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Venerdi, 29 marzo 2024 - Santi Simplicio e Costantino ( Letture di oggi)

2 Kings 12


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1Jehoash was seven years old when he came to the throne.2Jehoash became king in the seventh year of Jehu, and reigned for forty years in Jerusalem. Hismother's name was Zibiah of Beersheba.3Al his life Jehoash did what Yahweh regards as right, having been instructed by Jehoiada the priest.4The high places, however, were not abolished, and the people stil offered sacrifices and incense onthe high places.5Jehoash said to the priests, 'Al the money from the sacred revenues brought to the Temple ofYahweh, the money from personal taxes, and al the money voluntarily offered to the Temple-6the priests are to receive this individual y from people of their acquaintance and wil carry out al therepairs to the Temple which need to be made.'7Now in the twenty-third year of King Jehoash the priests had done no repairs to the Temple;8so King Jehoash summoned Jehoiada the priest and the other priests. 'Why are you not repairing theTemple?' he asked. 'You are no longer to accept money from people of your acquaintance but are to hand it overfor the Temple repairs.'9The priests agreed to accept no money from the people and no longer to be responsible for repairs tothe Temple.10Jehoiada the priest took a chest, bored a hole in the lid and placed it beside the pil ar, to the right ofthe entry to the Temple of Yahweh; in it the priests who guarded the threshold put al the money which was givenfor the Temple of Yahweh.11Whenever they saw that there was a great deal of money in the chest, the king's secretary wouldcome, and they would empty it out and reckon the money then in the Temple of Yahweh.12Once checked, they paid this money over to the masters of works attached to the Temple of Yahweh,and these in turn spent it on carpenters and builders working on the Temple of Yahweh,13on masons and stonecutters, and on buying timber and dressed stone to be used for repairs to theTemple of Yahweh; in short, for al the costs of the Temple repairs.14But no silver basins, knives, sprinkling bowls, trumpets or gold or silver objects were made for theTemple of Yahweh out of the money presented,15which was al given to the masters of works for repairing the Temple of Yahweh.16No accounts were kept with the men to whom the money was paid over to be spent on the workmen,since they were honest in their work.17Money offered in expiation of an offence or of a sin was not given to the Temple of Yahweh; that wasfor the priests.18At that time Hazael king of Aram went to war against Gath, and captured it; he then prepared to attackJerusalem.19Jehoash king of Judah took all the sacred offerings dedicated by his ancestors, the kings of Judah,Jehoshaphat, Jehoram and Ahaziah, with those which he himself had dedicated, and all the gold which was tobe found in the treasuries of the Temple of Yahweh and of the palace; he sent it all to Hazael king of Aram, whoretired from Jerusalem.20The rest of the history of Joash, his entire career, is this not recorded in the Book of the Annals of theKings of Judah?21His own retainers rebelled and hatched a plot; they murdered Joash in the palace of the Millo . . .22Jozacar son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer were the retainers who struck the blows fromwhich he died. He was buried with his ancestors in the City of David; his son Amaziah succeeded him.