King Joash of Judah
(2 Kings 12.1-16)1 Joash became king of Judah at the age of seven, and he ruled in Jerusalem for forty years. His mother was Zibiah from the city of Beersheba. 2 He did what was pleasing to the Lord as long as Jehoiada the priest was alive. 3 Jehoiada chose two wives for King Joash, and they bore him sons and daughters.
4 After he had been king for a while, Joash decided to have the Temple repaired. 5 He ordered the priests and the Levites to go to the cities of Judah and collect from all the people enough money to make the annual repairs on the Temple. He told them to act promptly, but the Levites delayed, 6 so he called in Jehoiada, their leader, and demanded, “Why haven't you seen to it that the Levites collect from Judah and Jerusalem the tax which Moses, the servant of the Lord, required the people to pay for support of the Tent of the Lord's presence?”
( 7 The followers of Athaliah, that corrupt woman, had damaged the Temple and had used many of the sacred objects in the worship of Baal.)
8 The king ordered the Levites to make a box for contributions and to place it at the Temple gate. 9 They sent word throughout Jerusalem and Judah for everyone to bring to the Lord the tax which Moses, God's servant, had first collected in the wilderness. 10 This pleased the people and their leaders, and they brought their tax money and filled the box with it. 11 Every day the Levites would take the box to the royal official who was in charge of it. Whenever it was full, the royal secretary and the High Priest's representative would take the money out and return the box to its place. And so they collected a large sum of money.
12 The king and Jehoiada would give the money to those who were in charge of repairing the Temple, and they hired stonemasons, carpenters, and metalworkers to make the repairs. 13 All of them worked hard, and they restored the Temple to its original condition, as solid as ever. 14 When the repairs were finished, the remaining gold and silver was given to the king and Jehoiada, who used it to have bowls and other utensils made for the Temple.
Jehoiada's Policies Are Reversed
As long as Jehoiada was alive, sacrifices were offered regularly at the Temple. 15 After reaching the very old age of a hundred and thirty, he died. 16 They buried him in the royal tombs in David's City in recognition of the service he had done for the people of Israel, for God, and for the Temple.
17 But once Jehoiada was dead, the leaders of Judah persuaded King Joash to listen to them instead. 18 And so the people stopped worshiping in the Temple of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and began to worship idols and the images of the goddess Asherah. Their guilt for these sins brought the Lord's anger on Judah and Jerusalem. 19 The Lord sent prophets to warn them to return to him, but the people refused to listen. 20 Then the spirit of God took control of Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood where the people could see him and called out, “The Lord God asks why you have disobeyed his commands and are bringing disaster on yourselves! You abandoned him, so he has abandoned you!” 21 King Joash joined in a conspiracy against Zechariah, and on the king's orders the people stoned Zechariah in the Temple courtyard. 22 The king forgot about the loyal service that Zechariah's father Jehoiada had given him, and he had Zechariah killed. As Zechariah was dying, he called out, “May the Lord see what you are doing and punish you!”
The End of Joash's Reign
23 When autumn came that year, the Syrian army attacked Judah and Jerusalem, killed all the leaders, and took large amounts of loot back to Damascus. 24 The Syrian army was small, but the Lord let them defeat a much larger Judean army because the people had abandoned him, the Lord God of their ancestors. In this way King Joash was punished. 25 He was severely wounded, and when the enemy withdrew, two of his officials plotted against him and killed him in his bed to avenge the murder of the son of Jehoiada the priest. He was buried in David's City, but not in the royal tombs. ( 26 Those who plotted against him were Zabad, the son of an Ammonite woman named Shimeath, and Jehozabad, the son of a Moabite woman named Shimrith.) 27 The Commentary on the Book of Kings contains the stories of the sons of Joash, the prophecies spoken against him, and the record of how he rebuilt the Temple. His son Amaziah succeeded him as king.
Judab di gao-aob Joasi
(2 Gao-aogu 12:1-16)1 Joasi ge hû kurixab a hîa ge Judab di gao-ao kai, tsîb ge hakadisi kuriga Jerusalems ǃnâ ge gao. ǁÎb îs ge Sibias, Bersebas di ge isa. 2 Joasi ûitsēdi hoadeb ge ǃKhūba a ǃgâibana gere dī, prister Jojadab ûi hâs kōse. 3 Jojadab ge gao-aob Joasa ǀgam tarara ge ǁhûiǂuiba tsî ra ge ǁîba ǀgôagu tsî ǀgôadi tsîna ge ǁoraba.
