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.
2 Kings 12
Legacy Standard Bible
Jehoash Reigns over Judah
12 In the seventh year of Jehu, (A)Jehoash became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba. 2 And Jehoash did what was right in the sight of Yahweh all his days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him. 3 Only (B)the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.
Jehoash Repairs the House of Yahweh
4 Then Jehoash said to the priests, “All the money of the sacred things (C)which is brought into the house of Yahweh, both (D)the money for each [a]numbered man—the money from each person’s assessment in the census—and all the money which any man’s heart prompts him to bring into the house of Yahweh, 5 let the priests take it for themselves, each from his acquaintance; and they shall repair the [b]damages of the house wherever any damage may be found.”
6 Now it happened that in the twenty-third year of King Jehoash (E)the priests had not repaired the damages of the house. 7 Then King Jehoash called for Jehoiada the priest, and for the other priests and said to them, “Why do you not repair the damages of the house? So now, take no more money from your acquaintances, but give it over to pay for the damages of the house.” 8 So the priests agreed that they would take no more money from the people, nor repair the damages of the house.
9 But (F)Jehoiada the priest took a chest and bored a hole in its lid and put it beside the altar, on the right side as one comes into the house of Yahweh; and the priests who kept watch over the threshold put in it all the money which was brought into the house of Yahweh. 10 Now it happened that when they saw that there was much money in the chest, (G)the king’s scribe and the high priest came up and tied it in bags and counted the money which was found in the house of Yahweh. 11 And they gave the money, which was weighed out, into the hands of those who did the work, who had the oversight of the house of Yahweh; and they [c]paid it out to the craftsmen of wood and the builders who worked on the house of Yahweh; 12 and (H)to the masons and the hewers of stone, and for buying timber and hewn stone to repair the damages to the house of Yahweh, and for all that [d]was laid out for the house to repair it. 13 But (I)there were not made for the house of Yahweh (J)silver cups, snuffers, bowls, trumpets, any vessels of gold, or vessels of silver from the money which was brought into the house of Yahweh; 14 for they gave that to those who did the work, and with it they repaired the house of Yahweh. 15 Moreover, (K)they did not require an accounting from the men into whose hand they paid the money in order to pay those who did the work, for they were doing it faithfully. 16 The (L)money from the guilt offerings and (M)the money from the sin offerings was not brought into the house of Yahweh; (N)it was for the priests.
17 Then (O)Hazael king of Aram went up and fought against Gath and captured it, and (P)Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem. 18 (Q)And Jehoash king of Judah took all the holy things that Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had set apart as holy, and (R)his own holy things and all the gold that was found among the treasuries of the house of Yahweh and of the king’s house, and sent them to Hazael king of Aram. Then he went away from Jerusalem.
Amaziah Reigns over Judah
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 (S)And his servants arose and made a conspiracy and (T)struck down Joash at (U)the house of Millo as he was going down to Silla. 21 Now 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 (W)Amaziah his son became king in his place.
Footnotes
- 2 Kings 12:4 Lit passed over, cf. Ex 30:14
- 2 Kings 12:5 Lit breaches, so through v 12
- 2 Kings 12:11 Lit brought
- 2 Kings 12:12 Lit went out
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