2 Chronicles 24

1 Joash was seven years old when he became the king [of Judah], and he ruled in Jerusalem for 40 years. His mother’s name was Zibiah; she was from Beersheba [city].

Joas was of seuene yeer, whanne he bigan to regne, and he regnyde fourti yeer in Jerusalem; the name of his modir was Sebia of Bersabee.

2 Joash did what pleased Yahweh as long as Jehoiada was [the Supreme] Priest.

And he dide that, that was good bifor the Lord, in alle the daies of Joiada, the preest.

3 Jehoiada chose two women to be Joash’s wives. And they bore Joash sons and daughters.

Sotheli and Joas took twei wyues, of whyche he gendride sones and douytris.

4 Some years later, Joash decided that the temple should be repaired.

After whiche thingis it pleside Joas to reparele the hows of the Lord.

5 He summoned the priests and other descendants of Levi and said to them, “Go to the towns in Judah and collect from the people the tax money that they are required to pay each year, and use that money to pay for repairing the temple. Do it immediately.” But the descendants of Levi did not do it immediately.

And he gaderide togidere preestis and dekenes, and seide to hem, Go ye out to the citees of Juda, and gadere ye of al Israel money, to the reparelyng of the temple of `youre Lord God, bi ech yeer; and do ye this hiyyngli.

6 So the king summoned Jehoiada and said to him, “Why have you not required the descendants of Levi to bring to Jerusalem from various places in Judah the annual/yearly tax that Moses said that the people of Judah must pay, for taking care of the Sacred Tent?”

Certis the dekenes diden necgligentli. And the kyng clepide Joiada, the prince, and seide to hym, Whi was it not charge to thee, to constreyne the dekenes to brynge yn money of Juda and of Jerusalem, which money was ordeyned of Moises, the seruaunt of `the Lord, that al the multitude of Israel schulde brynge it in to the tabernacle of witnessyng?

7 [The temple needed to be repaired] because the sons of that wicked woman Athaliah had entered into the temple [and had wrecked some of the things], and had also used some of the sacred items that were in it for [the worship of] Baal.

For the worste Athalia, and hir sones, distrieden the hows of God; and of alle thingis, that weren halewid to the temple of the Lord, thei ourneden the temple of Baalym.

8 So, obeying what the king commanded, the descendants of Levi made a chest and placed it outside the temple, at one of the entrances.

Therfor the kyng comaundide, and thei maden an arke, and settiden it bisidis the yate of the Lord with out forth.

9 Then the king sent letters everywhere in Judah, requesting everyone to bring their tax money to the temple, like Moses had required the Israeli people to do [when they were] in the desert.

And it was prechid in Juda and Jerusalem, that ech man schulde brynge to the Lord the prijs, which Moyses, the seruaunt of God, ordeynede on al Israel, in deseert.

10 All the officials and the other people [agreed, and they] brought their contributions gladly. They put the money into the chest until it was full.

And alle the princes and al the puple weren glad, and thei entriden, and brouyten, and senten in to the arke of the Lord, so that it was fillid.

11 Whenever the descendants of Levi brought the chest to the king’s officials, and they saw that there was a lot of money in it, the king’s secretary and the assistant to the [Supreme] Priest would take all the money from the chest, and then put the chest back in its place. They did this frequently, and they collected a huge amount of money.

And whanne it was tyme, that thei schulden bere the arke bifor the kyng bi the hondis of dekenes, for thei sien myche money, the clerk of the kyng entride, and he whom the firste preest hadde ordeynede, and thei schedden out the money, that was in the arke; sotheli thei baren ayen the arke to `his place. And so thei diden bi alle daies, and money with out noumbre was gaderid togidere;

12 The king and Jehoiada gave the money to the men who were supervising the work of repairing the temple. Those men hired stoneworkers and carpenters to repair the temple. They also hired men who worked with iron and bronze to repair things in the temple [that were broken].

which the kyng and Joiada yauen to hem that weren souereyns of the werkis of the hows of the Lord. And thei hiriden therof kitteris of stonys, and crafti men of alle werkis, that thei schulden reparele the hows of the Lord; also thei hiriden smythis of yrun, and of bras, that that thing schulde be vndurset, that bigan to falle.

13 The men who did the repair work worked hard, and the work of repairing the temple progressed. They rebuilt the temple so that it was like it was originally, and they even made it stronger.

Thei that wrouyten diden craftili, and the crasyng of the wallis was stoppid bi the hondis of hem; and thei reisiden the hows of the Lord in to the formere staat, and maden it to stonde stidfastli.

14 When they had finished the repair work, they brought to the king and to Jehoiada the money that they had not used for the repairs. That money was used to make things to use for offering the sacrifices that were completely burned [on the altar], and to make bowls and other gold and silver things for the temple. As long as Joash lived, the people continually brought to the temple sacrifices that were to be completely burned on the altar.

