5:11 The priests left the holy place. 1 All the priests who participated had consecrated themselves, no matter which division they represented. 2
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.
23:1 In the seventh year Jehoiada made a bold move. He made a pact 8 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.
23:1 In the seventh year Jehoiada made a bold move. He made a pact 11 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, 12 23:3 and the whole assembly made a covenant with the king in the temple of God. Jehoiada 13 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 14 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 15 must be killed. You must accompany the king wherever he goes.” 16
23:8 The Levites and all the men of Judah 17 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 18 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. 19 23:11 Jehoiada and his sons led out the king’s son and placed on him the crown and the royal insignia. 20 They proclaimed him king and poured olive oil on his head. 21 They declared, “Long live the king!”
23:12 When Athaliah heard the royal guard 22 shouting and praising the king, she joined the crowd 23 at the Lord’s temple. 23:13 Then she saw 24 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!” 25 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. 26 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. 27 23:15 They seized her and took her into the precincts of the royal palace through the horses’ entrance. 28 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. 29 23:17 All the people went and demolished 30 the temple of Baal. They smashed its altars and idols. 31 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 32 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 33 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. 34
24:1 Joash was seven years old when he began to reign. He reigned for forty years in Jerusalem. 35 His mother was Zibiah, who was from Beer Sheba. 24:2 Joash did what the Lord approved 36 throughout the lifetime 37 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. 38 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, 39 and said to him, “Why have you not made 40 the Levites collect 41 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?” 42 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. 43 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. 44 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 45 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. 46 They followed the measurements specified for God’s temple and restored it. 47 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. 48 24:16 He was buried in the City of David 49 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. 50 The king listened to their advice. 51 24:18 They abandoned the temple of the Lord God of their ancestors, 52 and worshiped 53 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. 54 They warned 55 the people, but they would not pay attention. 24:20 God’s Spirit energized 56 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 57 the loyalty his father Jehoiada had shown him and killed Jehoiada’s 58 son. As Zechariah 59 was dying, he said, “May the Lord take notice and seek vengeance!” 60
24:23 At the beginning 61 of the year the Syrian army attacked 62 Joash 63 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, 64 for the people of Judah 65 had abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors. The Syrians 66 gave Joash what he deserved. 67 24:25 When they withdrew, they left Joash 68 badly wounded. His servants plotted against him because of what he had done to 69 the son 70 of Jehoiada the priest. They murdered him on his bed. Thus 71 he died and was buried in the City of David, 72 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 73 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. 74 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. 75 His mother was Jehoaddan, who was from Jerusalem. 25:2 He did what the Lord approved, 76 but not with wholehearted devotion. 77
25:3 When he had secured control of the kingdom, 78 he executed the servants who had assassinated his father. 79 25:4 However, he did not execute their sons. He obeyed the Lord’s commandment as recorded in the law scroll of Moses, 80 “Fathers must not be executed for what their sons do, 81 and sons must not be executed for what their fathers do. 82 A man must be executed only for his own sin.” 83
25:5 Amaziah assembled the people of Judah 84 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 85 equipped with spears and shields. 86 25:6 He hired 100,000 Israelite warriors for a hundred talents 87 of silver.
