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

12 [a] ascending to the throne in the seventh year of the reign of[b] Jehu and then reigning for 40 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah from Beer-sheba. Jehoash did what the Lord considered to be right during the entire time when Jehoiada the priest was instructing him, except that the high places were not demolished, so the people continued to sacrifice and burn incense on the high places.

Jehoash Institutes Temple Repairs

Jehoash spoke to the priests about all of the proceeds[c] of the consecrated gifts that were being brought into the Lord’s Temple, cash from every man who was traveling through the area,[d] cash obtained by personal assessment,[e] and all the cash that came through voluntary gifts[f] into the Lord’s Temple:

“Let the priests get support for themselves from their own donors, and let them repair the Temple wherever a leak in need of repair is discovered.”

But 23 years into the reign of King Jehoash, the priests still had not repaired the leaks in the Temple. So King Jehoash called for Jehoiada the priest, along with other[g] priests, and asked them, “Why haven’t you fixed the leaks in the Temple? Stop receiving donations from your acquaintances for repairing the leaks in the Temple.”

So the priests agreed to receive no more cash from the people, but they didn’t repair the leaks in the Temple, either. So Jehoiada the priest grabbed a chest, bored an opening in its lid, and placed it next to the altar, on the right side as one enters the Lord’s Temple. The priests who tended the entryway put all the money that was brought into the Lord’s Temple into the chest.[h] 10 As a result, whenever they noticed that there was a lot of money in the chest, the king’s secretary and the high priest went forward, put the money in bags, counted the money that had been given over to the Lord’s Temple, 11 and disbursed the cash directly into the hands of those who did the work and who were in charge of the oversight of the Lord’s Temple. They paid it to the carpenters and builders who worked on the Lord’s Temple, 12 to masons and stonecutters, and for procurement of timber and quarried stone for making repairs to the Lord’s Temple, and for all outlays needed for repairs of the Temple.

13 But no provision was included for the Lord’s Temple from the money that was brought into the Lord’s Temple for silver basins, snuffers, bowls, trumpets, or any vessels made of gold or silver, 14 because that money had been allocated to the workmen who were repairing the Lord’s Temple. 15 Furthermore, they required no accounting from the men into whose hand they had paid the money to do the work, because the workers acted in good faith. 16 The money from the guilt offerings and[i] from the sin offerings was not brought into the Lord’s Temple, because it was allocated to the priests.

Hazael Attacks Israel

17 Later, King Hazael of Aram invaded and attacked Gath, captured it, and then set out to approach Jerusalem. 18 So King Jehoash of Judah took all of the sacred things that his ancestors Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah, kings of Judah, had dedicated, along with his own dedicated things, and all the gold that could be located within the treasure vaults of the Lord’s Temple and in the king’s palace, and paid off King Hazael of Aram. Then Hazael[j] left Jerusalem.

Amaziah Succeeds Jehoash (Joash)(A)

19 Now the rest of the Joash’s activities—everything he did—are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah, are they not? 20 His servants rose up in rebellion, formed a conspiracy, and assassinated Joash in the palace at the terrace ramparts[k] while he was on his way down to Silla. 21 Shimeath’s son Jozacar and Shomer’s son Jehozabad, his servants, attacked him and he died. They buried him alongside his ancestors in the City of David, and his son Amaziah became king to replace him.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 12:1 This vs. is 12:2 in MT, and so throughout the chapter
  2. 2 Kings 12:1 The Heb. lacks the reign of
  3. 2 Kings 12:4 Lit. silver; i.e., money from conversion of gifts into cash
  4. 2 Kings 12:4 The Heb. lacks the area
  5. 2 Kings 12:4 Lit. cash from souls to their appointment
  6. 2 Kings 12:4 Lit. through the heart of a man
  7. 2 Kings 12:7 Lit. the
  8. 2 Kings 12:9 Lit. into it
  9. 2 Kings 12:16 Lit. and the money
  10. 2 Kings 12:18 Lit. he
  11. 2 Kings 12:20 Lit. the Millo, fortified areas of ancient Jerusalem with terraces and retaining walls