King Joash of Judah
(2 Kings 12.1-16)1 Joash was only 7 years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled 40 years from Jerusalem. His mother Zibiah was from the town of Beersheba.
2 While Jehoiada the priest was alive, Joash obeyed the Lord by doing right. 3 Jehoiada even chose two women for Joash to marry so he could have a family.
4 Some time later, Joash decided it was time to repair the temple. 5 He called together the priests and Levites and said, “Go everywhere in Judah and collect the annual tax from the people. I want this done at once—we need that money to repair the temple.”
But the Levites were in no hurry to follow the king's orders. 6 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. 7 And now we need it to repair the temple because the sons of that evil woman Athaliah came in and wrecked it. They even used some of the sacred objects to worship the god Baal.”
8 Joash gave orders for a wooden box to be made and had it placed outside, near the gate of the temple. 9 He then sent letters everywhere in Judah and Jerusalem, asking everyone to bring their taxes to the temple, just as Moses had required their ancestors to do.
10 The people and their leaders agreed, and they brought their money to Jerusalem and placed it in the box. 11 Each day, after the Levites took the box into the temple, the king's secretary and the high priest's assistant would dump out the money and count it. Then the empty box would be taken back outside.
This happened day after day, and soon a large amount of money was collected. 12 Joash and Jehoiada turned the money over to the men who were supervising the repairs to the temple. They used the money to hire stonecutters, carpenters, and experts in working with iron and bronze.
13 These workers went right to work repairing the temple, and when they were finished, it looked as good as new. 14 They did not use all the tax money for the repairs, so the rest of it was handed over to Joash and Jehoiada, who then used it to make dishes and other gold and silver objects for the temple.
Sacrifices to please the Lord were offered regularly in the temple for as long as Jehoiada lived. 15 He died at the ripe old age of 130 years, 16 and he was buried in the royal tombs in Jerusalem, because he had done so much good for the people of Israel, for God, and for the temple.
Joash Turns Away from the Lord
17 After the death of Jehoiada the priest, the leaders of Judah went to Joash and talked him into doing what they wanted. 18 The people of Judah soon stopped worshiping in the temple of the Lord God and started worshiping idols and the symbols of the goddess Asherah. These sinful things made the Lord God angry with the people of Judah and Jerusalem, 19 but he still sent prophets who warned them to turn back to him. The people refused to listen.
20 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.”
21-22 King Joash forgot that Zechariah's father had always been a loyal friend. So when the people of Judah plotted to kill Zechariah, Joash joined them and gave orders for them to stone him to death in the courtyard of the temple. As Zechariah was dying, he said, “I pray that the Lord will see this and punish all of you.”
Joash Is Killed
23 In the spring of the following year, the Syrian army invaded Judah and Jerusalem, killing all of the nation's leaders. They collected everything of value that belonged to the people and took it back to their king in Damascus. 24 The Syrian army was very small, but the Lord let them defeat Judah's large army, because he was punishing Joash and the people of Judah for turning away from him.
25-26 Joash was severely wounded during the battle, and as soon as the Syrians left Judah, two of his officials, Zabad and Jehozabad, decided to revenge the death of Zechariah. They plotted and killed Joash while he was in bed, recovering from his wounds. Joash was buried in Jerusalem, but not in the royal tombs. 27 The History of the Kings also tells more about the sons of Joash, what the prophets said about him, and how he repaired the temple. Amaziah son of Joash became king after his father's death.
Yahuuda mansa Yowasi
(2 Mansoolu 12:1-16)1 Yowasi siyo be nuŋ sanji woorowula le, biriŋ a be ke la mansa ti. A ye sanji taŋ naani le ke maraloo la Yerusalaamu. A baamaa too mu Sibiya le ti meŋ bota Beeriseba saatewo to. 2 Yowasi ka kuu tilindiŋo le ke nuŋ Yaawe ñaa koto Piriisi* Yehoyada baluu tiloo bee la. 3 Yehoyada ye musu fula le ñini a ye, a ye dinkewolu niŋ dimmusoolu soto ì la.
4 Ñiŋ koolaa, Yowasi naata lafi ka Yaawe Batudulaa Buŋo* dadaakuu. 5 Bituŋ a ye piriisoolu niŋ Lewi lasiloo moolu kili, a ko ì ye ko, “Ali taa Yahuuda saatewolu to, ali ye kodoo kafu ñoo ma ka bo moolu bee bulu ka ali la Alla Batudulaa Buŋo dadaakuu, ko a ñanta ke la ñaameŋ saŋ-wo-saŋ. Aduŋ ali si a ke tarinke.” Bari Lewi lasiloo moolu maŋ a kuwo tariyaatoo ke.
6 Bituŋ mansa ye Yehoyada kili, ì la kuntiyo, a ko a ye ko, “Muŋ ne ye a tinna ì maŋ Lewi lasiloo moolu kii Yerusalaamu aniŋ Yahuuda bee to ka kodoo kafu ñoo ma, Yaawe la dookuulaa Musa ye meŋ londi Banisirayila jamaa moolu ye ka Tiriliisi Senuŋo* topatoo, Kambeŋ Kunewo* be daameŋ?”
7 Wo musu kuruŋ Ataliya noomalankoolu ye Alla Batudulaa Buŋo teyi le, aduŋ feŋolu mennu kerekereta Yaawe ye, ì ye ì bee le samba Baali* jalaŋolu ye.
