12 In the seventh year of Jehu, Jehoash^[a] began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zibiah of Beersheba. ² And Jehoash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all his days, because Jehoiada the priest instructed him. ³ Nevertheless, ^(A)the high places were not taken away; the people continued to sacrifice and make offerings on the high places.

Jehoash Repairs the Temple

⁴ Jehoash said to the priests, “All the money of the holy things ^(B)that is brought into the house of the Lord, the money for which each man is assessed—the money from the assessment of persons—and ^(C)the money that a man's heart prompts him to bring into the house of the Lord, ⁵ let the priests take, each from his donor, and let them repair the house wherever any need of repairs is discovered.” ⁶ But by the twenty-third year of King Jehoash, the priests had made no repairs on the house. ⁷ Therefore King Jehoash summoned Jehoiada the priest and the other priests and said to them, “Why are you not repairing the house? Now therefore take no more money from your donors, but hand it over for the repair of the house.” ⁸ So the priests agreed that they should take no more money from the people, and that they should not repair the house.

⁹ Then Jehoiada the priest took ^(D)a chest and bored a hole in the lid of it and set it beside the altar on the right side as one entered the house of the Lord. And the priests who guarded the threshold put in it all the money that was brought into the house of the Lord. ¹⁰ And whenever they saw that there was much money in the chest, the king's secretary and the high priest came up and they bagged and counted ^(E)the money that was found in the house of the Lord. ¹¹ Then they would give the money that was weighed out into the hands of the workmen who had the oversight of the house of the Lord. And they paid it out to the carpenters and the builders who worked on the house of the Lord, ¹² and ^(F)to the masons and the stonecutters, as well as to buy timber and quarried stone for making repairs on the house of the Lord, and for any outlay for the repairs of the house. ^13 (G)But there were not made for the house of the Lord ^(H)basins of silver, snuffers, bowls, trumpets, or any vessels of gold, or of silver, from the money that was brought into the house of the Lord, ¹⁴ for that was given to the workmen who were repairing the house of the Lord with it. ¹⁵ And ^(I)they did not ask for an accounting from the men into whose hand they delivered the money to pay out to the workmen, for they dealt honestly. ¹⁶ The money from ^(J)the guilt offerings and the money from the ^(K)sin offerings was not brought into the house of the Lord; ^(L)it belonged to the priests.

¹⁷ At that time ^(M)Hazael king of Syria went up and fought against Gath and took it. But when Hazael set his face ^(N)to go up against Jerusalem, ¹⁸ Jehoash king of Judah ^(O)took all the sacred gifts that Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah his fathers, the kings of Judah, had dedicated, ^(P)and his own sacred gifts, and all the gold that was found in the treasuries of the house of the Lord and of the king's house, and sent these to Hazael king of Syria. Then Hazael went away from Jerusalem.

The Death of Joash

¹⁹ Now the rest of the acts of Joash and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? ^20 (Q)His servants arose and made a conspiracy ^(R)and struck down Joash in the house of ^(S)Millo, on the way that goes down to Silla. ²¹ It was ^(T)Jozacar the son of Shimeath and Jehozabad the son of ^(U)Shomer, his servants, who struck him down, so that he died. And they buried him with his fathers in the city of David, ^(V)and Amaziah his son reigned in his place.

Children and Parents

6 ^(A)Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ^2 (B)“Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), ³ “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” ⁴ Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, ^(C)but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Bondservants and Masters

^5 (D)Bondservants,^[a] obey your earthly masters^[b] with fear and trembling, ^(E)with a sincere heart, ^(F)as you would Christ, ⁶ not by the way of eye-service, as ^(G)people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, ⁷ rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, ^8 (H)knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, ^(I)whether he is a bondservant or is free. ⁹ Masters, do the same to them, ^(J)and stop your threatening, knowing that ^(K)he who is both their Master^[c] and yours is in heaven, and that ^(L)there is no partiality with him.

The Whole Armor of God

¹⁰ Finally, ^(M)be strong in the Lord and in ^(N)the strength of his might. ^11 (O)Put on ^(P)the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against ^(Q)the schemes of the devil. ¹² For ^(R)we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against ^(S)the rulers, against the authorities, against ^(T)the cosmic powers over ^(U)this present darkness, against ^(V)the spiritual forces of evil ^(W)in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore ^(X)take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in ^(Y)the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. ¹⁴ Stand therefore, ^(Z)having fastened on the belt of truth, and ^(AA)having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and, ^(AB)as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In all circumstances take up ^(AC)the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all ^(AD)the flaming darts of ^(AE)the evil one; ¹⁷ and take ^(AF)the helmet of salvation, and ^(AG)the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, ¹⁸ praying ^(AH)at all times ^(AI)in the Spirit, ^(AJ)with all prayer and supplication. To that end, ^(AK)keep alert with all perseverance, making ^(AL)supplication for all the saints, ¹⁹ and ^(AM)also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth ^(AN)boldly to proclaim ^(AO)the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ for which I ^(AP)am an ambassador ^(AQ)in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

Final Greetings

^21 (AR)So that you also may know how I am and what I am doing, ^(AS)Tychicus the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord will tell you everything. ²² I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may ^(AT)encourage your hearts.

^23 (AU)Peace be to the brothers,^[d] and ^(AV)love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴ Grace be with all who ^(AW)love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible.