The Daily Audio Bible

24 A son of seven years [is] Joash in his reigning, and forty years he hath reigned in Jerusalem, and the name of his mother [is] Zibiah of Beer-Sheba.

² And Joash doth that which is right in the eyes of Jehovah all the days of Jehoiada the priest.

³ And Jehoiada taketh for him two wives, and he begetteth sons and daughters.

⁴ And it cometh to pass after this, it hath been with the heart of Joash to renew the house of Jehovah,

⁵ and he gathereth the priests and the Levites, and saith to them, `Go out to the cities of Judah, and gather from all Israel money to strengthen the house of your God sufficiently year by year, and ye, ye do haste to the matter;' and the Levites have not hasted.

⁶ And the king calleth for Jehoiada the head, and saith to him, `Wherefore hast thou not required of the Levites to bring in out of Judah and out of Jerusalem the tribute of Moses, servant of Jehovah, and of the assembly of Israel, for the tent of the testimony?

⁷ for sons of Athaliah, the wicked one, have broken up the house of God, and also, all the holy things of the house of Jehovah they have prepared for Baalim.'

⁸ And the king speaketh, and they make one chest, and put it at the gate of the house of Jehovah without,

⁹ and give an intimation in Judah and in Jerusalem to bring in to Jehovah the tribute of Moses, servant of God, [laid] on Israel in the wilderness.

¹⁰ And all the heads, and all the people rejoice, and they bring in, and cast into the chest, unto completion.

¹¹ And it cometh to pass, at the time one bringeth in the chest for the inspection of the king by the hand of the Levites, and at their seeing that the money [is] abundant, that a scribe of the king hath come in, and an officer of the head-priest, and they empty the chest, and take it up and turn it back unto its place; thus they have done day by day, and gather money in abundance.

¹² And the king and Jehoiada give it unto the doers of the work of the service of the house of Jehovah, and they are hiring hewers and artificers to renew the house of Jehovah, and also -- to artificers in iron and brass to strengthen the house of Jehovah.

¹³ And those doing the business work, and there goeth up lengthening to the work by their hand, and they establish the house of God, by its proper measure, and strengthen it.

¹⁴ And at their completing [it], they have brought in before the king and Jehoiada the rest of the money, and they make it vessels for the house of Jehovah, vessels of serving, and of offering up, and spoons, even vessels of gold and silver; and they are causing burnt-offerings to ascend in the house of Jehovah continually, all the days of Jehoiada.

¹⁵ And Jehoiada is aged and satisfied with days, and dieth -- a son of a hundred and thirty years in his death,

¹⁶ and they bury him in the city of David, with the kings, for he hath done good in Israel, and with God, and his house.

¹⁷ And after the death of Jehoiada come in have heads of Judah, and bow themselves to the king; then hath the king hearkened unto them,

¹⁸ and they forsake the house of Jehovah, God of their fathers, and serve the shrines and the idols, and there is wrath upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their guilt.

¹⁹ And He sendeth among them prophets, to bring them back unto Jehovah, and they testify against them, and they have not given ear;

²⁰ and the Spirit of God hath clothed Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest, and he standeth over-against the people, and saith to them, `Thus said God, Why are ye transgressing the commands of Jehovah, and prosper not? because ye have forsaken Jehovah -- He doth forsake you.'

²¹ And they conspire against him, and stone him with stones by the command of the king, in the court of the house of Jehovah,

²² and Joash the king hath not remembered the kindness that Jehoiada his father did with him, and slayeth his son, and in his death he said, `Jehovah doth see, and require.'

²³ And it cometh to pass, at the turn of the year, come up hath the force of Aram against him, and they come in unto Judah and Jerusalem, and destroy all the heads of the people from the people, and all their spoil they have sent to the king of Damascus,

²⁴ for with few men have the force of Aram come in, and Jehovah hath given into their hand a mighty force for multitude, because they have forsaken Jehovah, God of their fathers; and with Joash they have executed judgments.

²⁵ And in their going from him -- for they left him with many diseases -- his servants themselves have conspired against him, for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and slay him on his bed, and he dieth; and they bury him in the city of David, and have not buried him in the graves of the kings.

²⁶ And these [are] those conspiring against him, Zabad son of Shimeath the Ammonitess, and Jehozabad son of Shimrith the Moabitess.

