⁴ Some time later Joash decided to make the Lord’s temple look like new again.

⁸ King Joash commanded that a wooden chest be made. It was placed outside near the gate of the Lord’s temple. ⁹ Then a message went out in Judah and Jerusalem. It said that the people should bring the tax to the Lord. God’s servant Moses had required Israel to pay that tax when they were in the desert. ¹⁰ All the officials and people gladly brought their money. They dropped it into the chest until it was full. ¹¹ The chest was brought in by the Levites to the king’s officials. Every time the officials saw there was a large amount of money in the chest, it was emptied out. The royal secretary and the officer of the chief priest came and emptied it. Then they carried it back to its place. They did it regularly. They collected a great amount of money. ¹² The king and Jehoiada gave it to the people who were doing the work on the Lord’s temple. They hired people who could lay the stones and people who could work with wood. They also hired people who could work with iron and bronze. They hired all of them to repair the temple.