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.
Joas, omukwaniilwa gwaJuda
(2 Aak. 12:1-16)1 Joas okwa ningi omukwaniilwa gwaJuda mepipi lyomimvo heyali nokwa lele muJerusalem omimvo omilongo ne. Yina oZibia gwokuBeersheba. 2 Okwa longo shoka sho opalela Omuwa, omuyambi Jehoiada sho a li e na omwenyo. 3 Jehoiada okwa kongele omukwaniilwa Joas aanyekadhi yaali, oyo noye mu valele aamati naakadhona.
4 Konima yethimbo sho a ningi omukwaniilwa, Joas okwa tokola, a opalekithe otempeli. 5 Okwa lombwele aayambi nAalevi, ya ye kiilando yaJuda okugongela iimaliwa yokomumvo maantu ayehe yokwoopalekululitha otempeli. Okwe ya lombwele ya longe neulumo, ihe Aalevi oya kakadhala. 6 Nena omukwaniilwa i ithana omuyambimukuluntu Jehoiada e te mu pula ta ti: “Omolwashike ano inoo tonatela Aalevi, ya gongele muJuda naJerusalem oompale ndhoka Moses, omumati gwOmuwa, u uthile koshigwana okufuta ekoleko lyetsalihangano?”
7 (Aalanduli yaAtalia, omukiintu ngoka omukeenakalunga, oya li ya nyateke otempeli e taa longitha iilongitho yayo iiyapuki mokusimaneka Baal.)
8 Omukwaniilwa okwa lombwele Aalevi, ya pangele oshiketha shomakwathelo yo ye shi tule posheelo shotempeli. 9 Oyi igidha muJerusalem naJuda kutya shaa omuntu ne etele Omuwa oompale ndhoka Moses, omumati gwaKalunga, u uthile mombuga. 10 Shika osha li sho opalela aantu naawiliki yawo, oyo noye eta oompale dhawo dhiimaliwa e taa udhitha oshiketha. 11 Shaa siku Aalevi ohaa fala oshiketha kelenga ekuluntu ndyoka hali shi tonatele. Sho shu udha, amushanga guuwa nomukalelipo gwomuyambimukuluntu ohaa kutha mo iimaliwa e taa shuna oshiketha peha lyasho. Oyo noya gongele iimaliwa oyindjiyindji.
12 Omukwaniilwa naJehoiada oya gandja iimaliwa kaatonateli yeopaleko lyotempeli, mboka ya futu aahongi yomamanya, aanashihongelo naahambudhi ya pumbiwa meopaleko. 13 Aaniilonga ayehe oya longo nuudhiginini e taa galulile otempeli konkalo yayo yonale noye yi opaleke e tayi fe ompe. 14 Omaopaleko sho ga pu, oshingoli noshisiliveli shoka sha hupu ko, osha pewa omukwaniilwa naJehoiada, mboka ye shi longitha okuhambula iiyaha niikwaniipangitho yilwe yomotempeli.
Omukalo gwaJehoiada tagu lundululwa
Jehoiada manga a li e na omwenyo, oondjambo odha li hadhi yambwa nuudhiginini motempeli. 15 Ihe muukokele womimvo ethele nomilongo ndatu Jehoiada okwa si. 16 Molwokusimaneka iilonga mbyoka a ningile Aaisraeli, Kalunga notempeli, okwa fumvikwa moombila dhaakwaniilwa moshilando shaDavid.
17 Konima yeso lyaJehoiada aawiliki yAajuda oya heke omukwaniilwa Joas e ya pulakene. 18 Oshigwana osha hulitha okuninga omambo motempeli yOmuwa, Kalunga koohekulu, e taa tameke okusimaneka iimenka niiyelekela yoshikalungakiintu Asheera. Oya kwata oshidhila, nuulunde mbuka owa hilile Juda naJerusalem ondjahi yOmuwa. 19 Omuwa okwa tumu aahunganeki oku ya londodha, ya galukile kuye, ihe aantu oya tindi okupulakena. 20 Nena ombepo yaKalunga oye ya muSakaria, omuna gwomuyambi Jehoiada. Okwa thikama montaneho yaantu ayehe e ti igidha ta ti: “Omuwa Kalunga ota pula ta ti: ‘Oshike inaamu vulika kiipango yandje notamu iyetele omupya! Omwa ekelehi ndje, onkee onde mu ekelehi wo!’ ” 21 Omukwaniilwa Joas okwe mu kondjitha, nopalombwelo lye oya dhipaga Sakaria nomamanya mehale lyotempeli. 22 Omukwaniilwa okwa dhimbwa eyakulo lyuudhiginini ndyoka Jehoiada, he yaSakaria, e mu hupithile nalyo e ta dhipaga Sakaria. Sakaria sho a li pokusa, okwa igidha a ti: “Omuwa ne mu tale ye e mu geele!”
Ehulilo lyepangelo lyaJoas
23 Poshikufuthinge shomumvo ngoka Aasiria oya matukile Juda naJerusalem, ya dhipaga aawiliki ayehe e taa fala eliko enene kuDamaskus. 24 Etangakwiita lyAasiria olya li eshona, ihe Omuwa okwe li dhengitha etangakwiita lyaJuda enene, oshoka aantu oye ekelehi Omuwa, Kalunga koohekulu. Osho ngeyi omukwaniilwa Joas a geelwa. 25 Okwa li e ehamekwa unene, naatondi sho ya shuna, aambala ye yaali oye mu tsile ondumbo e taye mu dhipagele montala ye, opo ye mu galulile edhipago lyomuna gwomuyambi Jehoiada. Okwa fumvikwa moshilando shaDavid, ihe hamoombila dhaakwaniilwa. 26 (Mboka ye mu tsile ondumbo, oyo Sabad, omuna gwomukulukadhi Omuammoni, edhina lye Shimehat, naJehosabad, omuna gwomukulukadhi Omumoabi, edhina lye Shimrit.) 27 Efatululo lyembo lyaakwaniilwa oli na omahokololo gaana yaJoas, omahunganeko ngoka ge mu popi tage mu tamaneke, nehokololo lyetungululo lyotempeli. Omwana Amazia okwe mu landula muukwaniilwa.
