1 Joás tinha sete anos quando começou a reinar. Seu reinado, em Jerusalém, durou quarenta anos. Sua mãe chamava-se Sébia; era ela de Bersabéia.
2 Joás fez o bem aos olhos do Senhor durante toda a vida do sacerdote Jojada,
3 o qual lhe deu por esposas duas mulheres, das quais teve filhos e filhas.
4 Depois disso, Joás tomou a peito restaurar o templo do Senhor.
5 Convocou os sacerdotes e levitas e lhes disse: Ide e percorrei as cidades de Judá, e delas recolhereis anualmente dinheiro dos israelitas para reparar o templo de vosso Deus. Executai isso com presteza. Mas os levitas não se apressaram.
6 Então o rei mandou vir o sumo sacerdote Jojada e lhe disse: Por que não cuidaste que os levitas trouxessem de Judá e de Jerusalém a contribuição imposta por Moisés, servo do Senhor, à comunidade de Israel para a tenda do testemunho?
7 A ímpia Atalia e seus filhos destruíram a casa de Deus: fizeram servir ao culto de Baal todos os objetos sagrados do templo do Senhor.
8 Então o rei ordenou que se fizesse um cofre e o colocassem na parte externa da porta do templo.
9 Em seguida, publicou-se em Judá e em Jerusalém que levassem ao Senhor a contribuição imposta a Israel no deserto, por Moisés, servo do Senhor.
10 Todos os chefes e todo o povo, cheios de alegria, vieram colocar dinheiro no cofre até que este estivesse cheio.
11 Cada vez que, por meio dos levitas, era o cofre levado para a inspeção do rei - o que acontecia quando o dinheiro se acumulava -, o escriba real e um comissário do sumo sacerdote esvaziavam-no e depois os levitas iam colocá-lo no lugar. Assim faziam eles cada vez, e recolheram, em abundância, dinheiro,
12 que o rei e Jojada entregavam ao empreiteiro das obras do templo. Este contratava os carpinteiros, os canteiros e os trabalhadores que modelavam o ferro e o bronze, para restaurar e reparar o templo do Senhor.
13 Os empreiteiros fizeram com que os reparos fossem acabados pelos seus cuidados, e restabeleceram o templo em seu primeiro estado e o consolidaram.
14 Terminado o trabalho, devolveram na presença do rei e de Jojada o restante do dinheiro, com o qual fabricaram utensílios para o serviço do templo e para os holocaustos, assim como taças e outros objetos de ouro e prata. Enquanto viveu Jojada, foram regularmente oferecidos os holocaustos no templo do Senhor.
15 Jojada, velho e cheio de dias, morreu. Tinha cento e trinta anos.
16 Sepultaram-no na cidade de Davi, com os reis, pois ele tinha feito o bem em Israel para com o Senhor e seu templo.
17 Depois da morte de Jojada, os chefes de Judá vieram e se prostraram diante do rei, e o rei os ouviu.
18 Abandonaram o templo do Senhor, Deus de seus pais, e se puseram a adorar as imagens de asserá e outros ídolos, e tamanhas faltas atraíram a ira divina contra Judá e Jerusalém.
19 Enviou-lhes o Senhor profetas para os converterem a ele; porém, pregaram em vão, e não foram escutados.
20 Então o espírito de Deus apossou-se de Zacarias, filho do sacerdote Jojada, o qual se apresentou diante do povo: Eis, disse ele, o que diz o Senhor: Por que transgredis as ordens do Senhor? Nada conseguireis. Porque abandonastes o Senhor, o Senhor vos abandonará.
21 Mas eles se revoltaram contra ele e o apedrejaram por ordem do rei no átrio do templo do Senhor.
22 Joás, esquecido dos benefícios que Jojada lhe dispensara, mandou matar o filho. Porem, ao expirar, disse Zacarias: Que o Senhor o veja, e faça vingança!
23 Ao fim de um ano, o exército dos sírios atacou Joás; invadiu Judá e Jerusalém, massacrou os chefes do povo e enviou todo o seu despojo ao rei de Damasco.
24 Embora os sírios tivessem vindo em pequeno número, o Senhor lhes entregou um enorme exército, porque Judá tinha abandonado o Senhor, Deus de seus pais. Assim os sírios fizeram justiça a Joás.
