Ioas. yeares old dieth. 17. Ioas falleth to idolatrie: 20. causeth Zacharias to be slayne in the court of the Temple. 23. A few Syrians kil the chief men about the king, and carie away great prayes. 25. Ioas is slayne by his owne men, and his sonne Amasias reigneth.

1   Seven yeares old was Ioas when he began to reigne: and he reigned fourty yeares in Ierusalem, the name of his mother was Sebia of Bersabee.

2   And he did that which is good before our Lord al the dayes of Ioiada the Priest.

3   And Ioiada tooke for him two wiues, of whom he begat sonnes & daughters.

4   After which thinges it pleased Ioas to repayre the house of our Lord.

5   And he assembled the Priestes, and the Leuites, and sayd to them: Goe ye forth to the cities of Iuda, and gather of al Israel money for the reparation of the temple of your God, yeare by yeare, and doe this in hast: moreouer the Leuites did negligently.

6   And the king called Ioiada the prince, and sayd to him: why hast thou had no care to constrayne the Leuites to bring in out of Iuda and Ierusalem the money, that was ^note appointed of Moyses the seruant of our Lord, that al the multitude of Israel should bring it in into the tabernacle of testimonie?

7   For the most impious Athalia, and her children haue destroyed the house of God, and of al thinges that had bene sanctified in the temple of our Lord, they adorned the temple of Baalim.

8   The king therfore commanded and they made a chest: and set it by the gate of our Lord on the out side.

9   And it was proclaymed in Iuda and Ierusalem, that euery man should bring the price to our Lord, which Moyses the seruant of God appoynted ouer al Israel, in the desert.

10   And al the princes reioysed, and al the people: and going in they contributed into the chest of our Lord, and cast in so that it was filled.

11   And when it was time that they should bring the chest before the king by the handes of Leuites (for they saw much money) the kinges Scribe went in, and he whom the high priest had appoynted: & they powred out the money that was in the chest, & recaried it to his place: and so did they from day to day, and there was gathered infinite money.

12   Which the king and Ioiada gaue to them, that ouersaw the workes of the house of our Lord: but they hired with it hewers of stones, and artificers of al workes, to repayre the house of our Lord: smithes also of yron and brasse, that that which began to fal, might be vpholden.

13   And

Ioas. they that wrought did industriously, and the breach of the walles was closed by their handes, and they raysed the house of our Lord into the old state, and made it stand firmely.

14   And when they had accomplished al the workes, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Ioiada: of the which were made vessels of the temple to the ministerie, and for holocaustes, phials also, and other vessels of gold and siluer: and holocaustes were offered in the house of our Lord continually al the daies of Ioiada.

15   But Ioiada became old being ful of dayes, and died when he was an hundred and thirtie yeares old.

16   And they buried him in the citie of Dauid with the kinges, because he had done good with Israel, and with his house.

17   And after that Ioiada was dead, the princes of Iuda went in, and adored the king, who being altered by their seruiceablenesse, agreed to them.

18   And they forsooke the temple of our Lord the God of their fathers, and serued groues, and sculptilles, and there came wrath agaynst Iuda, and Ierusalem for this sinne.

19   And he sent them prophetes, that they should returne to our Lord, whom protesting they would not heare.

20   The spirit of God therfore inuested Zacharias the sonne of Ioiada the Priest, & he stood in the sight of the people, and sayd to them: Thus sayth our Lord God: Why transgresse you the precept of our Lord, which thing shal not profit you, & haue forsaken our Lord, that he should forsake you?

21   Who being gathered agaynst him, they threw stones according to the kinges commandement, in the court of the house of our Lord.

22   And Ioas the king did not remember the mercie, that Ioiada his father had done with him, but he killed his sonne. Who when he died, sayd: Our Lord see, and require it.

23   And when a yeare was come about, the armie of Syria came vp against him: & it came into Iuda & Ierusalem, & slewe al the princes of the people, and al the pray they sent to the king into Damascus.

24   And wheras there was come a very smal number of the Syrians, our Lord deliuered into their handes an infinit multitude, for that they had forsaken our Lord the God of their fathers: on Ioas also they exercised ignomious iudgementes.

25   And departing they left him in great diseases: and his seruantes rose agaynst him, ^note for reuenge of the bloud of the sonne of Ioiada the priest, & they slewe him in his bed, & he dyed: and they buried him in the Citie of Dauid, but not in the kinges sepulchres.

26   And

Amasias. there conspired against him Zabad the sonne of Semmaath an Ammonitesse, & Iozabad the sonne of Semarith a Moabitesse.

27   Moreouer his children, and the summe of money, which was gathered vnder him, & the repayring of the house of God are writen more diligently in the Booke of kinges: and Amasias his sonne reigned for him.

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