Lectionary Calendar
Saturday, July 12th, 2025
the Week of Proper 9 / Ordinary 14
Attention!
Take your personal ministry to the Next Level by helping StudyLight build churches and supporting pastors in Uganda.
Click here to join the effort!

Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

2 Chronicles 24:20

The Spirit of God filled Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, and he stood in front of the people and said, "This is what God says: ‘Why do you people refuse to obey the Lord 's commands? You will not be successful. You have left the Lord . So he has also left you!'"

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Azariah;   Backsliders;   Holy Spirit;   Joash;   Minister, Christian;   Prophets;   Reproof;   Rulers;   Sin;   Zechariah (Zecharias);   Thompson Chain Reference - Inspiration;   Palliation-Denunciation;   Prophets;   Rebuke;   Sin;   Zacharias;   Zechariah;   The Topic Concordance - Disobedience;   Forsaking;   Prosperity;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Forsaking God;   Reproof;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Zacharias;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Holy spirit;   Jehoash;   Jehoiada;   Scriptures;   Zechariah;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Chronicles, Theology of;   Holy Spirit;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Zechariah;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Gideon;   Jeberechiah;   Jehoiada;   Joash;   Zacharias;   Zechariah;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Blood;   Chronicles, Books of;   Zechariah;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Chronicles, I;   Prophecy, Prophets;   Zachariah, Zacharias;   Zechariah;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Barachiah;   Persecution;   Quotations (2);   Stoning;   Winter ;   Zacharias ;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Jehoiada ;   Joash ;   Zacharias ;   Zechariah ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Joash;   Zacharias;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Zachari'as;   Zechari'ah;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Zechariah;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Kingdom of Judah;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Barachiah;   Canon of the Old Testament;   Chronicles, Books of;   Come;   Jehoash;   Jehoiada;   Prophecy;   Zachariah;   Zechariah (1);   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Azariah;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Bible Canon;   Holy Spirit;   Joash;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The Spirit of God enveloped Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood above the people and said to them, “This is what God says, ‘Why are you transgressing the Lord’s commands so that you do not prosper? Because you have abandoned the Lord, he has abandoned you.’”
Hebrew Names Version
The Spirit of God came on Zekharyah the son of Yehoiada the Kohen; and he stood above the people, and said to them, Thus says God, Why disobey you the mitzvot of the LORD, so that you can't prosper? because you have forsaken the LORD, he has also forsaken you.
King James Version
And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and said unto 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.
English Standard Version
Then 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, ‘Why do you break the commandments of the Lord , so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord , he has forsaken you.'"
New Century Version
Then the Spirit of God entered Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. Zechariah stood before the people and said, "This is what God says: ‘Why do you disobey the Lord 's commands? You will not be successful. Because you have left the Lord , he has also left you.'"
New English Translation
God's Spirit energized Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood up before the people and said to them, "This is what God says: ‘Why are you violating the commands of the Lord ? You will not be prosperous! Because you have rejected the Lord , he has rejected you!'"
Amplified Bible
Then the Spirit of God came over Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, and he stood above the people and said to them, "This is what God has said: 'Why do you transgress the commandments of the LORD so that you cannot prosper? Because you have abandoned (turned away from) the LORD, He has also abandoned (turned away from) you.'"
New American Standard Bible
Then the Spirit of God covered Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada the priest like clothing; and he stood above the people and said to them, "This is what God has said, 'Why do you break the commandments of the LORD and do not prosper? Because you have abandoned the LORD, He has also abandoned you.'"
World English Bible
The Spirit of God came on Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest; and he stood above the people, and said to them, Thus says God, Why disobey you the commandments of Yahweh, so that you can't prosper? because you have forsaken Yahweh, he has also forsaken you.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And the Spirit of God came vpon Zechariah the sonne of Iehoiada the Priest, which stoode aboue the people, and sayde vnto them, Thus sayth God, Why transgresse ye the commaundements of the Lorde? surely ye shall not prosper: because ye haue forsaken the Lorde, he also hath forsaken you.
Legacy Standard Bible
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, ‘Why do you trespass against the commandments of Yahweh and do not succeed? Because you have forsaken Yahweh, He has also forsaken you.'"
Berean Standard Bible
Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest, who stood up before the people and said to them, "This is what God says: 'Why do you transgress the commandments of the LORD so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the LORD, He has forsaken you.'
Contemporary English Version
God's Spirit spoke to Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest, and Zechariah told everyone that God was saying: "Why are you disobeying me and my laws? This will only bring punishment! You have deserted me, so now I will desert you."
Complete Jewish Bible
The Spirit of God covered Z'kharyah the son of Y'hoyada the cohen; he stood above the people and addressed them: "Thus says God: ‘Why are you transgressing the mitzvot of Adonai and courting disaster? Because you have abandoned Adonai , he has abandoned you."
Darby Translation
And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest; and he stood up above the people and said unto them, Thus saith God: Wherefore do ye transgress the commandments of Jehovah? And ye cannot prosper; for ye have forsaken Jehovah, and he hath forsaken you.
