Bible Reading April 30 
2 Chronicles 23:1--25:28
Context23:1 In the seventh year Jehoiada made a bold move. He made a pact 1 with the officers of the units of hundreds: Azariah son of Jehoram, Ishmael son of Jehochanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zikri. 23:2 They traveled throughout Judah and assembled the Levites from all the cities of Judah, as well as the Israelite family leaders.
They came to Jerusalem, 2 23:3 and the whole assembly made a covenant with the king in the temple of God. Jehoiada 3 said to them, “The king’s son will rule, just as the Lord promised David’s descendants. 23:4 This is what you must do. One third of you priests and Levites who are on duty during the Sabbath will guard the doors. 23:5 Another third of you will be stationed at the royal palace and still another third at the Foundation Gate. All the others 4 will stand in the courtyards of the Lord’s temple. 23:6 No one must enter the Lord’s temple except the priests and Levites who are on duty. They may enter because they are ceremonially pure. All the others should carry out their assigned service to the Lord. 23:7 The Levites must surround the king. Each of you must hold his weapon in his hand. Whoever tries to enter the temple 5 must be killed. You must accompany the king wherever he goes.” 6
23:8 The Levites and all the men of Judah 7 did just as Jehoiada the priest ordered. Each of them took his men, those who were on duty during the Sabbath as well as those who were off duty on the Sabbath. Jehoiada the priest did not release his divisions from their duties. 23:9 Jehoiada the priest gave to the officers of the units of hundreds King David’s spears and shields 8 that were kept in God’s temple. 23:10 He placed the men at their posts, each holding his weapon in his hand. They lined up from the south side of the temple to the north side and stood near the altar and the temple, surrounding the king. 9 23:11 Jehoiada and his sons led out the king’s son and placed on him the crown and the royal insignia. 10 They proclaimed him king and poured olive oil on his head. 11 They declared, “Long live the king!”
23:12 When Athaliah heard the royal guard 12 shouting and praising the king, she joined the crowd 13 at the Lord’s temple. 23:13 Then she saw 14 the king standing by his pillar at the entrance. The officers and trumpeters stood beside the king and all the people of the land were celebrating and blowing trumpets, and the musicians with various instruments were leading the celebration. Athaliah tore her clothes and yelled, “Treason! Treason!” 15 23:14 Jehoiada the priest sent out the officers of the units of hundreds, who were in charge of the army, and ordered them, “Bring her outside the temple to the guards. 16 Put the sword to anyone who follows her.” The priest gave this order because he had decided she should not be executed in the Lord’s temple. 17 23:15 They seized her and took her into the precincts of the royal palace through the horses’ entrance. 18 There they executed her.
23:16 Jehoiada then drew up a covenant stipulating that he, all the people, and the king should be loyal to the Lord. 19 23:17 All the people went and demolished 20 the temple of Baal. They smashed its altars and idols. 21 They killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars. 23:18 Jehoiada then assigned the duties of the Lord’s temple to the priests, the Levites whom David had assigned to the Lord’s temple. They were responsible for offering burnt sacrifices to the Lord with joy and music, according to 22 the law of Moses and the edict of David. 23:19 He posted guards at the gates of the Lord’s temple, so no one who was ceremonially unclean in any way could enter. 23:20 He summoned 23 the officers of the units of hundreds, the nobles, the rulers of the people, and all the people of land, and he then led the king down from the Lord’s temple. They entered the royal palace through the Upper Gate and seated the king on the royal throne. 23:21 All the people of the land celebrated, for the city had rest now that they had killed Athaliah. 24
24:1 Joash was seven years old when he began to reign. He reigned for forty years in Jerusalem. 25 His mother was Zibiah, who was from Beer Sheba. 24:2 Joash did what the Lord approved 26 throughout the lifetime 27 of Jehoiada the priest. 24:3 Jehoiada chose two wives for him who gave him sons and daughters.
24:4 Joash was determined to repair the Lord’s temple. 28 24:5 He assembled the priests and Levites and ordered them, “Go out to the cities of Judah and collect the annual quota of silver from all Israel for repairs on the temple of your God. Be quick about it!” But the Levites delayed.