4 Gao-ao kaib ges khaoǃgâb ge Joasa Tempeli nî dī-unuhesa ge mîǀgui. 5 Joasi ge pristergu tsî Leviǁîgu tsîga ǂgai tsî ge mîmā, î gu Judab ǃāde ǃoa ǃgûǂoa tsî hoaraga khoena xu marina ǀhaoǀhao, Tempeli tawa hâ khôaǃkhaina kurikorobe dī-unus ǃaroma. Gao-aob ge ǁîga ǃhaese gu nî dīse mîmā, xawe gu ge Leviǁîga, nē ǃkhaisa ǃhaese dī tama ge i. 6 Ob ge gao-aoba ǁîgu ǂgaeǂgui-aob Jojadaba ǂgai tsî ge dî: “Tare-i ǃaromats kōǃgâ tama go i, Leviǁîgu nî Judab tsî Jerusalems tsîra xu ǃKhūb di ǃgāb Moseb ge khoena Tempeli ǃaroman nî māse ǁgui-ai marina ǀhaoǀhao ǃkhaisa?”
7 Eloxoresa Atalias di saoǃgonaon ge Tempela ǂkhôa tsî ǂgui khaihesa xūn, Tempeli din ǀkha Baala gere ǃoaba.
8 Gao-aob ge Leviǁîga ge mîmā, îgu mādi ǃaroma ǂgae-e dī tsî Tempeli di dao-ams tawa mâi. 9 Tsî gu ge hoaraga Jerusalems tsî Judab tsîra ǃnâ ge ǂanǂan, mâ khoe-i hoa-i Elob di ǃgāb Moseb ge ǀnai ǃgaroǃhūb ǃnâ Israelǁîna ǁgui-ai hâ i ǁgui-aimarisa ǃKhūba nî hā-ūbasa. 10 Nēs ge ǂgaeǂgui-aogu tsî ǁaes tsîna ge ǃgâiba tsîn ge ǁgui-aimaris âna hā-ū tsî ǂgaes ǃnâ ge ǂgā, ǀoas ges kōse. 11 Leviǁîgu ge ǂgaesa, mâ tsēs hoasa gao-aob di ǂamkhoeb tawa gere hā-ū. ǀOas ga ǁaeb hoaba kha ge gao-aob di xoa-aob tsî ǀgapipristera ra ǂnûǁkhaeba ǂamkhoeb tsîkha, mari-e ūǂui tsî ǂgaesa ǁkhawa ǁîs di ǃkhais tawa sī gere mâi-oa. ǁNātin ge kaise kai ǃgôab di mari-e ge ǀhaoǀhao.
12 Gao-aob tsî Jojadab tsîkha ge mari-e, Tempela dī-unus ǂama ǁguiǂamsa ūhâ khoega gere mā tsîgu ge ǁîga ǃnaokuru-aogu, ǀuiǁhā-aogu tsî ǀurin tsî brons-i sîsenaogu tsîga, Tempeli di dī-unuhes ǃaroma ge ǃgae. 13 ǁÎgu hoagu ge ôasase gere sîsen tsî Tempela ǃhaeǁaeb ǃnâ ǀnaib ge ī i khami ge dī-unu tsîb ge ǃaruǀîǀgui ge ǁaposa. 14 Sîsenna gu ge dītoa, o gu ge ǃgau ge ǃhuniǀurib tsî ǀhaiǀurib tsîkha gao-aob tsî Jojadab tsîkha ge mā, tsîkha ge ǁîkha ǃoredi tsî nau xūn Tempeli din tsîna, ǁî-i ǀkha ge kuru.
