2 Chronicles 24:6

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
So the king called Jehoiada the high priest and said, “Why haven’t you required the Levites to bring from Judah and Jerusalem the tax imposed by the Lord’s servant Moses and the assembly of Israel for the tent of the testimony?

Hebrew Names Version
The king called for Yehoiada the chief, and said to him, Why haven't you required of the Levites to bring in out of Yehudah and out of Yerushalayim the tax of Moshe the servant of the LORD, and of the assembly of Yisra'el, for the tent of the testimony?

King James Version
And the king called for Jehoiada the chief, and said unto 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?

English Standard Version
So the king summoned Jehoiada the chief and said to him, "Why have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah and Jerusalem the tax levied by Moses, the servant of the Lord , and the congregation of Israel for the tent of testimony?"

New Century Version
So King Joash called for Jehoiada the leading priest and said to him, "Why haven't you made the Levites bring in from Judah and Jerusalem the tax money that Moses, the Lord 's servant, and the people of Israel used for the Holy Tent?"

New English Translation
So the king summoned Jehoiada the chief priest, and said to him, "Why have you not made the Levites collect from Judah and Jerusalem the tax authorized by Moses the Lord 's servant and by the assembly of Israel at the tent containing the tablets of the law?"

Amplified Bible
So the king called for Jehoiada the high priest and said to him, "Why have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah and Jerusalem the tax for the tent of the testimony which was authorized by Moses, the servant of the LORD and the servant of the assembly of Israel?"

New American Standard Bible
So the king summoned Jehoiada, the chief priest, and said to him, "Why have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah and from Jerusalem the contribution of Moses, the servant of the LORD, and the congregation of Israel, for the tent of the testimony?"

World English Bible
The king called for Jehoiada the chief, and said to him, Why haven't you required of the Levites to bring in out of Judah and out of Jerusalem the tax of Moses the servant of Yahweh, and of the assembly of Israel, for the tent of the testimony?

Geneva Bible (1587)
Therefore the King called Iehoiada, the chiefe, and said vnto him, Why hast thou not required of the Leuites to bring in out of Iudah and Ierusalem the taxe of Moses the seruant of the Lord, and of the Congregation of Israel, for the Tabernacle of the testimonie?

Legacy Standard Bible
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 the levy fixed by Moses the servant of Yahweh on the congregation of Israel for the tent of the testimony?"

Berean Standard Bible
So the king called Jehoiada the high priest and said, "Why have you not required the Levites to bring from Judah and Jerusalem the tax imposed by Moses the servant of the LORD and by the assembly of Israel for the Tent of the Testimony?"

Contemporary English Version
So he sent for Jehoiada the high priest and asked, "Why didn't you send the Levites to collect the taxes? The Lord 's servant Moses and the people agreed long ago that this tax would be collected and used to pay for the upkeep of the sacred tent.

Complete Jewish Bible
the king summoned Y'hoyada the chief and said to him, "Why haven't you demanded that the L'vi'im bring in from Y'hudah and Yerushalayim the tax prescribed by Moshe the servant of Adonai and by the community of Isra'el, for the tent of the testimony?"

Darby Translation
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 tribute of Moses the servant of Jehovah [laid upon] the congregation of Israel, for the tent of the testimony?

Easy-to-Read Version
So King Joash called Jehoiada the leading priest. The king said, "Jehoiada, why haven't you made the Levites bring in the tax money from Judah and Jerusalem? Moses, the Lord 's servant, and the Israelites used that tax money for the Tent of the Agreement."

George Lamsa Translation
And the king called for Jehoiadah the chief priest and said to him, Why have you not required the Levites to go and bring in from Judah and from Jerusalem the gifts that were prescribed by Moses the servant of the LORD and summon the congregation of Israel for the feast of the tabernacle of the assembly?

Good News Translation
so he called in Jehoiada, their leader, and demanded, "Why haven't you seen to it that the Levites collect from Judah and Jerusalem the tax which Moses, the servant of the Lord , required the people to pay for support of the Tent of the Lord 's presence?"

Lexham English Bible
So the king called Jehoiada the chief, and he said to him, "Why have you not required the Levites to bring from Judah and Jerusalem the tax of Moses, the servant of Yahweh, and of the assembly of Israel for the tent of the testimony?"

Literal Translation
And the king called for Jehoiada the head, and said to him, Why have you not required the Levites to bring in out of Judah and out of Jerusalem the offering of Moses, the servant of Jehovah, and of the congregation of Israel, for the tabernacle of the testimony?

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then the kynge called Ioiada the pryncipall, and sayde vnto him: Why lokest thou not vnto the Leuites, yt they bringe in from Iuda and Ierusalem, the colleccion which Moses the seruaunt of the LORDE appoynted to be gathered amoge Israel for the Tabernacle of witnes?

