The Daily Audio Bible

Joash Reigns over Judah

24 ^(A)Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Zibiah from Beersheba. ^2 (B)And Joash did what was right in the sight of Yahweh all the days of Jehoiada the priest. ³ And Jehoiada took up two wives for him, and he became the father of sons and daughters.

The Levites Did Not Act Quickly

⁴ Now it happened afterwards, that Joash ^[a]had in his heart ^(C)to restore the house of Yahweh. ⁵ And he gathered the priests and Levites and said to them, “Go out to the cities of Judah and gather money from all ^(D)Israel to ^[b]repair the house of your God ^[c]annually, and you shall do the matter quickly.” But the Levites did not act quickly. ⁶ So the king called for Jehoiada the chief priest and said to him, “Why have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah and from Jerusalem ^(E)the levy fixed by Moses the servant of Yahweh on the congregation of Israel ^(F)for the tent of the testimony?” ⁷ For ^(G)the sons of the wicked Athaliah had broken into the house of God and even ^[d]used the holy things of the house of Yahweh for the Baals.

The House of Yahweh Restored

⁸ So the king said the word, and ^(H)they made a chest and put it outside by the gate of the house of Yahweh. ^9 (I)And they ^[e]made a proclamation in Judah and Jerusalem to bring to Yahweh ^(J)the levy fixed by Moses the servant of God on Israel in the wilderness. ¹⁰ And all the officials and all the people were glad and brought in their levies and ^[f]dropped them into the chest until they had ^[g]finished. ¹¹ Now it happened that whenever the chest was brought in to the king’s officer by the hand of the Levites, and when ^(K)they saw that there was much money, then the king’s scribe and the chief priest’s officer would come, empty the chest, take it, and return it to its place. Thus they did daily and collected much money. ¹² And the king and Jehoiada gave it to those who did the work of the service of the house of Yahweh; and they hired masons and ^[h]carpenters to restore the house of Yahweh, and also craftsmen in iron and bronze to ^[i]repair the house of Yahweh. ¹³ So those who did the work labored, and the repair work progressed in their hands, and they ^[j]restored the house of God ^[k]according to its specifications and strengthened it. ¹⁴ When they had completed, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada; and it was made into utensils for the house of Yahweh, utensils for the ministry and the burnt offering, and pans and utensils of gold and silver. And they were offering burnt offerings in the house of Yahweh continually all the days of Jehoiada.

¹⁵ Then Jehoiada became old and full of days, and he died; he was 130 years old at his death. ¹⁶ They buried him ^(L)in the city of David among the kings, because he had done what is good in ^(M)Israel and ^[l]to God and His house.

¹⁷ But after the death of Jehoiada the officials of Judah came and bowed down to the king, and the king listened to them. ¹⁸ And they forsook ^(N)the house of Yahweh, the God of their fathers, and ^(O)served the ^[m]Asherim and the idols; so ^(P)wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their guilt. ¹⁹ Yet ^(Q)He sent prophets to them to bring them back to Yahweh; though they testified against them, they did not give ear.

People Conspire Against Zechariah

^20 (R)Now the Spirit of God clothed Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest; and he stood above the people and said to them, “Thus says God, ‘^(S)Why do you trespass against the commandments of Yahweh and do not succeed? ^(T)Because you have forsaken Yahweh, He has also forsaken you.’” ²¹ So ^(U)they conspired against him and at the command of the king they stoned him ^[n]to death in the court of the house of Yahweh. ²² Thus Joash the king did not remember the lovingkindness which his father Jehoiada had shown him, but he killed his son. And as he died he said, “May ^(V)Yahweh see and ^[o]avenge!”

Aram Comes Up Against Judah

²³ Now it happened at the turn of the year that ^(W)the military force of the Arameans came up against him; and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, destroyed all the officials of the people from among the people, and sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus. ²⁴ Indeed the military force of the Arameans came with a small number of men; yet ^(X)Yahweh gave a very great military force into their hands, ^(Y)because they had forsaken Yahweh, the God of their fathers. Thus they executed judgment on Joash.

^25 (Z)When they had gone from him (for they left him very sick), his servants conspired against him because of the blood of the ^[p]son of Jehoiada the priest, and killed him on his bed. So he died, and they buried him in the city of David, but they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings. ²⁶ Now these are those who conspired against him: Zabad the son of Shimeath the Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith the Moabitess. ²⁷ Now as to his sons and the many ^[q]oracles against him and ^(AA)the ^[r]rebuilding of the house of God, behold, they are written in the ^[s](AB)treatise of the Book of the Kings. Then Amaziah his son became king in his place.

Amaziah Reigns over Judah

25 ^(AC)Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. ² And he did what was right in the sight of Yahweh, ^(AD)yet not with a whole heart. ³ Now ^(AE)it happened as soon as the kingdom was ^[t]strong in his grasp, that he killed his servants who had struck down the king his father. ⁴ But he did not put their sons to death, but did as it is written in the law in the book of Moses, which Yahweh commanded, saying, “^(AF)Fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, nor sons be put to death for their fathers, but each shall be put to death for his own sin.”