24:6 So the king summoned Jehoiada the chief priest, 29 and said to him, “Why have you not made 30 the Levites collect 31 from Judah and Jerusalem the tax authorized by Moses the Lord’s servant and by the assembly of Israel at the tent containing the tablets of the law?” 32 24:7 (Wicked Athaliah and her sons had broken into God’s temple and used all the holy items of the Lord’s temple in their worship of the Baals.) 24:8 The king ordered a chest to be made and placed outside the gate of the Lord’s temple. 33 24:9 An edict was sent throughout Judah and Jerusalem requiring the people to bring to the Lord the tax that Moses, God’s servant, imposed on Israel in the wilderness. 34 24:10 All the officials and all the people gladly brought their silver and threw it into the chest until it was full. 24:11 Whenever the Levites brought the chest to the royal accountant and they saw there was a lot of silver, the royal scribe and the accountant of the high priest emptied the chest and then took it back to its place. They went through this routine every day and collected a large amount of silver.
24:12 The king and Jehoiada gave it to the construction foremen 35 assigned to the Lord’s temple. They hired carpenters and craftsmen to repair the Lord’s temple, as well as those skilled in working with iron and bronze to restore the Lord’s temple. 24:13 They worked hard and made the repairs. 36 They followed the measurements specified for God’s temple and restored it. 37 24:14 When they were finished, they brought the rest of the silver to the king and Jehoiada. They used it to make items for the Lord’s temple, including items used in the temple service and for burnt sacrifices, pans, and various other gold and silver items. Throughout Jehoiada’s lifetime, burnt sacrifices were offered regularly in the Lord’s temple.
24:15 Jehoiada grew old and died at the age of 130. 38 24:16 He was buried in the City of David 39 with the kings, because he had accomplished good in Israel and for God and his temple.
24:17 After Jehoiada died, the officials of Judah visited the king and declared their loyalty to him. 40 The king listened to their advice. 41 24:18 They abandoned the temple of the Lord God of their ancestors, 42 and worshiped 43 the Asherah poles and idols. Because of this sinful activity, God was angry with Judah and Jerusalem. 24:19 The Lord sent prophets among them to lead them back to him. 44 They warned 45 the people, but they would not pay attention. 24:20 God’s Spirit energized 46 Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood up before the people and said to them, “This is what God says: ‘Why are you violating the commands of the Lord? You will not be prosperous! Because you have rejected the Lord, he has rejected you!’” 24:21 They plotted against him and by royal decree stoned him to death in the courtyard of the Lord’s temple. 24:22 King Joash disregarded 47 the loyalty his father Jehoiada had shown him and killed Jehoiada’s 48 son. As Zechariah 49 was dying, he said, “May the Lord take notice and seek vengeance!” 50
24:23 At the beginning 51 of the year the Syrian army attacked 52 Joash 53 and invaded Judah and Jerusalem. They wiped out all the leaders of the people and sent all the plunder they gathered to the king of Damascus. 24:24 Even though the invading Syrian army was relatively weak, the Lord handed over to them Judah’s very large army, 54 for the people of Judah 55 had abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors. The Syrians 56 gave Joash what he deserved. 57 24:25 When they withdrew, they left Joash 58 badly wounded. His servants plotted against him because of what he had done to 59 the son 60 of Jehoiada the priest. They murdered him on his bed. Thus 61 he died and was buried in the City of David, 62 but not in the tombs of the kings. 24:26 The conspirators were Zabad son of Shimeath (an Ammonite woman) and Jehozabad son of Shimrith (a Moabite woman).
24:27 The list of Joash’s 63 sons, the many prophetic oracles pertaining to him, and the account of his building project on God’s temple are included in the record of the Scroll of the Kings. 64 His son Amaziah replaced him as king.
25:1 Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. 65 His mother was Jehoaddan, who was from Jerusalem. 25:2 He did what the Lord approved, 66 but not with wholehearted devotion. 67
25:3 When he had secured control of the kingdom, 68 he executed the servants who had assassinated his father. 69 25:4 However, he did not execute their sons. He obeyed the Lord’s commandment as recorded in the law scroll of Moses, 70 “Fathers must not be executed for what their sons do, 71 and sons must not be executed for what their fathers do. 72 A man must be executed only for his own sin.” 73
25:5 Amaziah assembled the people of Judah 74 and assigned them by families to the commanders of units of a thousand and the commanders of units of a hundred for all Judah and Benjamin. He counted those twenty years old and up and discovered there were 300,000 young men of fighting age 75 equipped with spears and shields. 76 25:6 He hired 100,000 Israelite warriors for a hundred talents 77 of silver.