8 Bituŋ mansa ye kaŋo dii, ì ye keesoo dadaa, ì ye a londi Yaawe Batudulaa Buŋo daa ye banta la. 9 Kankulaaroo keta Yerusalaamu aniŋ Yahuuda bee to ka kodoo samba naŋ Batudulaa Buŋo to, Alla la dookuulaa Musa ye meŋ laa Banisirayilankoolu kaŋ keñewuloo* kono. 10 Ñaatonkoolu bee aniŋ moolu bee seewoota, ì ye ì la kodoo samba naŋ ka a joloŋ keesoo ñiŋ kono, fo a faata. 11 Waati-wo-waati niŋ Lewi lasiloo moolu ye keesoo ñiŋ samba naŋ mansa la ñaatonkoolu ye, ì ye a je ko, kodi jamaa le be a kono, mansa la safeerilaa niŋ piriisi kuntiyo la dookuulaa ka a yelema le, ì ye a murundi a noo to. Ì ka a ke wo le ñaama luŋ-wo-luŋ, ì ye kodi jamaa baa kafu ñoo ma.
12 Bituŋ mansa niŋ Yehoyada ye a dii moolu la, mennu marata Yaawe Batudulaa Buŋo dookuwo ma. Wolu ye masoŋolu taa, kapintaalu, aniŋ jaawaloo niŋ nee dookuulaalu ka Yaawe Batudulaa Buŋo dadaakuu. 13 Bituŋ dookuulaalu ye ì tewo siti kendeke ka Yaawe Batudulaa Buŋo murundi ko a be nuŋ ñaameŋ, ì ye a bambandi. 14 Kabiriŋ ì ye dookuwo ñiŋ baŋ, ì ye kodi too samba naŋ mansa niŋ Yehoyada ye. Ì ye wo kodoo le taa ka jooraŋolu dadaa, ì ka dookuwo ke mennu la Yaawe Batudulaa Buŋo to, jani sadaa* jooraŋolu, booloolu, aniŋ sanoo niŋ kodiforo jooraŋolu. Bituŋ ì ka tara jani sadaalu bo la Yaawe Batudulaa Buŋo to a ñaama, Yehoyada baluu tiloo bee la.
15 Yehoyada siimaayaata, a kotooriŋ baa faata, a be nuŋ sanji keme sanji taŋ saba biriŋ a be bele la. 16 Ì ye a baadee Dawuda la Saatewo* le to, ì ye mansoolu baadee daameŋ to, kaatu a ye kuu kende le ke Banisirayila ye, Alla ye, aniŋ a Batudulaa Buŋo ye.
Mansa Yowasi ye a koo dii Alla la
17 Yehoyada la saayaa koolaa, Yahuuda ñaatonkoolu naata mansa yaa, ì buuñaatoo ñoyita a ye ka a neenee fo a ye ì la yaamaroo nooma. 18 Ì ye ì koo dii Yaawe Batudulaa Buŋo la, ì mumuñolu la Alla, aduŋ ì ka Asera* jalaŋ dokoolu niŋ jalaŋ koteŋolu batu. Bituŋ Yaawe la kamfaa baa jiita naŋ Yerusalaamu niŋ Yahuuda bee kaŋ ì la ñiŋ junube kewo kaŋ. 19 Bari hani wo Yaawe ye annabiyomoolu kii ì kaŋ, ka ì murundi naŋ a kaŋ. Ì ye ì dandalaa, bari ì maŋ i lamoyi. 20 Bituŋ Alla la Nooroo jiita Jakariya kaŋ, Piriisi Yehoyada dinkewo. A loota moolu bee ñaato, a ko ì ye ko, “Alla ye ñiŋ ne fo ko: ‘Muŋ ne ye a tinna ali balanta nte Yaawe* la yaamaroolu la? Wo be a tinna le, ali te ñaatotaa soto la. Kaatu ali ye ali koo dii Yaawe la le, a fanaa ye a koo dii ali la.’ ”
21 Bari ì ye jamfaa siti a kamma, ka bo niŋ mansa la yaamaroo la, ì ye a buŋ beroo la Yaawe Batudulaa luwo to. 22 Mansa Yowasi hakiloo maŋ bula Yehoyada, Jakariya faamaa ye timinandiyaa meŋ yita a la, bari a ye a dinkewo Jakariya faa. Kabiriŋ Jakariya be faa kaŋ, a ko, “Allamaa Yaawe ye ñiŋ juloo joo i to, ka i halaki.”
Mansa Yowasi labaŋo
23 Saŋo bandulaa, Aramu bankoo kelediŋ kafoo wulita Yowasi kamma. Ì boyita Yerusalaamu niŋ Yahuuda muumewo kaŋ, ì ye bankoo ñaatonkoolu bee faa. Ì ñapita ì la feŋ jamaa kaŋ, ì ye ì bee samba ì la mansa ye Damasiku. 24 Aramu kelediŋolu moo dantaŋ dammaa naata ñaa-wo-ñaa, Yaawe ye ñiŋ kelediŋ kafu baa duŋ ì bulu, kaatu ì ye ì koo dii a la le, ì mumuñolu la Alla. Ñiŋ siloo la ì ye Yowasi yankankati. 25 Ì ye a baramariŋ baa bula jee, ì taata. Bituŋ a la dookuulaa fula ye jamfaa siti a kamma, ì ye a faa a la laaraŋo kaŋ a la piriisi Yehoyada diŋo faa kaŋ. Bituŋ ì ye a baadee Dawuda la Saatewo to, bari ì maŋ a baadee mansoolu la kaburoo to. 26 Mennu wulita a kamma, wolu le mu Sabadi ti, Ammoninka musoo Simeyati diŋo, aniŋ Yehosabadi, Mowabinka musoo Simuriti diŋo.
27 Yowasi diŋolu la taarikoo, annabiyomoolu ye meŋ fo ate Yowasi faŋo ma, aniŋ a ye Alla Batudulaa Buŋo dadaakuu ñaameŋ, a bee be safeeriŋ Mansoolu la Kitaaboo le kono. Amasiya siita a faamaa Yowasi noo to mansa ti.
