King Joash of Judah
(2 Kings 12.1-16)1 Joash was only 7 years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled 40 years from Jerusalem. His mother Zibiah was from the town of Beersheba.
2 While Jehoiada the priest was alive, Joash obeyed the Lord by doing right. 3 Jehoiada even chose two women for Joash to marry so he could have a family.
4 Some time later, Joash decided it was time to repair the temple. 5 He called together the priests and Levites and said, “Go everywhere in Judah and collect the annual tax from the people. I want this done at once—we need that money to repair the temple.”
But the Levites were in no hurry to follow the king's orders. 6 So he sent for Jehoiada the high priest and asked, “Why didn't you send the Levites to collect the taxes? The Lord's servant Moses and the people agreed long ago that this tax would be collected and used to pay for the upkeep of the sacred tent. 7 And now we need it to repair the temple because the sons of that evil woman Athaliah came in and wrecked it. They even used some of the sacred objects to worship the god Baal.”
8 Joash gave orders for a wooden box to be made and had it placed outside, near the gate of the temple. 9 He then sent letters everywhere in Judah and Jerusalem, asking everyone to bring their taxes to the temple, just as Moses had required their ancestors to do.
10 The people and their leaders agreed, and they brought their money to Jerusalem and placed it in the box. 11 Each day, after the Levites took the box into the temple, the king's secretary and the high priest's assistant would dump out the money and count it. Then the empty box would be taken back outside.
This happened day after day, and soon a large amount of money was collected. 12 Joash and Jehoiada turned the money over to the men who were supervising the repairs to the temple. They used the money to hire stonecutters, carpenters, and experts in working with iron and bronze.
13 These workers went right to work repairing the temple, and when they were finished, it looked as good as new. 14 They did not use all the tax money for the repairs, so the rest of it was handed over to Joash and Jehoiada, who then used it to make dishes and other gold and silver objects for the temple.
Sacrifices to please the Lord were offered regularly in the temple for as long as Jehoiada lived. 15 He died at the ripe old age of 130 years, 16 and he was buried in the royal tombs in Jerusalem, because he had done so much good for the people of Israel, for God, and for the temple.
Joash Turns Away from the Lord
17 After the death of Jehoiada the priest, the leaders of Judah went to Joash and talked him into doing what they wanted. 18 The people of Judah soon stopped worshiping in the temple of the Lord God and started worshiping idols and the symbols of the goddess Asherah. These sinful things made the Lord God angry with the people of Judah and Jerusalem, 19 but he still sent prophets who warned them to turn back to him. The people refused to listen.
20 God's Spirit spoke to Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest, and Zechariah told everyone that God was saying: “Why are you disobeying me and my laws? This will only bring punishment! You have deserted me, so now I will desert you.”
21-22 King Joash forgot that Zechariah's father had always been a loyal friend. So when the people of Judah plotted to kill Zechariah, Joash joined them and gave orders for them to stone him to death in the courtyard of the temple. As Zechariah was dying, he said, “I pray that the Lord will see this and punish all of you.”
Joash Is Killed
23 In the spring of the following year, the Syrian army invaded Judah and Jerusalem, killing all of the nation's leaders. They collected everything of value that belonged to the people and took it back to their king in Damascus. 24 The Syrian army was very small, but the Lord let them defeat Judah's large army, because he was punishing Joash and the people of Judah for turning away from him.
25-26 Joash was severely wounded during the battle, and as soon as the Syrians left Judah, two of his officials, Zabad and Jehozabad, decided to revenge the death of Zechariah. They plotted and killed Joash while he was in bed, recovering from his wounds. Joash was buried in Jerusalem, but not in the royal tombs. 27 The History of the Kings also tells more about the sons of Joash, what the prophets said about him, and how he repaired the temple. Amaziah son of Joash became king after his father's death.
Joas ma rire ombara mOjuda
(2Ozo 12:1-16)1 Joas wa rira ombara mOjuda e notjiwondo tjozombura hambombari; eye wa honapara oure wozombura omirongo vine mOjerusalem. Ina wa ri Sibja, ngwa zire kotjihuro Berseba. 2 Joas wa tjita imbi mbyaa vi tjata ku Muhona, omupristeri Jojada ngunda a ri nomuinyo. 3 Jojada wa toororera ombara Joas ovakazendu vevari, nowo ve mu pandukira ovanatje ovazandu novakazona.
4 Joas tja za nokurira ombara, we rimana okuṱunisa ondjuwo ya Muhona. 5 Eye wa rakiza kovapristeri nOvalevi kutja ve yende kovihuro vya Juda, nu ve kawonge ovimariva mbya yenene movandu avehe vyokuṱunisa navyo ondjuwo ya Ndjambi ombura aihe. Eye we ve raera kutja ve hakahane okuwonga ovimariva mbi, nungwari Ovalevi va womba. 6 Joas opa isanena Jojada, otjiuru tjovapristeri, ne mu pura tjinene ama tja: “Okutjavi tji mu ha kondjere kutja Ovalevi ve wonge ovimariva vyomasutiro mOjuda na Jerusalem, Moses, omukarere wa Muhona, mbya ningirire kovandu kutja ve sute kokuvatera na vyo Ondanda yOmerikutiropamwe?”
7 Atalja, ingwi omukazendu omurunde, novandu ve va nyonene ondjuwo ya Muhona, nave ungurisa oviyandjewa oviyapuke avihe vyayo okurikotamena na vyo koviserekarera vyovisenginina vya Baal.