25:7 But a prophet 78 visited him and said: “O king, the Israelite troops must not go with you, for the Lord is not with Israel or any of the Ephraimites. 79 25:8 Even if you go and fight bravely in battle, God will defeat you 80 before the enemy. God is capable of helping or defeating.” 81 25:9 Amaziah asked the prophet: 82 “But what should I do about the hundred talents of silver I paid the Israelite troops?” The prophet 83 replied, “The Lord is capable of giving you more than that.” 25:10 So Amaziah dismissed the troops that had come to him from Ephraim and sent them home. 84 They were very angry at Judah and returned home incensed. 25:11 Amaziah boldly led his army to the Valley of Salt, 85 where he defeated 86 10,000 Edomites. 87 25:12 The men 88 of Judah captured 10,000 men alive. They took them to the top of a cliff and threw them over. 89 All the captives 90 fell to their death. 91 25:13 Now the troops Amaziah had dismissed and had not allowed to fight in the battle 92 raided 93 the cities of Judah from Samaria 94 to Beth Horon. They killed 95 3,000 people and carried off a large amount of plunder.
25:14 When Amaziah returned from defeating the Edomites, he brought back the gods of the people 96 of Seir and made them his personal gods. 97 He bowed down before them and offered them sacrifices. 25:15 The Lord was angry at Amaziah and sent a prophet to him, who said, “Why are you following 98 these gods 99 that could not deliver their own people from your power?” 100 25:16 While he was speaking, Amaziah 101 said to him, “Did we appoint you to be a royal counselor? Stop prophesying or else you will be killed!” 102 So the prophet stopped, but added, “I know that the Lord has decided 103 to destroy you, because you have done this thing and refused to listen to my advice.”
25:17 After King Amaziah of Judah consulted with his advisers, 104 he sent this message to the king of Israel, Joash son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, “Come, face me on the battlefield.” 105 25:18 King Joash of Israel sent this message back to King Amaziah of Judah, “A thorn bush in Lebanon sent this message to a cedar in Lebanon, ‘Give your daughter to my son as a wife.’ Then a wild animal of Lebanon came by and trampled down the thorn bush. 106 25:19 You defeated Edom 107 and it has gone to your head. 108 Gloat over your success, 109 but stay in your palace. Why bring calamity on yourself? Why bring down yourself and Judah along with you?” 110
25:20 But Amaziah did not heed the warning, 111 for God wanted to hand them over to Joash because they followed the gods of Edom. 112 25:21 So King Joash of Israel attacked. He and King Amaziah of Judah faced each other on the battlefield 113 in Beth Shemesh of Judah. 25:22 Judah was defeated by Israel, and each man ran back home. 114 25:23 King Joash of Israel captured King Amaziah of Judah, son of Joash son of Jehoahaz, in Beth Shemesh and brought him to Jerusalem. He broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate – a distance of about six hundred feet. 115 25:24 He took away all the gold and silver, all the items found in God’s temple that were in the care of Obed-Edom, the riches in the royal palace, and some hostages. Then he went back to Samaria.
25:25 King Amaziah son of Joash of Judah lived for fifteen years after the death of King Joash son of Jehoahaz of Israel. 25:26 The rest of the events of Amaziah’s reign, from start to finish, are recorded in the Scroll of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 116 25:27 From the time Amaziah turned from following the Lord, conspirators plotted against him in Jerusalem, 117 so he fled to Lachish. But they sent assassins after him 118 and they killed him there. 25:28 His body was carried back by horses, 119 and he was buried in Jerusalem with his ancestors 120 in the City of David. 121
[23:2] 2 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[23:3] 3 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jehoiada the priest, cf. v. 8) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[23:5] 4 tn Heb “all the people.”
[23:7] 6 tn Heb “and be with the king in his coming out and in his going out.”
[23:8] 7 tn Heb “all Judah.” The words “the men of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” by metonymy for the men of Judah.
[23:9] 8 tn The Hebrew text lists two different types of shields here. Most translations render “the large and small shields” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV; NEB “King David’s spears, shields, and bucklers”).