²⁷ As to his sons, and the greatness of the burden upon him, and the foundation of the house of God, lo, they are written on the `Inquiry' of the book of the Kings; and reign doth Amaziah his son in his stead.

25 A son of twenty and five years hath Amaziah reigned, and twenty and nine years he hath reigned in Jerusalem, and the name of his mother [is] Jehoaddan of Jerusalem,

² and he doth that which is right in the eyes of Jehovah -- only, not with a perfect heart.

³ And it cometh to pass, when the kingdom hath been strong upon him, that he slayeth his servants, those smiting the king his father,

⁴ and their sons he hath not put to death, but [did] as is written in the law, in the book of Moses, whom Jehovah commanded, saying, `Fathers do not die for sons, and sons die not for fathers, but each for his own sin they die.'

⁵ And Amaziah gathereth Judah, and appointeth them, according to the house of the fathers, for heads of the thousands, and for heads of the hundreds, for all Judah and Benjamin; and he inspecteth them from a son of twenty years and upward, and findeth them three hundred thousand chosen ones, going forth to the host, holding spear and target.

⁶ And he hireth out of Israel a hundred thousand mighty ones of valour, with a hundred talents of silver;

⁷ and a man of God hath come in unto him, saying, `O king, the host of Israel doth not go with thee; for Jehovah is not with Israel -- all the sons of Ephraim;

⁸ but if thou art going -- do [it], be strong for battle, God doth cause thee to stumble before an enemy, for there is power in God to help, and to cause to stumble.'

⁹ And Amaziah saith to the man of God, `And what -- to do for the hundred talents that I have given to the troop of Israel?' And the man of God saith, `Jehovah hath more to give to thee than this.'

¹⁰ And Amaziah separateth them -- for the troop that hath come in unto him from Ephraim to go to their own place, and their anger doth burn mightily against Judah, and they turn back to their place in the heat of anger.

¹¹ And Amaziah hath strengthened himself, and leadeth his people, and goeth to the Valley of Salt, and smiteth the sons of Seir -- ten thousand.

¹² And ten thousand alive have the sons of Judah taken captive, and they bring them to the top of the rock, and cast them from the top of the rock, and all of them have been broken.

¹³ And the sons of the troop that Amaziah hath sent back from going with him to battle -- they rush against cities of Judah, from Samaria even unto Beth-Horon, and smite of them three thousand, and seize much prey.

¹⁴ And it cometh to pass, after the coming in of Amaziah from smiting the Edomites, that he bringeth in the gods of the sons of Seir, and establisheth them to him for gods, and before them doth bow himself, and to them he maketh perfume.

¹⁵ And the anger of Jehovah burneth against Amaziah, and He sendeth unto him a prophet, and he saith unto him, `Why hast thou sought the gods of the people that have not delivered their people out of thy hand?'

¹⁶ And it cometh to pass, in his speaking unto him, that he saith to him, `For a counsellor to the king have we appointed thee? cease for thee; why do they smite thee?' And the prophet ceaseth, and saith, `I have known that God hath counselled to destroy thee, because thou hast done this, and hast not hearkened to my counsel.'

¹⁷ And Amaziah king of Judah taketh counsel, and sendeth unto Joash son of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying,

¹⁸ `Come, we look one another in the face.' And Joash king of Israel sendeth unto Amaziah king of Judah, saying, `The thorn that [is] in Lebanon hath sent unto the cedar that [is] in Lebanon, saying, Give thy daughter to my son for a wife; and pass by doth a beast of the field that [is] in Lebanon, and treadeth down the thorn.

¹⁹ Thou hast said, Lo, I have smitten Edom; and thy heart hath lifted thee up to boast; now, abide in thy house, why dost thou stir thyself up in evil, that thou hast fallen, thou, and Judah with thee?'

²⁰ And Amaziah hath not hearkened, for from God it [is] in order to give them into hand, because they have sought the gods of Edom;

²¹ and go up doth Joash king of Israel, and they look one another in the face, he and Amaziah king of Judah, in Beth-Shemesh, that [is] Judah's,

²² and Judah is smitten before Israel, and they flee -- each to his tents.

²³ And Amaziah king of Judah, son of Joash, son of Jehoahaz, hath Joash king of Israel caught in Beth-Shemesh, and bringeth him in to Jerusalem, and breaketh down in the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim unto the gate of the corner, four hundred cubits,

²⁴ and [taketh] all the gold, and the silver, and all the vessels that are found in the house of God with Obed-Edom, and the treasures of the house of the king, and the sons of the pledges, and turneth back to Samaria.

²⁵ And Amaziah son of Joash, king of Judah, liveth after the death of Joash son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel, fifteen years;

²⁶ and the rest of the matters of Amaziah, the first and the last, lo, are they not written on the books of the kings of Judah and Israel?

²⁷ And from the time that Amaziah hath turned aside from after Jehovah -- they make a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fleeth to Lachish, and they send after him to Lachish, and put him to death there,

²⁸ and lift him up on the horses, and bury him with his fathers in the city of Judah.

12 I call upon you, therefore, brethren, through the compassions of God, to present your bodies a sacrifice -- living, sanctified, acceptable to God -- your intelligent service;

² and be not conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, for your proving what [is] the will of God -- the good, and acceptable, and perfect.

³ For I say, through the grace that was given to me, to every one who is among you, not to think above what it behoveth to think; but to think so as to think wisely, as to each God did deal a measure of faith,

⁴ for as in one body we have many members, and all the members have not the same office,

⁵ so we, the many, one body are in Christ, and members each one of one another.

⁶ And having gifts, different according to the grace that was given to us; whether prophecy -- `According to the proportion of faith!'

⁷ or ministration -- `In the ministration!' or he who is teaching -- `In the teaching!'

⁸ or he who is exhorting -- `In the exhortation!' he who is sharing -- `In simplicity!' he who is leading -- `In diligence?' he who is doing kindness -- `In cheerfulness.'

⁹ The love unfeigned: abhorring the evil; cleaving to the good;

¹⁰ in the love of brethren, to one another kindly affectioned: in the honour going before one another;

¹¹ in the diligence not slothful; in the spirit fervent; the Lord serving;

¹² in the hope rejoicing; in the tribulation enduring; in the prayer persevering;

¹³ to the necessities of the saints communicating; the hospitality pursuing.

¹⁴ Bless those persecuting you; bless, and curse not;

¹⁵ to rejoice with the rejoicing, and to weep with the weeping,

¹⁶ of the same mind one toward another, not minding the high things, but with the lowly going along; become not wise in your own conceit;

¹⁷ giving back to no one evil for evil; providing right things before all men.

¹⁸ If possible -- so far as in you -- with all men being in peace;

¹⁹ not avenging yourselves, beloved, but give place to the wrath, for it hath been written, `Vengeance [is] Mine,

²⁰ I will recompense again, saith the Lord;' if, then, thine enemy doth hunger, feed him; if he doth thirst, give him drink; for this doing, coals of fire thou shalt heap upon his head;

²¹ Be not overcome by the evil, but overcome, in the good, the evil.

¹⁹ And Thou, O Jehovah, be not far off, O my strength, to help me haste.

²⁰ Deliver from the sword my soul, From the paw of a dog mine only one.

²¹ Save me from the mouth of a lion: -- And -- from the horns of the high places Thou hast answered me!

²² I declare Thy name to my brethren, In the midst of the assembly I praise Thee.

²³ Ye who fear Jehovah, praise ye Him, All the seed of Jacob, honour ye Him, And be afraid of Him, all ye seed of Israel.

²⁴ For He hath not despised, nor abominated, The affliction of the afflicted, Nor hath He hidden His face from him, And in his crying unto Him He heareth.

²⁵ Of Thee my praise [is] in the great assembly. My vows I complete before His fearers.

²⁶ The humble do eat and are satisfied, Praise Jehovah do those seeking Him, Your heart doth live for ever.

²⁷ Remember and return unto Jehovah, Do all ends of the earth, And before Thee bow themselves, Do all families of the nations,

²⁸ For to Jehovah [is] the kingdom, And He is ruling among nations.

²⁹ And the fat ones of earth have eaten, And they bow themselves, Before Him bow do all going down to dust, And he [who] hath not revived his soul.

³⁰ A seed doth serve Him, It is declared of the Lord to the generation.

³¹ They come and declare His righteousness, To a people that is borne, that He hath made!

⁸ A king sitting on a throne of judgment, Is scattering with his eyes all evil,

⁹ Who saith, `I have purified my heart, I have been cleansed from my sin?'

¹⁰ A stone and a stone, an ephah and an ephah, Even both of them [are] an abomination to Jehovah.