American Standard Version
And the king called for Jehoiada the chief, and said unto him, Why hast thou not required of the Levites to bring in out of Judah and out of Jerusalem the tax of Moses the servant of Jehovah, and of the assembly of Israel, for the tent of the testimony?

Bible in Basic English
Then the king sent for Jehoiada, the chief priest, and said to him, Why have you not given the Levites orders that the tax fixed by Moses, the servant of the Lord, and by the meeting of Israel, for the Tent of witness, is to be got in from Judah and Jerusalem and handed over?

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the king called Iehoiada that was the chiefest, & sayd vnto him: Why requirest thou not of the Leuites to bring in out of Iuda and Hierusalem the collection of money, according to the commaundement of Moyses the seruaunt of the Lorde, and of the congregation of Israel for the tabernacle of witnesse?

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the king called for Jehoiada the chief, and unto him: 'Why hast thou not required of the Levites to bring in out of Judah and out of Jerusalem the tax of Moses the servant of the LORD, and of the congregation of Israel, for the tent of the testimony?'

King James Version (1611)
And the king called for Iehoiada the chiefe, and saide vnto him, Why hast thou not required of the Leuites to bring in out of Iudah and out of Ierusalem, the collection, according to the commandement of Moses the seruant of the Lord, and of the Congregation of Israel, for the tabernacle of Witnesse?

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And king Joas called Jodae the chief, and said to him, Why hast thou not looked after the Levites, so that they should bring from Juda and Jerusalem that which was prescribed by Moses the man of God, when he assembled Israel at the tabernacle of witness?

English Revised Version
And the king called for Jehoiada the chief, and said unto him, Why hast thou not required of the Levites to bring in out of Judah and out of Jerusalem the tax of Moses the servant of the LORD, and of the congregation of Israel, for the tent of the testimony?

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
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?

Update Bible Version
And the king called for Jehoiada the chief, and said to him, Why haven't you required of the Levites to bring in out of Judah and out of Jerusalem the tax of Moses the slave of Yahweh, and of the assembly of Israel, for the tent of the testimony?

Webster's Bible Translation
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?

New King James Version
So the king called Jehoiada the chief priest, and said to him, "Why have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah and from Jerusalem the collection, according to the commandment of Moses the servant of the LORD and of the assembly of Israel, for the tabernacle of witness?"

New Living Translation
So the king called for Jehoiada the high priest and asked him, "Why haven't you demanded that the Levites go out and collect the Temple taxes from the towns of Judah and from Jerusalem? Moses, the servant of the Lord , levied this tax on the community of Israel in order to maintain the Tabernacle of the Covenant."

New Life Bible
So the king called for Jehoiada the head religious leader, and said to him, "Why have you not made the Levites bring in from Judah and Jerusalem the tax set by Moses the Lord's servant? All the people of Israel were to pay taxes for the tent of the Law."

New Revised Standard
So the king summoned Jehoiada the chief, and said to him, "Why have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah and Jerusalem the tax levied by Moses, the servant of the Lord , on the congregation of Israel for the tent of the covenant?"

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then the king called for Jehoiada the chief, and said unto him, Wherefore hast thou not required of the Levites, to bring in out of Judah and out of Jerusalem the tribute of Moses the servant of Yahweh, and of the convocation of Israel, - for the tent of testimony?

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the king called Joiada the chief, and said to him: Why hast thou not taken care to oblige the Levites to bring in out of Juda and Jerusalem the money that was appointed by Moses the servant of the Lord for all the multitude of Israel to bring into the tabernacle of the testimony?

Revised Standard Version
So the king summoned Jehoi'ada the chief, and said to him, "Why have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah and Jerusalem the tax levied by Moses, the servant of the LORD, on the congregation of Israel for the tent of testimony?"

Young's Literal Translation
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?

New American Standard Bible (1995)
So the king summoned Jehoiada the chief priest and said to him, "Why have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah and from Jerusalem the levy fixed by Moses the servant of the LORD on the congregation of Israel for the tent of the testimony?"