25:7 But a prophet 88 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. 89 25:8 Even if you go and fight bravely in battle, God will defeat you 90 before the enemy. God is capable of helping or defeating.” 91 25:9 Amaziah asked the prophet: 92 “But what should I do about the hundred talents of silver I paid the Israelite troops?” The prophet 93 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. 94 They were very angry at Judah and returned home incensed. 25:11 Amaziah boldly led his army to the Valley of Salt, 95 where he defeated 96 10,000 Edomites. 97 25:12 The men 98 of Judah captured 10,000 men alive. They took them to the top of a cliff and threw them over. 99 All the captives 100 fell to their death. 101 25:13 Now the troops Amaziah had dismissed and had not allowed to fight in the battle 102 raided 103 the cities of Judah from Samaria 104 to Beth Horon. They killed 105 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 106 of Seir and made them his personal gods. 107 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 108 these gods 109 that could not deliver their own people from your power?” 110 25:16 While he was speaking, Amaziah 111 said to him, “Did we appoint you to be a royal counselor? Stop prophesying or else you will be killed!” 112 So the prophet stopped, but added, “I know that the Lord has decided 113 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, 114 he sent this message to the king of Israel, Joash son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, “Come, face me on the battlefield.” 115 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. 116 25:19 You defeated Edom 117 and it has gone to your head. 118 Gloat over your success, 119 but stay in your palace. Why bring calamity on yourself? Why bring down yourself and Judah along with you?” 120
25:20 But Amaziah did not heed the warning, 121 for God wanted to hand them over to Joash because they followed the gods of Edom. 122 25:21 So King Joash of Israel attacked. He and King Amaziah of Judah faced each other on the battlefield 123 in Beth Shemesh of Judah. 25:22 Judah was defeated by Israel, and each man ran back home. 124 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. 125 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. 126 25:27 From the time Amaziah turned from following the Lord, conspirators plotted against him in Jerusalem, 127 so he fled to Lachish. But they sent assassins after him 128 and they killed him there. 25:28 His body was carried back by horses, 129 and he was buried in Jerusalem with his ancestors 130 in the City of David. 131
26:1 All the people of Judah took Uzziah, 132 who was sixteen years old, and made him king in his father Amaziah’s place.
1:5 During the reign 135 of Herod 136 king of Judea, there lived a priest named Zechariah who belonged to 137 the priestly division of Abijah, 138 and he had a wife named Elizabeth, 139 who was a descendant of Aaron. 140
1 tn Heb “and when the priests went from the holy place.” The syntactical relationship of this temporal clause to the following context is unclear. Perhaps the thought is completed in v. 14 after a lengthy digression.
2 tn Heb “Indeed [or “for”] all the priests who were found consecrated themselves without guarding divisions.”
3 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Solomon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
4 tn Heb “and the Levites, according to their posts, to praise and to serve opposite the priests according to the matter of a day in its day.”
5 tn Heb “and the gatekeepers by their divisions for a gate and a gate.”
6 tn Heb “for so [was] the command of David the man of God.”
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.
8 tn Or “covenant.”
9 tn Heb “and he built up Ramah so as to not permit going out or coming in to Asa king of Judah.”
10 tn Heb “and he built up Ramah so as to not permit going out or coming in to Asa king of Judah.”
11 tn Or “covenant.”
12 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
13 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jehoiada the priest, cf. v. 8) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
14 tn Heb “all the people.”
15 tn Heb “house.”
16 tn Heb “and be with the king in his coming out and in his going out.”
17 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.
18 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”).
19 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.”
20 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.).
21 tn Or “they made him king and anointed him.”
22 tn Heb “and Athaliah heard the sound of the people, the runners.”
23 tn Heb “she came to the people.”
24 tn Heb “and she saw, and behold.”
25 tn Or “Conspiracy! Conspiracy!”
26 tn Heb “ranks.”
27 tn Heb “for the priest had said, ‘Do not put her to death in the house of the
28 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).
29 tn Heb “and Jehoiada made a covenant between himself and [between] all the people and [between] the king, to become a people for the
30 tn Or “tore down.”
31 tn Or “images.”
32 tn Heb “as it is written in.”
33 tn Heb “took.”
34 tn Heb “killed Athaliah with the sword.”
35 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
36 tn Heb “and Joash did what was proper in the eyes of the
37 tn Heb “all the days of.”
38 tn Heb “and it was, later, there was with the heart of Joash to repair the house of the
39 tn Heb “Jehoiada the head”; the word “priest” not in the Hebrew text but is implied.
40 tn Heb “sought.”
41 tn Heb “bring.”
42 tn Heb “the tent of testimony.”
43 tn Heb “and the king said [it] and they made a chest and placed it in the gate of the house of the
44 tn Heb “and they gave voice in Judah and Jerusalem to bring to the
45 tn Heb “doers of the work.”
46 tn Heb “and the doers of the work worked, and the repairs went up for the work by their hand.”
47 tn Heb “and they caused the house of God to stand according to its measurements and they strengthened it.”
48 tn Heb “and Jehoiada grew old and was full of days and died; [he was] one hundred thirty years old when he died.”
49 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
50 tn Heb “came and bowed down to the king.”
51 tn Heb “to them.”
52 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 24).
53 tn Heb “served.”
54 tn Heb “and he sent among them prophets to bring them back to the
55 tn Heb “testified among.”
56 tn Heb “clothed.”