And whanne thei hadden fillid alle werkis, thei brouyten bifor the kyng and Joiada the tother part of the money, of which money vessels weren maad in to the seruyce of the temple, and to brent sacrifices; also viols, and othere vessels of gold and of siluer `weren maad therof. And brent sacrifices weren offrid in the hows of the Lord contynueli, in alle the daies of Joiada.

15 Jehoiada lived to become very old. He died when he was 130 years old.

Forsothe Joiada ful of daies wexide eld, and he was deed, whanne he was of an hundrid yeer and thritti;

16 He was buried where the kings had been buried, in [the part of Jerusalem called] ‘The City of David’. [He was buried there] because of the good things that he had done in Judah for God and for God’s temple.

and thei birieden hym in the citee of Dauid with kyngis; for he hadde do good with Israel, and with his hows.

17 After Jehoiada died, the leaders of Judah went to Joash, bowed in front of him, and persuaded him to do what they wanted.

But aftir that Joiada diede, the princes of Juda entriden, and worschipiden the kyng, which was flaterid with her seruices, and assentide to hem.

18 So they and the other people stopped worshiping at the temple, and they started worshiping the poles dedicated to [the goddess] Asherah and other idols. Because of their doing those sinful things, God was very angry with the people of Jerusalem and [with the people in other places in] Judah.

And thei forsoken the temple of the Lord God of her fadris, and seruyden idols in wodis, and grauen ymagis; and the ire of the Lord was maad ayens Juda and Jerusalem for this synne.

19 Although Yahweh sent prophets to persuade them to return to him, and although the prophets told them about the evil things that they had done, the people would not pay attention.

And he sente to hem profetis, that thei schulen turne ayen to the Lord; whiche profetis witnessynge thei nolden here.

20 Then God’s Spirit came upon Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada the [Supreme] Priest. He stood up front of the people and said, “This is what God says: ‘Why are you disobeying what I, Yahweh, have commanded? You have abandoned me, so I will abandon you.’”

Therfor the Spirit of the Lord clothide Zacharie, the preest, the sone of Joiada; and he stood in the siyt of the puple, and seide to hem, The Lord seith these thingis, Whi breken ye the comaundement of the Lord, `which thing schal not profite to you, and ye han forsake the Lord, that he schulde forsake you?

21 But the people planned to kill Zechariah. And the king joined them in doing it. The people killed Zechariah by throwing stones at him in the temple courtyard.

Whiche weren gaderide togidere ayens hym, and senten stonys, bi comaundement `of the kyng, in the large place of the hows of the Lord.

22 King Joash had forgotten about how Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had been kind to him. That’s why he gave orders for the people to kill Jehoiada’s son Zechariah, who said as he was dying, “I hope that Yahweh will see [what you are doing to me] and punish [you for doing it].”

And kyng Joas hadde not mynde on the merci which Joiada, the fadir of Zacharie, hadde doon with hym; but he killide the sone of Joiada. And whanne Zacharie diede, he seide, The Lord se, and seke.

23 Near the end of that year (OR, early in the following year), the army of Syria marched to attack [the army of] Joash. They invaded Judah and attacked Jerusalem and killed all the leaders of the people. They [seized many valuable things and] sent them to their king in Damascus, [their capital city.]

And whanne a yeer was turned aboute, `ether endid, the oost of Sirie stiede ayens Joas, and it cam in to Juda and in to Jerusalem, and it killide alle the princes of the puple; and thei senten al the prey to the kyng, to Damask.

24 The army of Syria [that came to Judah] was very small, but Yahweh allowed them to defeat the large army of Judah, because he was punishing Joash and the other people of Judah for having abandoned him, the God whom their ancestors worshiped.

And certeyn, whanne a ful litle noumbre of men of Sirie was comun, the Lord bitook in her hondis a multitude with out noumbre, for thei hadden forsake the Lord God of her fadris. Also thei vsiden schameful domes in Joas;

25 Before the battle ended, Joash was severely wounded. Then his officials decided to kill him for murdering Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada the [Supreme] Priest. They killed him while he was in his bed. He was buried in [the part of Jerusalem called] ‘The City of David’, but they did not bury him in the place where the other kings had been buried.

and thei yeden awei, and leften hym in grete sorewis. Sotheli hise seruauntis risiden ayens hym, in to veniaunce of the blood of the sone of Joiada, preest; and killiden hym in his bed, and he was deed. And thei birieden hym in the citee of Dauid, but not in the sepulcris of kyngis.

26 Those who conspired to kill him were Zabad the son of Shimeath, who was a woman from the Ammon [people-group], and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith, who was a woman from the Moab [people-group].

Forsothe Sabath, the sone of Semath of Amon, and Josabeth, the sone of Semarith of Moab, settiden tresouns to hym.

27 An account of the things that were done by the sons of Joash and the many prophecies about Joash and what he did to repair the temple are written in the scroll called ‘the History of the Kings [of Judah and Israel]’. Then after Joash died, Amaziah his son became the king.

Sotheli hise sones, and the summe of money that was gaderid vndur hym, and the reparelyng of the hows of God, ben writun diligentli in the book of Kyngis.