25 Apenas se afastaram, deixando-o como presa de grandes sofrimentos, seus homens, revoltados contra ele por causa do assassínio do filho do sacerdote Jojada, assassinaram-no em seu leito. Assim morreu e sepultaram-no na cidade de Davi, mas não nos sepulcros dos reis.
26 Os conjurados eram Zabad, filho de Semaat, mulher amonita, e Jozabad, filho de Samarit, mulher moabita.
27 Tudo o que se refere a seus filhos, os numerosos oráculos proferidos contra ele e a restauração do templo estão relatados nas memórias do livro dos Reis. Seu filho Amasias sucedeu-lhe no trono.
1 Joash was seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah, of Beersheba. 2 Joash did that which was right in Yahweh’s eyes all the days of Jehoiada the priest. 3 Jehoiada took for him two wives, and he became the father of sons and daughters.
4 After this, Joash intended to restore Yahweh’s house. 5 He gathered together the priests and the Levites, and said to them, "Go out to the cities of Judah, and gather money to repair the house of your God from all Israel from year to year. See that you expedite this matter." However the Levites didn’t do it right away. 6 The king called for Jehoiada the chief, and said to him, "Why haven’t you required of the Levites to bring in the tax of Moses the servant of Yahweh, and of the assembly of Israel, out of Judah and out of Jerusalem, for the Tent of the Testimony?" 7 For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken up God’s house; and they also gave all the dedicated things of Yahweh’s house to the Baals.
8 So the king commanded, and they made a chest, and set it outside at the gate of Yahweh’s house. 9 They made a proclamation through Judah and Jerusalem, to bring in for Yahweh the tax that Moses the servant of God laid on Israel in the wilderness. 10 All the princes and all the people rejoiced, and brought in, and cast into the chest, until they had filled it. 11 Whenever the chest was brought to the king’s officers by the hand of the Levites, and when they saw that there was much money, the king’s scribe and the chief priest’s officer came and emptied the chest, and took it, and carried it to its place again. Thus they did day by day, and gathered money in abundance. 12 The king and Jehoiada gave it to those who did the work of the service of Yahweh’s house. They hired masons and carpenters to restore Yahweh’s house, and also those who worked iron and bronze to repair Yahweh’s house. 13 So the workmen worked, and the work of repairing went forward in their hands. They set up God’s house as it was designed, and strengthened it. 14 When they had finished, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada, from which were made vessels for Yahweh’s house, even vessels with which to minister and to offer, including spoons and vessels of gold and silver. They offered burnt offerings in Yahweh’s house continually all the days of Jehoiada.
15 But Jehoiada grew old and was full of days, and he died. He was one hundred thirty years old when he died. 16 They buried him in David’s city among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, and toward God and his house.
17 Now after the death of Jehoiada, the princes of Judah came and bowed down to the king. Then the king listened to them. 18 They abandoned the house of Yahweh, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherah poles and the idols, so wrath came on Judah and Jerusalem for this their guiltiness. 19 Yet he sent prophets to them to bring them again to Yahweh, and they testified against them; but they would not listen.
20 The Spirit of God came on Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest; and he stood above the people, and said to them, "God says, ‘Why do you disobey Yahweh’s commandments, so that you can’t prosper? Because you have forsaken Yahweh, he has also forsaken you.’"
21 They conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of Yahweh’s house. 22 Thus Joash the king didn’t remember the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but killed his son. When he died, he said, "May Yahweh look at it, and repay it."
23 At the end of the year, the army of the Syrians came up against him. They came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people, and sent all their plunder to the king of Damascus. 24 For the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men; and Yahweh delivered a very great army into their hand, because they had forsaken Yahweh, the God of their fathers. So they executed judgment on Joash.
25 When they had departed from him (for they left him seriously wounded), his own servants conspired against him for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and killed him on his bed, and he died. They buried him in David’s city, but they didn’t bury him in the tombs of the kings. 26 These are those who conspired against him: Zabad the son of Shimeath the Ammonitess and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith the Moabitess. 27 Now concerning his sons, the greatness of the burdens laid on him, and the rebuilding of God’s house, behold, they are written in the commentary of the book of the kings. Amaziah his son reigned in his place.