Amaziah Is Strong in Battle

⁵ Moreover, Amaziah assembled Judah and appointed them according to their fathers’ households under commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds throughout Judah and Benjamin; and he ^[u]took a census of those ^(AG)from twenty years old and upward and found them to be ^(AH)300,000 choice men, able to go out for military duty, able to handle spear and large shield. ⁶ And he hired also 100,000 mighty men of valor out of Israel for one hundred ^[v]talents of silver. ⁷ But ^(AI)a man of God came to him saying, “O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for Yahweh is not with Israel nor with any of the sons of Ephraim. ⁸ But if you do go, do it, be strong for the battle; yet God will cause you to stumble before the enemy, ^(AJ)for God has power to help and to cause to stumble.” ⁹ Then Amaziah said to the man of God, “But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the troops of Israel?” And the man of God answered, “^(AK)Yahweh has much more to give you than this.” ¹⁰ Then Amaziah ^[w]dismissed them, the troops which came to him from Ephraim, to go ^[x]home; so their anger burned against Judah and they returned ^[y]home in burning anger.

¹¹ Now Amaziah strengthened himself and led his people forth, and went to ^(AL)the Valley of Salt and struck down 10,000 of the sons of Seir. ¹² The sons of Judah also captured 10,000 alive and brought them to the top of the cliff and threw them down from the top of the cliff, so that they were all split open. ¹³ But the ^[z]troops whom Amaziah sent back from going with him to battle, raided the cities of Judah, from Samaria to Beth-horon, and struck down 3,000 of them and plundered much plunder.

Amaziah Worships the Edomites’ Gods

¹⁴ Now it happened that after Amaziah came from striking down the Edomites, ^(AM)he brought the gods of the sons of Seir, set them up as his gods, worshiped them, and burned incense to them. ¹⁵ Then the anger of Yahweh burned against Amaziah, and He sent him a prophet who said to him, “Why have you sought the gods of the people ^(AN)who have not delivered their own people from your hand?” ¹⁶ Now it happened that as he was talking with him, ^[aa]the king said to him, “Have we given you to be a royal counselor? Stop! Why should you be struck down?” Then the prophet stopped and said, “I know that God has counseled to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my counsel.”

Amaziah Defeated by Joash of Israel

^17 (AO)Then Amaziah king of Judah took counsel and sent to Joash the son of Jehoahaz the son of Jehu, the king of Israel, saying, “Come, let us face each other.” ¹⁸ And Joash the king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, “^(AP)The thorn bush which was in Lebanon sent to the cedar which was in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son as a wife.’ But a beast of the field that was in Lebanon passed by and trampled the thorn bush. ¹⁹ You said, ‘Behold, you have struck down Edom.’ And ^(AQ)your heart has lifted you up to boast. Now stay at home; for why should you provoke calamity so that you, even you, would fall and Judah with you?”

²⁰ But Amaziah would not listen, for it was from God, that He might give them into the hand of Joash because they had sought the gods of Edom. ²¹ So Joash king of Israel went up, and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced each other at Beth-shemesh, which belonged to Judah. ²² And Judah was ^[ab]defeated by Israel, and they fled each to his tent. ²³ Then Joash king of Israel seized Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash the son of ^(AR)Jehoahaz, at Beth-shemesh, and brought him to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate, ^[ac]400 cubits. ²⁴ And he took all the gold and silver and all the utensils which were found in the house of God with ^(AS)Obed-edom, and the treasures of the king’s house, the hostages also, and returned to Samaria.

^25 (AT)And Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah lived fifteen years after the death of Joash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel. ²⁶ Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, from first to last, behold, are they not written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel? ²⁷ Now from the time that Amaziah turned away from following Yahweh they conspired against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish and put him to death there. ²⁸ Then they carried him on horses and buried him with his fathers in the city of Judah.

A Living and Holy Sacrifice

12 Therefore ^(A)I exhort you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to ^(B)present your bodies as a sacrifice—living, holy, and pleasing to God, which is your ^[a]spiritual service of worship. ² And do not ^(C)be conformed to ^(D)this ^[b]world, but be transformed by the ^(E)renewing of your mind, so that you may ^(F)approve what the will of God is, that which is good and pleasing and ^[c]perfect.

³ For through ^(G)the grace given to me I say to each one among you ^(H)not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound thinking, as God has allotted to ^(I)each a measure of faith. ⁴ For ^(J)just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, ⁵ so we, ^(K)who are many, are ^(L)one body in Christ, and individually members one of another, ⁶ but having gifts that ^(M)differ according to the grace given to us: whether ^(N)prophecy, ^[d]in agreement with the faith; ⁷ or ^[e](O)service, in his serving; or he who ^(P)teaches, in his teaching; ⁸ or he who ^(Q)exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with ^[f](R)generosity; ^(S)he who ^[g]leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with ^(T)cheerfulness.

⁹ Let ^(U)love be without hypocrisy—by ^(V)abhorring what is evil, clinging to what is good, ¹⁰ being ^(W)devoted to one another in brotherly love, ^[h]giving preference to one another ^(X)in honor, ¹¹ not lagging behind in diligence, being ^(Y)fervent in spirit, ^(Z)serving the Lord, ^12 (AA)rejoicing in hope, ^(AB)persevering in affliction, being ^(AC)devoted to prayer, ^13 (AD)contributing to the needs of the ^[i]saints, ^(AE)pursuing hospitality.

^14 (AF)Bless those who persecute ^[j]you; bless, and do not curse. ^15 (AG)Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep, ¹⁶ by ^(AH)being of the same mind toward one another, ^(AI)not being haughty in mind, but ^[k]associating with the humble. ^(AJ)Do not be wise in your own mind. ^17 (AK)Never paying back evil for evil to anyone, ^[l](AL)respecting what is good in the sight of all men, ¹⁸ if possible, ^(AM)so far as it depends on you, ^(AN)being at peace with all men, ^19 (AO)never taking your own revenge, beloved—instead ^[m]leave room for the wrath of God. For it is written, “^(AP)Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. ²⁰ “^(AQ)But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” ²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.