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.
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.