[23:10] 9 tn Heb “and he stationed all the people, each with his weapon in his hand, from the south shoulder of the house to the north shoulder of the house, at the altar and at the house, near the king all around.”
[23:11] 10 tn The Hebrew word עֵדוּת (’edut) normally means “witness” or “testimony.” Here it probably refers to some tangible symbol of kingship, perhaps a piece of jewelry such as an amulet or neck chain (see the discussion in M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings [AB], 128). Some suggest that a document is in view, perhaps a copy of the royal protocol or of the stipulations of the Davidic covenant (see HALOT 790-91 s.v.).
[23:11] 11 tn Or “they made him king and anointed him.”
[23:12] 12 tn Heb “and Athaliah heard the sound of the people, the runners.”
[23:12] 13 tn Heb “she came to the people.”
[23:13] 14 tn Heb “and she saw, and behold.”
[23:13] 15 tn Or “Conspiracy! Conspiracy!”
[23:14] 17 tn Heb “for the priest had said, ‘Do not put her to death in the house of the
[23:15] 18 tn Heb “and they placed hands on her, and she went through the entrance of the gate of the horses [into] the house of the king.” Some English versions treat the phrase “gate of the horses” as the name of the gate (“the Horse Gate”; e.g., NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[23:16] 19 tn Heb “and Jehoiada made a covenant between himself and [between] all the people and [between] the king, to become a people for the
[23:18] 22 tn Heb “as it is written in.”
[23:21] 24 tn Heb “killed Athaliah with the sword.”
[24:1] 25 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[24:2] 26 tn Heb “and Joash did what was proper in the eyes of the
[24:2] 27 tn Heb “all the days of.”
[24:4] 28 tn Heb “and it was, later, there was with the heart of Joash to repair the house of the
[24:6] 29 tn Heb “Jehoiada the head”; the word “priest” not in the Hebrew text but is implied.
[24:6] 32 tn Heb “the tent of testimony.”
[24:8] 33 tn Heb “and the king said [it] and they made a chest and placed it in the gate of the house of the
[24:9] 34 tn Heb “and they gave voice in Judah and Jerusalem to bring to the
[24:12] 35 tn Heb “doers of the work.”
[24:13] 36 tn Heb “and the doers of the work worked, and the repairs went up for the work by their hand.”
[24:13] 37 tn Heb “and they caused the house of God to stand according to its measurements and they strengthened it.”
[24:15] 38 tn Heb “and Jehoiada grew old and was full of days and died; [he was] one hundred thirty years old when he died.”
[24:16] 39 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
[24:17] 40 tn Heb “came and bowed down to the king.”
[24:18] 42 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 24).
[24:19] 44 tn Heb “and he sent among them prophets to bring them back to the
[24:19] 45 tn Heb “testified among.”
[24:22] 47 tn Heb “did not remember.”
[24:22] 48 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Jehoiada) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:22] 49 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Zechariah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:22] 50 tn Heb “and seek [ – ].” The direct object of “seek” is omitted in the Hebrew text but implied; “vengeance” is supplied for clarification.
[24:23] 52 tn Heb “went up against.”
[24:23] 53 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joash) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:24] 54 tn Heb “though with a small amount of men the army of Aram came, the
[24:24] 55 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the people of Judah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:24] 56 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Syrians) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:24] 57 tn Heb “executed judgments [on] Joash.”
[24:25] 58 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joash) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:25] 59 tn Heb “because of the shed blood of.”
[24:25] 60 tc The MT has the plural בְּנֵי (bÿney, “sons”), but the final yod is dittographic. Note the yod that immediately follows.
[24:25] 61 tn Heb “and he died.”
[24:25] 62 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
[24:27] 63 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Joash) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:27] 64 tn Heb “And his sons and the abundance of the oracle[s] against him, and the founding of the house of God, look are they not written on the writing of the scroll of the kings?”
[25:1] 65 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[25:2] 66 tn Heb “he did what was proper in the eyes of the
[25:2] 67 tn Heb “a complete heart.”
[25:3] 68 tn Heb “when the kingdom was secure upon him.”
[25:3] 69 tn Heb “he killed his servants, the ones who had struck down the king, his father.”
[25:4] 70 tn Heb “as it is written in the scroll of the law of Moses which the
[25:4] 71 tn Heb “on account of sons.”
