because Joash and Judah had abandoned (turned away from) the Lord, the God of their fathers. So the Arameans executed judgment against Joash.

25 When they left Joash (for they left him very ill), his own servants conspired against him because of the blood of the son of Jehoiada the priest, and they murdered 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 The conspirators against Joash were Zabad the son of Shimeath the Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith the Moabitess. 27 Now as to his sons and the many prophecies uttered against him and the rebuilding of the house of God, they are written in the commentary on the Book of Kings. Then his son Amaziah became king in his place.

Amaziah Succeeds Joash in Judah

25 Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. He did right in the sight of the Lord, yet not wholeheartedly. When his kingdom was firmly established, he killed his servants who had struck down his father the king. But he did not kill their children; for he did as it is written in the Law, in the Book of Moses, where the Lord commanded, “The fathers shall not die for the children, nor the children die for the fathers, but each shall be put to death for his own sin.”

Amaziah Defeats Edomites

Amaziah assembled [the men of] Judah and appointed them in accordance with their fathers’ (ancestors’) households under commanders of thousands and of hundreds throughout Judah and Benjamin. He numbered them from twenty years old and above and found there to be 300,000 choice men fit for war and able to handle spear and shield. He also hired 100,000 brave warriors from Israel for a hundred talents of silver. But a man of God came to him, saying, “O king, do not let this army of Israel go with you, for the Lord is not with Israel nor with any of the sons of [c]Ephraim. But if you do go [in spite of this warning], be strong and courageous for battle; yet God will cause you to stumble and fall before the enemy, for God has power to help and to cause people to stumble.” Amaziah said to the man of God, “But what shall we do about the hundred talents which I gave to the troops of Israel?” The man of God answered, “The Lord is able to give you much more than this.” 10 So Amaziah dismissed the troops that came to him from Ephraim, to go home. So their anger was kindled and burned greatly against Judah, and they returned home in the heat of anger.

11 Now Amaziah took courage and led his people out to the Valley of Salt, and he struck down 10,000 of the men of Seir (Edom). 12 The sons of Judah also captured 10,000 alive and brought them to the top of the cliff. They threw them down from the top of the cliff and they were all crushed to pieces. 13 But the troops whom Amaziah sent back, those not allowed to go with him to battle, attacked and raided the cities of Judah, from Samaria to Beth-horon, and struck down 3,000 men and took a large amount of spoil.

Amaziah Rebuked for Idolatry

14 After Amaziah came back from the slaughter of the Edomites, he brought the gods of the sons of Seir, and set them up to be his gods, bowed before them, and burned incense to them. 15 So the anger of the Lord burned against Amaziah, and He sent him a prophet who said to him, “Why have you [d]desired the gods of the people who did not save their own people from your hand?” 16 As he was talking, the king said to him, “Have we made you the king’s counselor? Stop! Why should you be put to death?” Then the prophet stopped and said, “I know that God has decided to destroy you because you have done this and have ignored my advice.”

Amaziah Defeated by Joash of Israel

17 Then Amaziah king of Judah took counsel and sent word to Joash the son of Jehoahaz the son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, “Come [to battle], let us face each other.”(A) 18 Then Joash king of Israel sent word to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, “The [little] thorn bush in Lebanon sent word to the [great] cedar in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son in marriage.’ But a wild beast in Lebanon passed by and trampled down the thorn bush. 19 You say, ‘See, I have struck down and defeated Edom.’ Your heart lifts you up to boast [about your victory]. Now stay at home; why should you meddle and court disaster so that you, even you, will fall and Judah with you?”

20 But Amaziah would not listen, for it was from God, so that He might hand Judah over to Joash because they had desired the gods of Edom. 21 So Joash king of Israel went up; and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced one another at Beth-shemesh, which belonged to Judah. 22 And Judah was defeated by Israel, and they fled, every man to his tent. 23 Then Joash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash the son of Jehoahaz (Ahaziah), at Beth-shemesh, and brought him to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate, 400 [e]cubits. 24 He took all the gold and silver and all the utensils which were found in the house of God with [the doorkeeper] Obed-edom, and the treasures of the king’s house (palace), and the hostages, and returned to Samaria.

25 And Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah lived fifteen years after the death of Joash the son of Jehoahaz king of Israel. 26 Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, from the first to the last, are they not written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel? 27 Now from the time that Amaziah turned away from following the Lord, they conspired against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish; but they sent men after him to Lachish and killed him there. 28 Then they brought him on horses and buried him with his fathers in the City of [David in] Judah.

