King Joash of Judah
(2 Chronicles 24.1-16)1 Joash became king of Judah in Jehu's seventh year as king of Israel, and he ruled 40 years from Jerusalem. His mother Zibiah was from the town of Beersheba.
2 Jehoiada the priest taught Joash what was right, and so for the rest of his life Joash obeyed the Lord. 3 But even Joash did not destroy the local shrines, and they were still used as places for offering sacrifices.
4 One day, Joash said to the priests, “Collect all the money that has been given to the Lord's temple, whether from taxes or gifts, 5 and use it to repair the temple whenever you see the need.”
6 But the priests never started repairing the temple. So in the twenty-third year of his rule, 7 Joash called for Jehoiada and the other priests and said, “Why aren't you using the money to repair the temple? Don't take any more money for yourselves. It is only to be used to pay for the repairs.” 8 The priests agreed that they would not collect any more money or be in charge of the temple repairs.
9 Jehoiada found a wooden box; he cut a hole in the top of it and set it on the right side of the altar where people went into the temple. Whenever someone gave money to the temple, the priests guarding the entrance would put it into this box. 10 When the box was full of money, the king's secretary and the chief priest would count the money and put it in bags. 11 Then they would give it to the men supervising the repairs to the temple. Some of the money was used to pay the builders, the woodworkers, 12 the stonecutters, and the men who built the walls. And some was used to buy wood and stone and to pay any other costs for repairing the temple.
13 While the repairs were being made, the money that was given to the temple was not used to make silver bowls, lamp snuffers, small sprinkling bowls, trumpets, or anything gold or silver for the temple. 14 It went only to pay for repairs. 15 The men in charge were honest, so no one had to keep track of the money.
16 The fines that had to be paid along with the sacrifices to make things right and the sacrifices for sin did not go to the temple. This money belonged only to the priests.
17 About the same time, King Hazael of Syria attacked the town of Gath and captured it. Next, he decided to attack Jerusalem. 18 So Joash collected everything he and his ancestors Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah had dedicated to the Lord, as well as the gold in the storage rooms in the temple and palace. He sent it all to Hazael as a gift, and when Hazael received it, he ordered his troops to leave Jerusalem.
19 Everything else Joash did while he was king is written in The History of the Kings of Judah. 20-21 At the end of his rule, some of his officers rebelled against him. Jozabad son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer murdered him in a building where the land was filled in on the east side of Jerusalem, near the road to Silla. Joash was buried beside his ancestors in Jerusalem, and his son Amaziah became king.
Tempļa sienu labošana
(2L 24:1–14)1 Jehoāšs sāka valdīt septiņu gadu vecumā.
2 Jehus septītajā gadā Jehoāšs sāka valdīt un valdīja Jeruzālemē četrdesmit gadus. Viņa mātes vārds bija Cibja no Bēršebas. 3 Visu mūžu Jehoāšs darīja to, kas tīkams Kungam. Viņu mācīja priesteris Jehojāda. 4 Tikai augstieņu altārus viņš nenovāca. Tauta joprojām upurēja un kvēpināja augstieņu altāros. 5 Jehoāšs sacīja priesteriem: “Visu tempļa naudu, kas ienāk Kunga namā, kas vien tur ir apritē, visas galvasnaudas un visu brīvprātīgi doto naudu, kas no sirds ziedota Kunga namam, 6 priesteri lai ņem no tiem, kurus pazīst, un izlieto nama mūru plaisu labošanai – visu, kas tur ir labojams!”
7 Ķēniņa Jehoāša divdesmit trešajā gadā priesteri nama plaisas vēl nebija aizdarījuši. 8 Tad ķēniņš Jehoāšs sauca priesteri Jehojādu, pārējos priesterus un tiem sacīja: “Kāpēc jūs neesat aizdarījuši nama plaisas? Tagad jūs vairs neņemsiet naudu no tiem, kurus pazīstat, bet nodosiet to nama plaisu aizdarītājiem!” 9 Priesteri piekrita neņemt naudu no tautas un nenodarboties ar nama plaisu aizdarīšanu.
10 Priesteris Jehojāda ņēma lādi, izurba vākā caurumu un nolika to blakus altārim labajā pusē. Kad vien kāds ienāca Kunga namā, priesteri, durvju sargi, tur ielika visu naudu, kas ienāca Kunga namā. 11 Kad tie redzēja, ka lādē ir daudz naudas, nāca ķēniņa rakstvedis un augstais priesteris – viņi savāca un saskaitīja visu naudu, kas bija Kunga namā. 12 Saskaitīto naudu viņi deva Kunga nama darbu pārraugiem. Tie izmaksāja to kokgriezējiem un namdariem, kas strādāja Kunga namā, 13 mūrniekiem un akmeņkaļiem – koku iegādei un akmeņu tēšanai, lai aizdarītu Kunga nama plaisas, kā arī visiem citiem izdevumiem, kas namam bija nepieciešami. 14 Taču no Kunga namā ienākušās naudas Kunga namam netaisīja ne sudraba bļodas, ne dzirkles, ne laistāmos traukus, ne taures, ne zelta traukus, ne sudraba traukus. 15 To deva darbu pārraugiem, kuri aizdarīja Kunga nama plaisas. 16 Tiem vīriem, kuriem deva naudu, lai to izmaksātu strādniekiem, norēķinus neprasīja, jo tie bija uzticami. 17 Bet nauda no vainas izpirkšanas un grēku upuriem Kunga namā netika nesta, tā bija priesteriem.
Hazaēls apdraud Jeruzālemi
18 Tajā laikā Arāmas ķēniņš Hazaēls karoja pret Gatu un to ieņēma. Tad Hazaēls nolēma doties pret Jeruzālemi. 19 Un Jūdas ķēniņš Jehoāšs ņēma visas svētās dāvanas, ko bija devuši Jūdas ķēniņi Jehošāfāts, Jehorāms, viņa tēvs Ahazjāhu, kā arī savas dāvanas – visu zeltu, kas atradās Kunga namā un ķēniņa nama mantnīcās, – un sūtīja tās Arāmas ķēniņam Hazaēlam, un tas aizgāja no Jeruzālemes.
Jehoāša nāve
(2L 24:23–27)20 Pārējie Jehoāša darbi un viss, ko viņš darīja, – vai tad par to nav rakstīts Jūdas ķēniņu Laiku grāmatā? 21 Viņa kalpi cēlās un sazvērējās pret viņu, un nokāva Jehoāšu Millo namā – no turienes iet lejā uz Sillu. 22 Viņa kalpi Jehozābāds, Šimāta dēls, un Jehozābāds, Šomera dēls, nokāva viņu, un viņš nomira. Viņu apbedīja pie tēviem Dāvida pilsētā, un viņa dēls Amacjāhu sāka valdīt pēc viņa.