[25:4] 72 tn Heb “on account of fathers.”
[25:4] 73 sn This law is recorded in Deut 24:16.
[25:5] 74 tn Heb “Judah.” The words “the people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” by metonymy here for the people of Judah.
[25:5] 75 tn Heb “young men going out to war.”
[25:5] 76 tn Heb “holding a spear and a shield.”
[25:6] 77 tn The Hebrew word כִּכַּר (kikar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or, by extension, to a standard unit of weight. According to the older (Babylonian) standard the “talent” weighed 130 lbs. (58.9 kg), but later this was lowered to 108.3 lbs. (49.1 kg). More recent research suggests the “light” standard talent was 67.3 lbs. (30.6 kg). Using this as the standard for calculation, the weight of the silver was 6,730 lbs. (3,060 kg).
[25:7] 78 tn Heb “man of God.”
[25:7] 79 tn Heb “Israel, all the sons of Ephraim.”
[25:8] 80 tn Heb “cause you to stumble.”
[25:8] 81 tn Heb “to cause to stumble.”
[25:9] 82 tn Heb “said to the man of God.”
[25:9] 83 tn Heb “man of God.”
[25:10] 84 tn Heb “and Amaziah separated them, the troops who came to him from Ephraim, to go to their place.”
[25:11] 85 tn Heb “and Amaziah strengthened himself and led his people and went to the Valley of Salt.”
[25:11] 86 tn Or “struck down.”
[25:11] 87 tn Heb “sons of Seir.”
[25:12] 89 tn Heb “and threw them from the top of the cliff.”
[25:12] 90 tn Heb “all of them.”
[25:12] 91 tn Heb “smashed in pieces.”
[25:13] 92 tn Heb “had sent back from going with him to the battle.”
[25:13] 94 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[25:13] 95 tn Heb “struck down.”
[25:14] 97 tn Heb “caused them to stand for him as gods.”
[25:15] 98 tn Heb “seeking,” perhaps in the sense of “consulting [an oracle from].”
[25:15] 99 tn Heb “the gods of the people.”
[25:16] 101 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Amaziah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[25:16] 102 tn Heb “Stop yourself! Why should they strike you down?”
[25:16] 103 tn The verb יָעַץ (ya’ats, “has decided”) is from the same root as יוֹעֵץ (yo’ets, “counselor”) in v. 16 and עֵצָה (’etsah, “advice”) later in v. 16. The wordplay highlights the appropriate nature of the divine punishment. Amaziah rejected the counsel of God’s prophet; now he would be the victim of God’s “counsel.”
[25:17] 104 tn The words “with his advisers” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[25:17] 105 tn Heb “let us look at each other [in the] face.” The expression refers here not to a visit but to meeting in battle. See v. 21.
[25:18] 106 sn The thorn bush in the allegory is Judah. Amaziah’s success had deceived him into thinking he was on the same level as the major powers in the area (symbolized by the cedar). In reality he was not capable of withstanding an attack by a real military power such as Israel (symbolized by the wild animal).
[25:19] 107 tn Heb “you say [to yourself], ‘look, you have defeated Edom.’”
[25:19] 108 tn Heb “and your heart is lifted up.”
[25:19] 109 tn Heb “to glorify.”
[25:19] 110 tn Heb “Why get involved in calamity and fall, you and Judah with you?”
[25:20] 111 tn Heb “did not listen.”
[25:20] 112 tn Heb “because it was from God in order to give them into the hand because they sought the gods of Edom.”
[25:21] 113 tn Heb “looked at each other [in the] face.” See the note on the expression “Come on, face me on the battlefield” in v. 17.
[25:22] 114 tn Heb “and Judah was struck down before Israel and they fled, each to his tent.”
[25:23] 115 tn Heb “400 cubits.” Assuming a cubit of 18 inches (45 cm), the distance would have been about 600 feet (180 m).
[25:26] 116 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Amaziah, the former and the latter, are they not – behold, they are written on the scroll of the kings of Judah and Israel.”
[25:27] 117 tn Heb “and they conspired against him [with] a conspiracy in Jerusalem.”
[25:27] 118 tn Heb “and they sent after him to Lachish.”
[25:28] 119 tn Heb “and they carried him on horses.”
[25:28] 121 tc The Hebrew text has “Judah,” but some medieval
