Study Desk

And all the assembly made a covenant with the king in the house of God. And he said to them, "Behold, the son of the king shall reign as Yahweh has spoken concerning the sons of David.

And Jehoiada the priest gave the spears and small shields that had belonged to King David that were in the house of God to the commanders of hundreds.

So he gathered the priests and the Levites and said to them, "Go out to the cities of Judah and gather money from all Israel to strengthen the house of your God sufficiently year by year. Now you yourselves must hasten to the matter." But the Levites did not act with haste.

For the sons of the wicked Athaliah had broken into the house of God and had used all the holy vessels of the house of Yahweh for the Baals.

And they issued a proclamation in Judah and in Jerusalem to bring to Yahweh the tax that Moses the servant of God had levied upon Israel in the wilderness.

So those doing the work labored, and the restoration for the work made progress under their hand. And they restored the house of God to its position and strengthened it.

And they buried him in the city of David with the kings, for he did good in Israel and with respect to God and his house.

And they forsook the house of Yahweh, the God of their ancestors and served the Asherahs and the idols. And wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem on account of this guilt.

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.'"

Though the army of Aram came with few men, Yahweh gave a very large army into their hand, for they had forsaken Yahweh, the God of their ancestors. And they inflicted punishment on Joash.

And as for his sons, the many oracles against him, and his repair of the foundation of the house of God, behold, they are written in the story of the scroll of the kings. And Amaziah his son reigned in his place.

But 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, all the Ephraimites.

But even still, you yourself go, do! Be strong for the battle else God will make you stumble before the enemy! For there is power with God to help and to cause stumbling."

And Amaziah said to the man of God, "Now what should I do with the one hundred talents that I have given to the troops of Israel?" And the man of God said, "Yahweh is able to give to you more than this."

And it happened that while he was speaking to him, he said to him, "Have we appointed you as a counselor to the king? Stop—why should you be killed?" So the prophet stopped and said, "I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my advice."

But Amaziah did not listen, for it was from God that he might give them into the hand of enemies, because they sought the gods of Edom.

Then with all the gold and silver, all the objects found in the house of God with Obed-Edom, the storehouses of the house of the king, and the hostages, he returned to Samaria.

And he began to seek God in the days of Zechariah who was teaching in visions of God. And whenever he sought Yahweh God made him have success.

And God helped him against the Philistines and against the Arabs who were living in Gur-Baal and Meunim.

But on account of his strength his heart grew proud unto destruction. And he acted unfaithfully against Yahweh his God and went into the temple of Yahweh to offer an incense offering on the altar.