12 ¹ In the seventh year of Jehu, Joash became king, and he reigned for forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah; she was from Beer-sheba.^{(A) 2} Throughout the time the priest Jehoiada^(B) instructed^(C) him, Joash did what was right in the Lord’s sight.^{(D) 3} Yet the high places were not taken away; the people continued sacrificing and burning incense on the high places.^(E)

Repairing the Temple

⁴ Then^(F) Joash said to the priests, ‘All the dedicated silver brought to the Lord’s temple,^(G) census silver,^(H) silver from vows,^(I) and all silver voluntarily given^(J) for the Lord’s temple –  ⁵ each priest is to take it from his assessor^[a] and repair whatever damage is found in the temple.’^[b](K)

⁶ But by the twenty-third year^(L) of the reign of King Joash, the priests had not repaired the damage^[c] to the temple.^{(M) 7} So King Joash called the priest Jehoiada^(N) and the other priests and asked, ‘Why haven’t you repaired the temple’s damage? Since you haven’t, don’t take any silver from your assessors; instead, hand it over for the repair of the temple.’ ⁸ So the priests agreed that they would receive no silver from the people and would not be the ones to repair the temple’s damage.

⁹ Then the priest Jehoiada took a chest,^(O) bored a hole in its lid, and set it beside the altar on the right side as one enters the Lord’s temple; the priests who guarded the threshold put into the chest all the silver that was brought to the Lord’s temple.^{(P) 10} Whenever they saw there was a large amount of silver in the chest, the king’s secretary^(Q) and the high priest would go and bag up and tally the silver found in the Lord’s temple.^{(R) 11} Then they would give the weighed silver to those doing the work – those who oversaw the Lord’s temple. They in turn would pay it out to those working on the Lord’s temple – the carpenters, the builders, ¹² the masons, and the stonecutters – and would use it to buy timber and quarried stone to repair the damage to the Lord’s temple^(S) and for all expenses for temple repairs.

¹³ However, no silver bowls, wick trimmers, sprinkling basins, trumpets, or any articles of gold or silver^(T) were made for the Lord’s temple from the contributions^[d] brought to the Lord’s temple. ¹⁴ Instead, it was given to those doing the work, and they repaired the Lord’s temple with it. ¹⁵ No accounting was required from the men who received the silver to pay those doing the work, since they worked with integrity.^{(U) 16} The silver from the guilt offering and the sin offering was not brought to the Lord’s temple since it belonged to the priests.^(V)

Aramean Invasion of Judah

¹⁷ At that time King Hazael^(W) of Aram marched up and fought against Gath and captured it. Then he planned to attack Jerusalem.^{(X) 18} So King Joash of Judah took all the items consecrated by himself and by his ancestors – Judah’s kings Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah – as well as all the gold found in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and in the king’s palace, and he sent them to King Hazael of Aram.^(Y) Then Hazael withdrew from Jerusalem.

Joash Assassinated

¹⁹ The rest of the events of Joash’s reign, along with all his accomplishments, are written in the Historical Record of Judah’s Kings.^{(Z) 20} Joash’s servants conspired against him and attacked him^(AA) at Beth-millo^(AB) on the road that goes down to Silla. ²¹ It was his servants Jozabad^[e] son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer who attacked him. He died^(AC) and they buried him with his ancestors in the city of David, and his son Amaziah became king in his place.^(AD)