Uzziah Succeeds Amaziah in Judah

26 Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah. He built Eloth and restored it to Judah after the king [Amaziah] slept with his fathers [in death]. Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jechiliah of Jerusalem. He did right in the sight of the Lord, in accordance with everything that his father Amaziah had done. He continued to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding [f]through the vision of God; and as long as he sought (inquired of, longing for) the Lord, God caused him to prosper.

Uzziah Succeeds in War

He went out and made war against the Philistines, and broke through the wall of Gath, the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod; and he built cities near Ashdod and [elsewhere] among the Philistines. God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabs who lived in Gur-baal, and the Meunites. The Ammonites paid tribute (money) to Uzziah, and his fame spread abroad, even as far as the border of Egypt, for he became very strong. Uzziah also built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, the Valley Gate, and at the corner buttress [of the wall], and fortified them. 10 He also built towers in the wilderness and dug many cisterns, for he had a great deal of livestock, both in the lowlands and in the plain. He also had farmers and vinedressers in the hill country and in the fertile fields, for he loved the soil. 11 Moreover, Uzziah had an army ready for battle, which went into combat by divisions according to the number of their muster as recorded by Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the official, under the direction of Hananiah, one of the king’s commanders. 12 The total number of the heads of the fathers’ households, of valiant men, was 2,600. 13 Under their command was an army of 307,500, who could wage war with great power, to help the king against the enemy. 14 Moreover, Uzziah prepared shields, spears, helmets, body armor, bows, and sling stones for the entire army. 15 In Jerusalem he made machines of war invented by skillful men to be put on the towers and on the [corner] battlements for the purpose of shooting arrows and large stones. And his fame spread far, for he was marvelously helped until he was strong.

Pride Is Uzziah’s Undoing

16 But when Uzziah became strong, he became so proud [of himself and his accomplishments] that he acted corruptly, and he was unfaithful and sinned against the Lord his God, for he went [g]into the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense.(B) 17 Then Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him eighty priests of the Lord, men of courage. 18 They opposed King Uzziah and said to him, “It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron who have been consecrated to burn incense. Get out of the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful and will have no honor from the Lord God.” 19 Then Uzziah, with a censer in his hand to burn incense, was enraged; and while he was enraged with the priests, [h]leprosy broke out on his forehead before the priests in the house of the Lord, beside the incense altar. 20 As Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked toward him, behold, he was leprous on his forehead; and they hurried him out of there, and he also hurried to get out because the Lord had stricken him. 21 King Uzziah was a leper to the day of his death; and, being a leper, he lived in a separate house, for he was excluded from the house of the Lord. And his son Jotham took charge of the king’s household, judging and governing the people of the land.

22 Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, from the first to the last, Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, has written.(C) 23 So Uzziah slept with his fathers [in death], and they buried him with his fathers in the burial field of the kings [outside the royal tombs], for they said, “He is a leper.” And his son Jotham became king in his place.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 24:17 The sudden transition to idolatry under Joash in v 18 was attributed by the ancient rabbis to this meeting. They claimed that when the officials bowed down to Joash, they were acknowledging him as a god, on the ground that it was actually in the Holy of Holies that he had been hidden for a number of years (see 22:12), and he would not have emerged from this sacred chamber alive if he were not a god. The rabbis said that Joash agreed with the officials and even allowed an idol to be made of himself (one of the idols in v 18), thereby ensuring his own destruction.
  2. 2 Chronicles 24:18 Wooden symbols of a female deity.
  3. 2 Chronicles 25:7 The dominant tribe in the Israel, the Northern Kingdom.
  4. 2 Chronicles 25:15 Lit sought.
  5. 2 Chronicles 25:23 I.e. one cubit equals about 18 in.
  6. 2 Chronicles 26:5 Many mss read in the fear of God.
  7. 2 Chronicles 26:16 Only priests were permitted to enter the temple proper and perform such ceremonies.
  8. 2 Chronicles 26:19 Or possibly a skin disease, because the Hebrew word is a general term that can refer to true leprosy (Hansen’s disease) or lesser skin diseases. In any case, it was a severe judgment from God because the disease rendered Uzziah ceremonially unclean, limiting his contact with other people and banning him from participation in worship services (see v 21).

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