George Lamsa Translation
And the Spirit of the LORD came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiadah the priest, and he went up and stood above the people and said to them, Thus says the LORD: Why do you transgress the commandments of the LORD, that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken my way, I will also forsake you.
Good News Translation
Then the spirit of God took control of Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood where the people could see him and called out, "The Lord God asks why you have disobeyed his commands and are bringing disaster on yourselves! You abandoned him, so he has abandoned you!"
Lexham English Bible
Then 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: ‘Why are you transgressing the commandments of Yahweh so that you will not succeed? For you have forsaken Yahweh, so he will forsake you.'"
Literal Translation
And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, and he stood before the people and said to them, So says God, Why do you transgress the commandments of Jehovah, and do notprosper? Because you have forsaken Jehovah,He has forsaken you.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And the sprete of God came vpon Zachary the sonne of Ioiada the prest, which stode ouer ye people, & sayde vnto the: Thus sayeth God: Wherfore do ye transgresse the comaundementes of the LORDE, which shall not be to yor prosperite: for ye haue forsaken ye LORDE, therfore shal he forsake you.
American Standard Version
And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest; and he stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of Jehovah, so that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken Jehovah, he hath also forsaken you.
Bible in Basic English
Then the spirit of God came on Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada the priest, and, getting up before the people, he said to them, God has said, Why do you go against the orders of the Lord, so that everything goes badly for you? because you have given up the Lord, he has given you up.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the spirite of God came vpon Zacharia the sonne of Iehoiada the priest, which stoode by the people, and sayd vnto them, thus sayth God: Why transgresse ye the commaundementes of the Lorde, that ye can not prosper? For because ye haue forsaken the Lord, he also hath forsaken you.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the spirit of God clothed Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest; and he stood above the people, and said unto 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.'
King James Version (1611)
And the spirit of God came vpon Zechariah the sonne of Iehoiada the priest, which stood aboue the people, and said vnto them: Thus saith God, Why transgresse yee the commandements of the Lord, that yee cannot prosper? Because yee haue forsaken the Lord, he hath also forsaken you.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the Spirit of God came upon Azarias the son of Jodae the priest, and he stood up above the people, and said, Thus saith the Lord, Why do ye transgress the commandments of the Lord? so shall ye not prosper; for ye have forsaken the Lord, and he will forsake you.
English Revised Version
And the spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest; and he stood above the people, and said unto 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.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
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?
Update Bible Version
And the Spirit of God came on Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest; and he stood above the people, and said to them, Thus says God, Why do you transgress the commandments of Yahweh, so that you can't prosper? because you have forsaken Yahweh, he has also forsaken you.
Webster's Bible Translation
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.
New King James Version
Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, who stood above the people, and said to them, "Thus says God: "Why do you transgress the commandments of the LORD, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the LORD, He also has forsaken you."'
New Living Translation
Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood before the people and said, "This is what God says: Why do you disobey the Lord 's commands and keep yourselves from prospering? You have abandoned the Lord , and now he has abandoned you!"
New Life Bible
Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the religious leader. He stood where he could be seen by the people and said to them, "God says, ‘Why do you sin against the Laws of the Lord, and bring trouble on yourselves? Because you have left the Lord, He has left you.'"
New Revised Standard
Then the spirit of God took possession of Zechariah son of the priest Jehoiada; he stood above the people and said to them, "Thus says God: Why do you transgress the commandments of the Lord , so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord , he has also forsaken you."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, the spirit of God, clothed Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest, and he took his stand above the people, - and said unto them, Thus, saith God, Wherefore are, ye, transgressing the commandments of Yahweh, so that ye cannot prosper, because ye have forsaken Yahweh, therefore hath he forsaken you.
Douay-Rheims Bible
The spirit of God then came upon Zacharias the son of Joiada the priest, and he stood in the sight of the people, and said to them: Thus saith the Lord God: Why transgress you the commandment of the Lord which will not be for your good, and have forsaken the Lord, to make him forsake you?
Revised Standard Version
Then the Spirit of God took possession of Zechari'ah the son of Jehoi'ada the priest; and he stood above the people, and said to them, "Thus says God, 'Why do you transgress the commandments of the LORD, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the LORD, he has forsaken you.'"
Young's Literal Translation
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.'
THE MESSAGE
Then the Spirit of God moved Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest to speak up: "God's word: Why have you deliberately walked away from God 's commandments? You can't live this way! If you walk out on God , he'll walk out on you."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then the Spirit of God came on Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest; and he stood above the people and said to them, "Thus God has said, 'Why do you transgress the commandments of the LORD and do not prosper? Because you have forsaken the LORD, He has also forsaken you.'"

