2 Kings 12
Holman Christian Standard Bible
12 1 In the seventh year of Jehu, Joash became king and reigned 40 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah, who was from Beer-sheba.(A) 2 Throughout the time Jehoiada(B) the priest 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 money brought to the Lord’s temple,(G) census money,(H) money from vows,(I) and all money voluntarily given(J) for the Lord’s temple, 5 each priest is to take from his assessor[a] and repair whatever damage to the temple is found.”[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 Jehoiada(N) the priest and the other priests and said, “Why haven’t you repaired the temple’s damage? Since you haven’t, don’t take any money from your assessors; instead, hand it over for the repair of the temple.” 8 So the priests agreed they would not take money from the people and they would not repair the temple’s damage.
9 Then Jehoiada the priest 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; in it the priests who guarded the threshold put all the money brought into the Lord’s temple.(P) 10 Whenever they saw there was a large amount of money in the chest, the king’s secretary(Q) and the high priest would go to the Lord’s temple and count the money found there and tie it up in bags.(R) 11 Then they would put the counted money into the hands of 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 spending 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 money brought into the 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 money to pay those doing the work, since they worked with integrity.(U) 16 The money from the restitution 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 Hazael(W) king 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 consecrated items that his ancestors—Judah’s kings Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah—had consecrated, along with his own consecrated items and all the gold found in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and in the king’s palace, and he sent them to Hazael king 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 killed him(AA) at Beth-millo(AB) on the road that goes down to Silla. 21 His servants Jozabad[d] son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer struck him down, and he died.(AC) Then they buried him with his fathers in the city of David, and his son Amaziah became king in his place.(AD)
Footnotes
- 2 Kings 12:5 Hb obscure
- 2 Kings 12:5 Lit repair the breach of the house wherever there is found a breach
- 2 Kings 12:6 Lit breach in 2Kg 12:5-12
- 2 Kings 12:21 Some Hb mss, LXX read Jozacar; 2Ch 24:26 reads Zabad
2 Kings 12
New Living Translation
Joash Repairs the Temple
12 [a]Joash[b] began to rule over Judah in the seventh year of King Jehu’s reign in Israel. He reigned in Jerusalem forty years. His mother was Zibiah from Beersheba. 2 All his life Joash did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight because Jehoiada the priest instructed him. 3 Yet even so, he did not destroy the pagan shrines, and the people still offered sacrifices and burned incense there.
4 One day King Joash said to the priests, “Collect all the money brought as a sacred offering to the Lord’s Temple, whether it is a regular assessment, a payment of vows, or a voluntary gift. 5 Let the priests take some of that money to pay for whatever repairs are needed at the Temple.”
6 But by the twenty-third year of Joash’s reign, the priests still had not repaired the Temple. 7 So King Joash called for Jehoiada and the other priests and asked them, “Why haven’t you repaired the Temple? Don’t use any more money for your own needs. From now on, it must all be spent on Temple repairs.” 8 So the priests agreed not to accept any more money from the people, and they also agreed to let others take responsibility for repairing the Temple.
9 Then Jehoiada the priest bored a hole in the lid of a large chest and set it on the right-hand side of the altar at the entrance of the Temple of the Lord. The priests guarding the entrance put all of the people’s contributions into the chest. 10 Whenever the chest became full, the court secretary and the high priest counted the money that had been brought to the Lord’s Temple and put it into bags. 11 Then they gave the money to the construction supervisors, who used it to pay the people working on the Lord’s Temple—the carpenters, the builders, 12 the masons, and the stonecutters. They also used the money to buy the timber and the finished stone needed for repairing the Lord’s Temple, and they paid any other expenses related to the Temple’s restoration.
13 The money brought to the Temple was not used for making silver bowls, lamp snuffers, basins, trumpets, or other articles of gold or silver for the Temple of the Lord. 14 It was paid to the workmen, who used it for the Temple repairs. 15 No accounting of this money was required from the construction supervisors, because they were honest and trustworthy men. 16 However, the money that was contributed for guilt offerings and sin offerings was not brought into the Lord’s Temple. It was given to the priests for their own use.
The End of Joash’s Reign
17 About this time King Hazael of Aram went to war against Gath and captured it. Then he turned to attack Jerusalem. 18 King Joash collected all the sacred objects that Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah, the previous kings of Judah, had dedicated, along with what he himself had dedicated. He sent them all to Hazael, along with all the gold in the treasuries of the Lord’s Temple and the royal palace. So Hazael called off his attack on Jerusalem.
19 The rest of the events in Joash’s reign and everything he did are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Judah.
20 Joash’s officers plotted against him and assassinated him at Beth-millo on the road to Silla. 21 The assassins were Jozacar[c] son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer—both trusted advisers. Joash was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. Then his son Amaziah became the next king.
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