57 tn Heb “did not remember.”
58 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Jehoiada) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
59 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Zechariah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
60 tn Heb “and seek [ – ].” The direct object of “seek” is omitted in the Hebrew text but implied; “vengeance” is supplied for clarification.
61 tn Heb “turning.”
62 tn Heb “went up against.”
63 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joash) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
64 tn Heb “though with a small amount of men the army of Aram came, the
65 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the people of Judah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
66 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Syrians) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
67 tn Heb “executed judgments [on] Joash.”
68 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joash) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
69 tn Heb “because of the shed blood of.”
70 tc The MT has the plural בְּנֵי (bÿney, “sons”), but the final yod is dittographic. Note the yod that immediately follows.
71 tn Heb “and he died.”
72 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
73 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Joash) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
74 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?”
75 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
76 tn Heb “he did what was proper in the eyes of the
77 tn Heb “a complete heart.”
78 tn Heb “when the kingdom was secure upon him.”
79 tn Heb “he killed his servants, the ones who had struck down the king, his father.”
80 tn Heb “as it is written in the scroll of the law of Moses which the
81 tn Heb “on account of sons.”
82 tn Heb “on account of fathers.”
83 sn This law is recorded in Deut 24:16.
84 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.
85 tn Heb “young men going out to war.”
86 tn Heb “holding a spear and a shield.”
87 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).
88 tn Heb “man of God.”
89 tn Heb “Israel, all the sons of Ephraim.”
90 tn Heb “cause you to stumble.”
91 tn Heb “to cause to stumble.”
92 tn Heb “said to the man of God.”
93 tn Heb “man of God.”
94 tn Heb “and Amaziah separated them, the troops who came to him from Ephraim, to go to their place.”
95 tn Heb “and Amaziah strengthened himself and led his people and went to the Valley of Salt.”
96 tn Or “struck down.”
97 tn Heb “sons of Seir.”
98 tn Heb “sons.”
99 tn Heb “and threw them from the top of the cliff.”
100 tn Heb “all of them.”
101 tn Heb “smashed in pieces.”
102 tn Heb “had sent back from going with him to the battle.”
103 tn Heb “stripped.”
104 map For location see Map2-B1; Map4-D3; Map5-E2; Map6-A4; Map7-C1.
105 tn Heb “struck down.”
106 tn Heb “sons.”
107 tn Heb “caused them to stand for him as gods.”
108 tn Heb “seeking,” perhaps in the sense of “consulting [an oracle from].”
109 tn Heb “the gods of the people.”
110 tn Heb “hand.”
111 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Amaziah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
112 tn Heb “Stop yourself! Why should they strike you down?”
113 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.”
114 tn The words “with his advisers” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
115 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.
116 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).
117 tn Heb “you say [to yourself], ‘look, you have defeated Edom.’”
118 tn Heb “and your heart is lifted up.”
119 tn Heb “to glorify.”
120 tn Heb “Why get involved in calamity and fall, you and Judah with you?”
121 tn Heb “did not listen.”
122 tn Heb “because it was from God in order to give them into the hand because they sought the gods of Edom.”
123 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.
124 tn Heb “and Judah was struck down before Israel and they fled, each to his tent.”
125 tn Heb “400 cubits.” Assuming a cubit of 18 inches (45 cm), the distance would have been about 600 feet (180 m).
126 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.”
127 tn Heb “and they conspired against him [with] a conspiracy in Jerusalem.”
128 tn Heb “and they sent after him to Lachish.”
129 tn Heb “and they carried him on horses.”
130 tn Heb “fathers.”
131 tc The Hebrew text has “Judah,” but some medieval
132 tn The parallel account in 2 Kgs 15:1-8 has the variant spelling “Azariah.”
133 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
134 tn Aram “according to the writing of.”
135 tn Grk “It happened that in the days.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
136 sn Herod was Herod the Great, who ruled Palestine from 37
137 tn Grk “of”; but the meaning of the preposition ἐκ (ek) is more accurately expressed in contemporary English by the relative clause “who belonged to.”
138 sn There were twenty-four divisions of priesthood and the priestly division of Abijah was eighth on the list according to 1 Chr 24:10.
139 tn Grk “and her name was Elizabeth.”
140 tn Grk “a wife of the daughters of Aaron.”