Contextual Overview

15 Jehoiada became old. He had a very long life, and he died when he was 130 years old. 16 The people buried Jehoiada in the City of David where the kings are buried. The people buried Jehoiada there because in his life he did much good in Israel for God and for God's Temple. 17 After Jehoiada died, the leaders of Judah came and bowed to King Joash. The king listened to the leaders. 18 They all stopped worshiping at the Temple of the Lord , the God their ancestors worshiped. Instead, they started worshiping Asherah poles and other idols. Because they sinned in this way, God was angry with the people of Judah and Jerusalem. 19 God sent prophets to the people to bring them back to the Lord . The prophets warned them, but they refused to listen. 20 The Spirit of God filled Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, and he stood in front of the people and said, "This is what God says: ‘Why do you people refuse to obey the Lord 's commands? You will not be successful. You have left the Lord . So he has also left you!'" 21 But the people made plans against Zechariah. The king commanded the people to kill Zechariah, so they threw rocks at him until he was dead. The people did this in the courtyard of the Lord 's Temple. 22 Joash the king didn't remember Jehoiada's kindness to him. Jehoiada was Zechariah's father. But Joash killed Zechariah, Jehoiada's son. Before Zechariah died, he said, "May the Lord see what you are doing and punish you!" 23 At the end of the year, the Aramean army came against Joash. They attacked Judah and Jerusalem and killed all the leaders of the people. They sent all the valuable things to the king of Damascus. 24 The Aramean army came with only a small group of men, but the Lord let them defeat the much larger army of Judah. This was a punishment for Joash because the people of Judah had left the Lord , the God their ancestors worshiped.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

And the Spirit: 2 Chronicles 15:1, 2 Chronicles 20:14

came upon: Heb. clothed, Judges 6:34, 1 Chronicles 12:18

the son: 2 Chronicles 23:11

transgress: Numbers 14:41, 1 Samuel 13:13, 1 Samuel 13:14, 2 Samuel 12:9, 2 Samuel 12:10, Zechariah 7:11-14

because: 2 Chronicles 15:2, Deuteronomy 29:25, Deuteronomy 29:26, 1 Chronicles 28:9, Jeremiah 2:19, Jeremiah 4:18, Jeremiah 5:19, Jeremiah 5:25

Reciprocal: 2 Samuel 12:13 - David 2 Chronicles 13:12 - ye shall not 2 Chronicles 25:15 - Why hast thou sought Nehemiah 9:26 - slew Proverbs 5:12 - and my Proverbs 9:7 - General Ecclesiastes 4:13 - will no more be Isaiah 2:6 - Therefore Jeremiah 19:14 - he stood Jeremiah 26:2 - Stand Jeremiah 32:5 - though Amos 5:10 - hate Matthew 5:12 - for so Matthew 23:35 - unto Luke 4:28 - were Luke 11:51 - Zacharias John 10:32 - for Galatians 4:16 - become 2 Timothy 4:3 - they will 1 John 3:4 - transgresseth

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the Spirit of the Lord came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest,.... The spirit of prophecy, as the Targum; he was moved and influenced by it to speak what is after related:

which stood above the people; in a desk, or sort of pulpit, in which the priests stood when they taught the people, that they might be the better heard, like that which Ezra used, Nehemiah 8:4

and said unto them, thus saith God; being moved and directed by his Spirit, he spake in his name:

why transgress ye the command of the Lord, that ye cannot prosper? by committing idolatry, than which nothing could more hinder prosperity, both in things spiritual and temporal, in soul and body:

because ye have forsaken the Lord, he hath also forsaken you; because they had forsaken the worship of God, as the Targum, God had forsaken them, and was about to give them up into the hand of their enemies.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Stood above the people - Zechariah, the high priest, took up an elevated position, perhaps on the steps of the inner court, which was elevated above the outer court, where the people would be.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Chronicles 24:20. And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah — "When he saw the transgression of the king and of the people, burning incense to an idol in the house of the sanctuary of the Lord, on the day of expiation; and preventing the priests of the Lord from offering the burnt-offerings, sacrifices, daily oblations, and services, as written in the book of the law of Moses; he stood above the people, and said." - Targum.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile