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Jehoash/Joash Reigns in Judah

12 In the seventh year of Jehu, Jehoash became king. He reigned in Jerusalem forty years, and the name of his mother was Zibiah from Beersheba. Jehoash did right in the eyes of Yahweh all of his days, because Jehoiada the priest instructed him. Only the high places were not removed; the people were still making sacrifices and offering incense on the high places.

Temple Repairs Planned

Jehoash said to the priests, “All of the money for the sacred things that is brought to the temple of Yahweh, the money taxed at its proper value for each person[a] and all of the money which comes upon the heart of a man to bring to the temple of Yahweh, let the priests take for themselves, each from his treasurers, and let them repair the breach of the temple for every place where damage is found.”

It happened in the twenty-third year of King Jehoash that the priests had not repaired the damage in the temple. So King Jehoash summoned Jehoiada the priest and the priests, and he said to them, “Why are you not repairing the damage in the temple? Now, you shall not take money from your treasurers for the damage in the temple. You must provide it.” So the priests agreed not to take money from the people and not to repair the damage to the temple.

Then Jehoiada the priest took a certain chest and bored a hole in its lid, and he put it beside the altar to the right as a man enters into the temple of Yahweh; then the priests who were keepers of the threshold would put there all of the money brought into the temple. 10 It happened that when they saw a great deal of money in the chest, the secretary of the king and the high priest would come up, put the money in bags, then count the money found in the temple of Yahweh. 11 They placed the money, which was weighed out, into the hands of the workers who were appointed over the temple of Yahweh, and they paid it to the skilled craftsmen of wood and to the builders working on the temple of Yahweh 12 and to the masons and the stonecutters, to buy timber and stones for hewing, in order to repair the damage of the temple of Yahweh, and for all who went to the temple to repair it. 13 Only, for the temple of Yahweh, there were not any silver basins, snuffers, bowls for drinking wine, trumpets, or any vessel of gold or silver from the money being brought to the temple of Yahweh. 14 For they gave that to all the workers, and they repaired the temple[b] of Yahweh with it. 15 They did not have to settle accounts with the men into whose hands they placed the money to give to the workers, for they were dealing honestly. 16 The money of the guilt offering and the money of the sin offering was not brought into the temple[c] of Yahweh, but were each for the priests.

Hazael Threatens Judah

17 At that time, Hazael king of Aram went up and fought against Gath and captured it; then Hazael set his face to go up against Jerusalem. 18 Jehoash king of Judah took all of the holy objects that Jehoshaphat, Joram, and Ahaziah his ancestors,[d] the kings of Judah, had devoted, and all his holy objects and all of the gold found in the treasuries of the temple of Yahweh, and in the palace of the king, and he sent them to Hazael king of Aram, so that he went up from Jerusalem.

19 Now the remainder of the acts of Joash and all that he did, are they not written in the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah? 20 Then his servants arose and conspired and killed Joash in the house of the Millo as he was going down toward Silla. 21 Jozabad[e] the son of Shimeath and Jehozabad the son of Shomer, his servants, struck him and killed him, so they buried him with his ancestors[f] in the city of David. Then Amaziah his son became king in his place.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 12:4 Literally “money passing over a man, the money of persons his proper value”
  2. 2 Kings 12:14 Or “house”
  3. 2 Kings 12:16 Or “house”
  4. 2 Kings 12:18 Or “fathers”
  5. 2 Kings 12:21 A number of Hebrew manuscripts read “Jozakar” here, a reading followed by many English versions. The Hebrew letters for K and B are very similar, as are the letters for R and D. Scribal error may account for the variant reading.
  6. 2 Kings 12:21 Or “fathers”

Jehoash (Joash) Reigns over Judah

12 In the seventh year of Jehu, [a](A)Jehoash became king, and he reigned for forty years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba. Jehoash did what was right in the sight of the Lord all his days that Jehoiada the priest instructed him. Only (B)the high places did not end; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.

The Temple to Be Repaired

Then Jehoash said to the priests, “All the money of the sacred offerings (C)which is brought into the house of the Lord, in current money, both (D)the money of each man’s assessment and all the money [b]which anyone’s heart prompts him to bring into the house of the Lord, The priests are to take it for themselves, each from his [c]acquaintance; and they shall repair [d]damage to the house wherever [e]any damage is found.”

But it came about that in the twenty-third year of King Jehoash, (E)the priests had not repaired any damage to the house. So King Jehoash summoned Jehoiada the priest, and the other priests, and said to them, “Why do you not repair damage to the house? Now then, you are not to take any more money from your [f]acquaintances, but give it up for the damage to the house.” The priests then agreed that they would not take any more money from the people, nor would they [g]repair damage to the house.

Instead, (F)Jehoiada the priest [h]took a chest and drilled a hole in its lid and put it beside the altar, on the right side as one comes into 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 When they saw that there was a great amount of money in the chest, (G)the king’s scribe and the high priest went up and tied it up in bags, and counted the money that was found in the house of the Lord. 11 And they handed the money which was assessed over to those who did the work, who had the oversight of the house of the Lord; and they [i]paid it out to the carpenters and the builders who worked on the house of the Lord; 12 and (H)to the masons and the stonecutters, and for buying timber and cut stone to repair the damage to the house of the Lord, and for everything that [j]was laid out for the house to repair it. 13 However (I)there were not made for the house of the Lord (J)silver cups, shears, bowls, trumpets, any receptacles of gold, or receptacles of silver from the money which was brought into the house of the Lord; 14 for they gave that to those who did the work, and with it they repaired the house of the Lord. 15 Moreover, (K)they did not require an accounting from the men into whose hands they gave the money to pay to those who did the work, because they acted faithfully. 16 The (L)money from the guilt offerings and (M)the money from the sin offerings was not brought into the house of the Lord; (N)it belonged to the priests.

17 Then (O)Hazael the king of Aram went up and fought against Gath and captured it, and (P)Hazael [k]was intent on going up against Jerusalem. 18 So (Q)Jehoash king of Judah took all the sacred offerings that Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had consecrated, and (R)his own sacred offerings, and all the gold that was found among the treasuries of the house of the Lord and of the king’s house, and sent them to Hazael king of Aram. Then he withdrew from Jerusalem.

Joash (Jehoash) Succeeded by Amaziah in Judah

19 Now as for the rest of the acts of Joash and everything that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 20 And (S)his servants rose up and formed a conspiracy; and they (T)struck and killed Joash at (U)the house of Millo as he was going down to Silla. 21 For Jozacar the son of Shimeath and Jehozabad the son of (V)Shomer, his servants, struck him and he died; and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David, and his son (W)Amaziah became king in his place.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 12:1 Jehoash is another spelling of Joash in Heb
  2. 2 Kings 12:4 Lit which it comes into...to bring
  3. 2 Kings 12:5 Or perhaps assessor
  4. 2 Kings 12:5 Lit a breach, and so through v 12
  5. 2 Kings 12:5 Lit a breach, and so through v 12
  6. 2 Kings 12:7 See note 1 v 5
  7. 2 Kings 12:8 I.e., do or oversee repairs themselves
  8. 2 Kings 12:9 I.e., at the king’s command; see 2 Chr 24:8
  9. 2 Kings 12:11 Lit brought
  10. 2 Kings 12:12 Lit went out
  11. 2 Kings 12:17 Lit set his face to go