2 Chronicles 24

1 Joash was seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Zibiah of Beersheba.

[約阿士為王]約阿士即位時纔七歲；在耶路撒冷作王凡四十年；他的母親名叫漆彼雅，是貝爾舍巴人。

2 And Joash did that which was right in the sight of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest.

大司祭約雅達在生之日，約阿士行了上主視為正義的事。

3 And Jehoiada took for him two wives; and he begat sons and daughters.

約雅達為他娶了兩個妻子，且生了子女。[重修聖殿]

4 And it came to pass after this, that Joash was minded to repair the house of the LORD.

此後，約阿士有意重修上主的殿，

5 And he gathered the priests and the Levites, and said to them, Go out to the cities of Judah, and gather from all Israel money to repair the house of your God from year to year, and see that ye hasten the matter. But the Levites hastened it not.

便召集司祭和肋未人來，吩咐他們說：「你們往猶大各城去，向全以色列人捐錢，按每年需要，修補你們天主的殿；你們應急速辦理此事。」但是肋未人沒有趕緊辦理。

6 And the king called for Jehoiada the chief, and said to him, Why hast thou not required of the Levites to bring in out of Judah and out of Jerusalem the collection, according to the commandment of Moses the servant of the LORD, and of the congregation of Israel, for the tabernacle of witness?

君王遂將大司祭約雅達召來，對他說：「你為什麼不勒令肋未人在猶大和耶路撒冷捐款，像上主的僕人梅瑟為作證的會幕，巷以色列會眾徵收﹖」

7 For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken up the house of God; and also all the dedicated things of the house of the LORD they bestowed upon Baalim.

原來，惡婦阿塔里雅和附合他的人使上主的殿失修，且將上主殿內的捐獻都用於巴耳。

8 And at the king’s commandment they made a chest, and set it without at the gate of the house of the LORD.

君王於是下令，製一個箱子，放在上主的殿門外，

9 And they made a proclamation through Judah and Jerusalem, to bring in to the LORD the collection that Moses the servant of God laid upon Israel in the wilderness.

並在猶大和耶路撒冷發出通告，要人為上主捐款，像天主的僕人梅瑟在曠野曾向以色列徵收捐款一樣。

10 And all the princes and all the people rejoiced, and brought in, and cast into the chest, until they had finished.

眾首領和全民眾都很高興來捐獻，將錢投入箱內，直到投滿。

11 Now it came to pass, that at the time the chest was brought to the king’s office by the hand of the Levites, and when they saw that there was much money, the king’s scribe and the high 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 assembled money in abundance.

當肋未人將錢箱抬到君王的有司那裏時，見稅錢很多，遂請君王的書記和大司祭的屬員前來，將錢箱倒空，然後拿去放在原處；天天如此，所以收集了很多的錢。

12 And the king and Jehoiada gave it to such as did the work of the service of the house of the LORD, and hired masons and carpenters to repair the house of the LORD, and also such as wrought iron and brass to mend the house of the LORD.

君王和約雅達便將錢交給主管上主殿的人，雇用石工和木工，招請鐵匠和銅匠，修理上主的殿宇。

13 So the workmen wrought, and the work was perfected by them, and they set the house of God in order, and strengthened it.

工匠都勤於工作，修葺的工作在他們手下日有進展，竟將天主的殿修理得與先前一樣，而且異常堅固。

14 And when they had finished it, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada, of which were made vessels for the house of the LORD, even vessels to minister, and to offer with, and spoons, and vessels of gold and silver. And they offered burnt offerings in the house of the LORD continually all the days of Jehoiada.

他們完工以後，將剩下的錢，送到君王和約雅達那裏；他們遂叫人用來製造上主殿內的傢俱，為禮儀和全燔祭用得器皿、香盤以及各種金銀器皿。約雅達有生之日，在上主的殿內，時時有人奉獻全燔祭。[約阿士變節]

15 But Jehoiada grew old, and was full of days when he died; an hundred and thirty years old was he when he died.

約雅達逝世時，年紀已很老；死時享年一百三十歲，

16 And they buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, both toward God, and toward his house.

與列王同葬在達味城，因為他在以色列對天主和天主的殿立了大功。

17 Now after the death of Jehoiada came the princes of Judah, and made obeisance to the king. Then the king hearkened to them.

但在約雅達死後，猶大的首領前來朝覲君王，君王竟附和了他們的主意，

18 And they left the house of the LORD God of their fathers, and served groves and idols: and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their trespass.

離棄了上主他們祖先天主的殿，去奉事阿舍辣和偶像。由於這個重罪，怒降到了猶大和耶路撒冷

19 Yet he sent prophets to them, to bring them again to the LORD; and they testified against them: but they would not give ear.

上主仍派先知來引導他們歸向上主，先知雖警告他們，無奈他們不肯聽從。

20 And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, who stood above the people, and said to them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the LORD, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the LORD, he hath also forsaken you.

天主的神充滿在大司祭約雅達的兒子則加黎雅身上，他便站在民眾面前，對他們說：「天主這樣說：你們為什麼違犯上主的誡命，招致不利呢﹖因為你們拋棄了上主，他也要拋棄你們。」

21 And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of the LORD.

民眾都想殺害他，遂按君王的命令，在上主殿的庭院裏，用石頭將他砸死了。

22 Thus Joash the king remembered not the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but slew his son. And when he died, he said, The LORD look upon it, and require it.

這樣，約阿士絲毫未念及他父親約雅達對待自己的恩德，反而殺了他的兒子。則加黎雅臨死時喊說：「願上主鑒察，加以追究! 」[約阿士被殺]

23 And it came to pass at the end of the year, that the army of Syria came up against him: and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people, and sent all the spoil of them to the king of Damascus.

次年歲首，阿蘭軍隊上來攻打約阿士，侵入了猶大和耶路撒冷，殺了民間所有的首領，將掠奪的戰利品送到大馬士革。

24 For the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men, and the LORD delivered a very great host into their hand, because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers. So they executed judgment against Joash.

阿蘭軍隊雖只來了一小隊人，但上主卻將一支龐大的軍隊交在他們手中，這是因為民眾離棄了上主，他們祖先的天主；如此阿蘭人懲罰了約阿士。

25 And when they had departed from him, (for they left him in great diseases, ) his own servants conspired against him for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and slew him on his bed, and he died: and they buried him in the city of David, but they buried him not in the sepulchres of the kings.

當他們離開約阿士時，約阿士正患重病，他的臣僕造反背叛了他，為報大司祭約雅達的兒子的血仇，將他打死在床上；他死後，葬在達味城，但沒有埋在王陵內。

26 And these are they that conspired against him; Zabad the son of Shimeath an Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith a Moabitess.

造反背叛他的是阿孟女人史默阿特的兒子匝巴得，和摩阿布女人史默黎特的兒子約匝巴得。

27 Now concerning his sons, and the greatness of the burdens laid upon him, and the repairing of the house of God, behold, they are written in the story of the book of the kings. And Amaziah his son reigned in his stead.

至於約阿士的兒子，以及他所受的種種警戒，和重修天主殿宇的事，都記載在列王傳記上。他的兒子阿瑪責雅繼位為王。