Contextual Overview

¹ Joash was seven years old when he became king; he was king for forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Gazelle (Zibiah). She was from Beersheba. ²Taught and trained by Jehoiada the priest, Joash did what pleased God throughout Jehoiada's lifetime. Jehoiada picked out two wives for him; he had a family of both sons and daughters. ⁴The time came when Joash determined to renovate The Temple of God . He got the priests and Levites together and said, "Circulate through the towns of Judah every year and collect money from the people to repair The Temple of your God. You are in charge of carrying this out." But the Levites dragged their feet and didn't do anything. ⁷ Then the king called in Jehoiada the chief priest and said, "Why haven't you made the Levites bring in from Judah and Jerusalem the tax Moses, servant of God and the congregation, set for the upkeep of the place of worship? You can see how bad things are—wicked Queen Athaliah and her sons let The Temple of God go to ruin and took all its sacred artifacts for use in Baal worship." ⁸Following the king's orders, they made a chest and placed it at the entrance to The Temple of God . Then they sent out a tax notice throughout Judah and Jerusalem: "Pay the tax that Moses the servant of God set when Israel was in the wilderness." ¹⁰ The people and their leaders were glad to do it and cheerfully brought their money until the chest was full. ¹¹Whenever the Levites brought the chest in for a royal audit and found it to be full, the king's secretary and the official of the chief priest would empty the chest and put it back in its place. Day after day they did this and collected a lot of money. The king and Jehoiada gave the money to the managers of The Temple project; they in turn paid the masons and carpenters for the repair work on The Temple of God . The construction workers kept at their jobs steadily until the restoration was complete—the house of God as good as new! When they had finished the work, they returned the surplus money to the king and Jehoiada, who used the money for making sacred vessels for Temple worship, vessels for the daily worship, for the Whole-Burnt-Offerings, bowls, and other gold and silver liturgical artifacts. Whole-Burnt-Offerings were made regularly in The Temple of God throughout Jehoiada's lifetime. He died at a ripe old age—130 years old! They buried him in the royal cemetery because he had such a distinguished life of service to Israel and God and God's Temple. But after the death of Jehoiada things fell apart. The leaders of Judah made a formal presentation to the king and he went along with them. Things went from bad to worse; they deserted The Temple of God and took up with the cult of sex goddesses. An angry cloud hovered over Judah and Jerusalem because of this sin. God sent prophets to straighten them out, warning of judgment. But nobody paid attention. 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." But they worked out a plot against Zechariah, and with the complicity of the king—he actually gave the order!—they murdered him, pelting him with rocks, right in the court of The Temple of God . That's the thanks King Joash showed the loyal Jehoiada, the priest who had made him king. He murdered Jehoiada's son. Zechariah's last words were, "Look, God ! Make them pay for this!" A year or so later Aramean troops attacked Joash. They invaded Judah and Jerusalem, massacred the leaders, and shipped all their plunder back to the king in Damascus. The Aramean army was quite small, but God used them to wipe out Joash's large army—their punishment for deserting God , the God of their ancestors. Arameans implemented God's judgment against Joash. They left Joash badly wounded and his own servants finished him off—it was a palace conspiracy, avenging the murder of the son of Jehoiada the priest. They killed him in his bed. Afterward they buried him in the City of David, but he was not honored with a grave in the royal cemetery. The temple conspirators were Zabad, whose mother was Shimeath from Ammon, and Jehozabad, whose mother was Shimrith from Moab. The story of his sons, the many sermons preached to Joash, and the account of his repairs on The Temple of God can be found contained in the commentary on the royal history. Amaziah, Joash's son, was the next king.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Why hast thou: 2 Samuel 24:3

the collection: This was the poll-tax fixed by Moses, of half a shekel, which was levied on every man of twenty years old and upwards, as "a ransom for their souls, that there might be no plague among them." Exodus 30:12-16

tabernacle: Numbers 1:50, Numbers 17:7, Numbers 17:8, Numbers 18:2, Acts 7:44

Reciprocal: Exodus 38:21 - tabernacle of testimony 2 Kings 12:7 - king Jehoash 2 Chronicles 24:9 - collection Matthew 13:20 - anon 2 Timothy 2:24 - the servant Revelation 15:3 - the servant

Cross-References

Genesis 24:22
When the camels had finished drinking, the man brought out gifts, a gold nose ring weighing a little over a quarter of an ounce and two arm bracelets weighing about four ounces, and gave them to her. He asked her, "Tell me about your family? Whose daughter are you? Is there room in your father's house for us to stay the night?"

Galatians 5:1
Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the king called for Jehoiada the chief,.... Who was either the high priest, or the head of his course, or, however, the chief of the priests and Levites concerned in this affair, and, indeed, was the chief or prime minister of state:

and said unto him, why hast thou not required of the Levites to bring in out of Judah, and out of Jerusalem, the collection; the money to repair the house they were ordered to collect, 2 Chronicles 25:6 according to the commandment

of Moses the servant of the Lord and of the congregation of Israel, for the tabernacle of witness? for the repair of it, such as Moses required, and the people used to pay, referring to the half shekel; or to a freewill offering of the people, Moses enjoined or directed to.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

It appears from 2 Kings 12:4 that Joash had assigned to the restoration-fund two other payments also.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Chronicles 24:6. The collection - of Moses — This was the poll-tax, fixed by Moses, of half a shekel, which was levied on every man from twenty years old and upward; and which was considered as a ransom for their souls, that there might be no plague among them. See Exodus 30:12-14.