Jojadab ǂnûiǂgādi ge ra ǀkharaǀkharahe
Jojadab ûi hâs kōse di ge ǁguibade Tempeli tawa gere ǁguibahe. 15 Jojadab ge kaise kaira tsîb ge ǀguikaidisi tsî ǃnonadisi kurixas khaoǃgâ ge ǁō. 16 Tsîb ge gao-aogu di ǀhobadi ǃnâ Davidi ǃĀs ǃnâ ge ǁkhōhe, ǁîb ge Israelǁîn tsî Elob tsî Tempeli tsîna gere dība ǃgâi ǃoabadi ǃaroma.
17 Xawe gu ge Judab di ǂgaeǂgui-aoga, Jojadab ge ǁōs khaoǃgâ gao-aob Joasa ge ǃhoadan, îb ǁîgu ra mîba bi khami dī. 18 ǁNātin ge khoena ǃKhūb, ǁîn aboxagu di Elob Tempeli ǃnâ ǀgoreǀîǀû tsî ǁgôa-elo-īgu tsî Aseras īgu tsîna ge ǀgoreǀîtsoatsoa. ǁÎn di ǁoreb ge ǃKhūb di ǁaib ge Judab tsî Jerusalems tsîra ǂama hā ǃkhaisa ge ǃaroma. 19 Ob ge ǃKhūba kēbo-aoga ǁîna ge sîba, ǁîna gu nî ǂgōǀause, xawen ge ǃgâ ǂgao tama ge i. 20 Elob di gagab ge prister Jojadab ôab Saxariaba ge hāǂam tsîb ge khoen aiǃâ sī mâ tsî ge mî: “ǃKhūb Elob ge ra dî, tare-i ǃaroma du ǁîb di mîmāde ǁnâuǀnamoǃnâ tsî tsūǀkhāba sadu ǂama ra hā-ū? Sadu ge ǁîba ǁnāxū, ǃkhais ǃaromab ge ǁîba sado ge ǁnāxū.” 21 Gao-aob Joasi ge Saxariab ǃoagu ge ǀapeǀhao tsîn ge khoena gao-aob di mîmās ai Saxariaba Tempeli di omǂnamib ǃnâ ge ǀuiǁhomǃan. 22 Gao-aob Joasi ge Saxariab îb Jojadab ge ǁîba dība ǃgâi dība ge ǀuru hâ i tsî Saxariaba ge ǃgam. Saxariab ge ǁōb ra hîa ge ǂgaiǂui: “Ab ǃKhūba tare-e go ra dīsa mû tsî ǁkhara go.”
Joasi ǂgaeǂguis di ǀams
23 ǁNā kurib ǀunis ais ge Siriaǁîn di toroǂnubisa Judab tsî Jerusalems tsîra ǁnāǂam, hoaraga ǂgaeǂgui-aoga ǃgam, ǂgui xūna ǁkhâuǁnâ tsî ǁîna Damaskus ǃoa ǁîn di gao-aob ǁga ge oa-ū. 24 Siriaǁîn toroǂnubis ge ǂkhari i, xaweb ge ǃKhūba ǁîna kai toroǂnubis Judab dis ǂama dansa ge mā, ǃKhūb ǁîn aboxagu di Eloban ge ǁnāxū amaga. ǁNātib ge gao-aob Joasa ge ǁkharahe. 25 ǁÎb ge kaise ge tsuihe hâ i tsî khākhoegu ge oa, o kha ge ǁîb ǂamkhoegu di ǀgamkha, ǁîb ǃoagu ǀapeǀhao tsî kharob âb ǃnâ ge ǃgam bi. ǁÎkha ge ǁnāsa ge dī, ǁîb ge prister Jojadab di ôaba ǃgam xui-ao. ǁÎb ge Davidi ǃĀs ǃnâ ge ǁkhōhe, xawe gao-aogu ǀhobadi ǃnâs ose. 26 ǁÎb ǃoagu ge ǀapeǀhaokha ge Amonǁîs Simeats ôab Sabadi tsî Moabǁîs Simrits ôab Josabadi tsîkha. 27 Joasi ôagu di ǃnaeǃkhaidi, ǁîb ǂama hâ kēbodi tsî mâtib ge Tempela ǁkhawa ǂnubikhâi ǀgaub tsîn ge ǃNaeǃkhaidi ǂKhanis Gao-aogu dis ǃnâ a xoamâisa. ǁÎb ôab Amasiab ge ǁîb khaoǃgâ ge gao-ao kai.