8 Ombara ya rakiza kOvalevi, ve ungure otjiwongero tjovimariva nu ve tji twe pendje yondjuwo ya Muhona pomuvero. 9 Owo va hinda ombuze mOjerusalem na mOjuda arihe kutja auhe a etere Muhona otjisuta otja Moses, omukarere wa Ndjambi, pa rakizire kOvaisrael mokuti onguza. 10 Otjiṋa hi tja yorokisa otjiwaṋa novanane vatjo; nowo otji va eta ovistua vyotjimariva nave urisa na vyo ihi otjiwongero. 11 Eyuva arihe peke Ovalevi aave twara otjiwongero komunane omunene wouhona nguye tji ṱakamisa. Aruhe tji tje ura, omutjangerepo wouhona nomukuramenepo wOmupristeri Otjiuru ave ya, ave isa mo ovimariva nave yarura otjiwongero poruveze rwatjo. Komuhingo mbwi otji va wonga ovimariva ovingi tjinene.
12 Ombara na Jojada aave yandja ovimariva ku imba mba ri ovatjevere votjiungura tjokuṱuna ondjuwo ya Muhona, novatjevere mba aave yazema ovake vomawe, novahonge vomiti, novaungure vovitenda okutjita inga omaṱunino. 13 Ovarumendu avehe ovaungure va ungura nomasa, nu va ṱuna ondjuwo ya Ndjambi otja tji ya ri rutenga, nave i zikamisa nawa tjinene komurungu waindu tji ya ri rukuru. 14 Omaṱunino tji ya manuka, ongoldo nosilveri ndja hupa ya yandjwa kombara na ku Jojada; nowo va ungura na yo oviyaha noviungurise vyarwe vyondjuwo ya Muhona.
Jojada ngunda a ri nomuinyo, ozombunguhiro aruhe aaze punguhirwa mondjuwo ya Muhona. 15 Tja za nokuvaza otjiwondo otjinene tjozombura esere nomirongo vitatu, otja koka. 16 Owo ve mu paka momaendo wouhona, mOtjihuro tja David, amave raisa ondjozikiro koviungura oviwa eye mbya ungurira Ovaisrael na Ndjambi nondjuwo ya Muhona.
Joas ma poka ku Muhona nu ma verwa
17 Kombunda yonḓiro ya Jojada, ovanane va Juda va popa Joas kutja a puratene ku wo. 18 Ovandu va isa okurikotamenena mondjuwo ya Muhona, Ndjambi wooihe mukururume, nave rikotamene koomukuru vovisenginina, na kovihenḓe ovizere vyomukuru wotjisenginina oserekaze Asera. Nomazenge wa Muhona ye ya kOjuda na Jerusalem mena rozongatukiro nḓa. 19 Muhona wa hinda ovaprofete okuveronga kutja ve ritanaurire ku ye, nungwari ovandu kave puratenene ko. 20 Tjazumba Ombepo ya Ndjambi ya hita mu Sakaria ngwa ri omuzandu womupristeri Jojada. Eye wa kurama poṋa ovandu avehe paa ve yenene okumumuna, na ravaere a tja: “Muhona, Ndjambi, ma pura kutja okutjavi tji mu ha karere nonḓuviro komatwako we, namu riyetere otjiwonga komuhingo mbwi! Eṋe mwe mu esa, neye otji me mu esa wina!” 21 Ombara Joas we rikuta kuna ovandu okusekamena Sakaria, novandu va zepera Sakaria nomawe morupanda rwondjuwo ya Muhona otja komarakiza wombara. 22 Ombara ke rizemburukire nouṱakame Jojada, ihe ya Sakaria, mbwe mu karera na wo, nungwari wa zepaisisa Sakaria. Sakaria ngunda ama koka, wa ravaera a tja: “Muhona ma munu imbi mbi mo tjiti, nu me ku vere!”
Ondjandero youhona wa Joas
23 Oruteṋi tji rweya ombura ndjo, otjimbumba tjOvasirie tjovita otji tja rwisa Juda na Jerusalem, atji zepa ovanane avehe natji yarura ovihuurwa ovingi tjinene kombara kOdamaskus. 24 Otjimbumba tjOvasirie tjovita tja ri otjiṱiṱi, nungwari Muhona wa tjita kutja tji havere otjimbumba hi otjinene tjOvajuda tjovita mena rokutja ovandu va pokere ku Muhona, Ndjambi wooihe mukururume. Komuhingo mbwi ombara Joas otja verwa. 25 Ovanavita na ye tji va isa otjirwa, ombara ya isiwa nomihihamo omizeu; novahongore vevari vombara ve rikuta kumwe okumupirukira nave mu zepere motjiraro tje okusutisa omazepero womuzandu womupristeri Jojada. Eye wa pakwa mOtjihuro tja David, nungwari ka pakerwa momaendo wouhona. 26 Imba mbe rikuta kumwe okumupirukira, va ri Sabad, omuzandu womukazendu Omuamoni wena Simat, na Josabad, omuzandu womukazendu Omumoab wena Simrit. 27 Momahandjauriro wEmbo rOzombara mu nomahungi wovazandu ve, nomaukiro, nga ukirwa omberero ye, nomatjangero womaṱunino wondjuwo ya Ndjambi. Nu omuzandu we Amasja we mu pingena mouhona.
