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.
Yoasa 'Bädri'ba Yuda ro
(2 'Bädri'bai 12:1-16)1 Yoasa ka a'do 'bädri'ba ro oko ndroa ndaro te njidrieri, ago nda mirivote ndroa 'butesu Yerusalema ya. Endre ndaro ävuruna ni Zibia ni 'bakici Beraseba yasi. 2 Nda yete tase ki'dwe OPI be ayani tuse Jehoiada bedri lidriidriro ana si. 3 Jehoiada gye 'ditoko te ritu 'Bädri'ba Yoasa ri, ago ànya tiyi ŋgwàagoro ndi ndiriŋwa be te ndäri.
4 Ndroa fere a'do ndaro 'bädri'ba ro vosi oko, Yoasa usutavote ogone Yekalu edene. 5 Nda 'ba kohanii ndi Lewe'bai be te oyine 'bakicii cini Yuda ro yasi, parata amba kotone ni lidri cini rigyesi ogone Yekalu edezana ndroa ro ndroa ro. Nda atate ànyari losi ono oyene ndriro, caoko Lewe'bai leyeyite. 6 Ta'dota nda zi Jehoiada, dri'bai ànyaro be te, ago atate ànyari ekye: Nyeji Lewe'bai ko parata osaro se Musa ruindu'ba OPI ro kata tana be lidri ri ezine Mutuguṛi a'do lototi OPI ro ätiza ono kotone ni Yuda ndi Yerusalema be yasi etaya?
7 (Tana 'dise ko'debe toko se koziro Atalia ono vosi kwoi enjiyi Yekalu te ago mätuyi Bala te lakazà se alokado kwoi ambana si.)
8 'Dooko 'bädri'ba ta Lewe'bai te sänduku edene ago o'bane dereŋwa Yekalu ro kala. 9 Ànya zoyi lazo te Yerusalema ndi Yuda be yasi, 'dicini ri parata se Musa, ruindu'ba OPI ro kokoto kätina be ni vocowa ya ana ezine OPI ri. 10 Ta ono 'ba lidri cini ndi dri'bai ànyaro be te a'done yai'dwesi, ago ànya eziyi parata te ago gate twi sänduku ya. 11 Tu cini si Lewe'bai eziyi sänduku te dri'bai losi ro 'bädri'ba ro re. Ondro kogate twi oko, egyi'ba 'bädri'ba ro, ndi 'dise vo Kohani Fopara roya be utuyi teni sänduku yasi ago logoyi sänduku te vona ya. Ta'dota ànya kotoyi parata te du'duro.
12 'Bädri'ba ndi Jehoiada be ozoyi parata ana te dri'bai losi ro Yekalu edero rigye, ago ànya lociyi kuni ede'bai, kiki'bai ice ro, ndi logo udi'bai be te ogone yekalu edene. 13 Losioye'bai cini yeyi losi te mbara si, ago ànya go edeyi Yekalu te vona ya oso kyeno ronye, go a'dote ŋgyiri. 14 Ondro ande edena te oko, ezi anjoko logo läguläguro ndi mo'di robe te 'bädri'ba ndi Yoyada be re, se ede deŋbele ndi lakazà Yekalu robe te sina.
Ago Otoza Taora Jehoiada ro te to
Tuse Jehoiada bedri lidriidriro si, alo tori te ondoalo Yekalu ya. 15 Ondro Jehoiada kodete agoambago ro ago ndroa na kosate kama alo 'butenätu (130) oko, nda drate. 16 Ànya seyi nda te vo 'bädri'bai osero ya 'Bakici Dawidi roya, tana nda ye takado te Yisaraele ri, Lu ri ago Yekalu ri.
17 Oko ondro Jehoiada kodrate oko, dri'bai Yuda ro go 'bayi 'Bädri'ba Yoasa te ta ànyaro erine ayani. 18 Ta'dota lidri edrete ni mätu oyevoya Yekalu OPI, Lu zutui ànyaro ro yasi, ago etoyi lu awi beti lu tokoro Asera ro mätuna te. Taenji ànyaro ta takozi ono rota 'ba OPI te a'done kyilaro Yuda ndi Yerusalema be be. 19 Ago OPI zo nebii te miomba ozone ànyari egone ndare, oko ànya gayitezo tana erine. 20 'Dooko tori Lu ro 'dete Zekaria ŋgwa nebi Jehoiada ro dri. Nda kyi edrete vose lidri ni ndi nda ondrene ana ya ago ayotate ekye: OPI Lu ka ami eji tase miro ota ndaro kote ono tana ro, ago kate taezaro ezina andivo amiro dri! Nye'be nda te, ta'doro nda e'be ami kpate! 21 Oko äyiyitate Zekaria lomvo, ago ota 'bädri'ba rosi lidri vo Zekaria te kuni si goro Yekalu roya. 22 'Bädri'ba ije takado se Jehoiada täpi Zekaria ro koyebe ndäri ana tana te, ago fu Zekaria te. Ondro Zekaria kate odra oko, nda atate ekye: OPI kondre tase nyabe oyena ono ago keza mi!
Ädu Ŋgamiri Yoasa ro ro
23 Ndroa ana ya ondro tayi kesate oko, kyila'bai Siria ro ikyi gota Yuda ndi Yerusalema be te, tufuyi dri'bai cini te, ago topayi lakazà amba te goyite sina Damaseka ya. 24 Kyila'bai Siria ro ana toto fereŋwa, oko OPI 'ba ànya te kyila'bai se amba Yudai ro ana opene ṛe tana ànya e'beyi nda se OPI, Lu zutui ànyaro ro ana te. Eza 'Bädri'ba Yoasa te liti ono yasi. 25 Ä'bo nda te laza kozipara be, ago ondro kyila'bai kogoyite oko, dri'bai ritu losi ro ndaro äyiyitate nda lomvo ago fuyi nda te u'duvo ndaro dri tase äfu ŋgwaago nebi Jehoiada robe ana vona logo ro. Ase nda te 'Bakici Dawidi roya, oko ko vo 'bädri'bai osero ya. 26 (Ànya se käyiyitabe nda lomvo kai ni Zabada ŋgwa toko aza Amona'ba ro se äzibe Simata ana ro, ago Jozabada ŋgwa toko se Moaba'ba ro äzibe Simerita ana ro.) 27 Tase arabe juṛuŋwa Buku 'Bädri'bai roya ni ta ŋgwàagoro Yoasa ro ro, tase äŋgube nda lomvo, ndi tase nda kogo kobe Yekalu be oko egyi tana be ana be. Ago Amazia ŋgwa ndaro gorite 'bädri'ba ro vo ndaro ya.