2 Kings 12

Christian Standard Bible

12 In the seventh year of Jehu, Joash became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah; she was from Beer-sheba.^(A) ²Throughout the time the priest Jehoiada^(B) instructed^(C) him, Joash did what was right in the Lord’s sight.^(D) ³Yet the high places were not taken away; the people continued sacrificing and burning incense on the high places.^(E)

Repairing the Temple

⁴Then^(F) Joash said to the priests, “All the dedicated silver brought to the Lord’s temple,^(G) census silver,^(H) silver from vows,^(I) and all silver voluntarily given^(J) for the Lord’s temple— ⁵each priest is to take it from his assessor^[a] and repair whatever damage is found in the temple.”^[b]^(K)

⁶But by the twenty-third year^(L) of the reign of King Joash, the priests had not repaired the damage^[c] to the temple.^(M) ⁷So King Joash called the priest Jehoiada^(N) and the other priests and asked, “Why haven’t you repaired the temple’s damage? Since you haven’t, don’t take any silver from your assessors; instead, hand it over for the repair of the temple.” ⁸So the priests agreed that they would receive no silver from the people and would not be the ones to repair the temple’s damage.

⁹Then the priest Jehoiada 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; the priests who guarded the threshold put into the chest all the silver that was brought to the Lord’s temple.^(P) ¹⁰Whenever they saw there was a large amount of silver in the chest, the king’s secretary^(Q) and the high priest would go bag up and tally the silver found in the Lord’s temple.^(R) ¹¹Then they would give the weighed silver to 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, ¹²the 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 expenses for temple repairs.

¹³However, 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 contributions^[d] brought to the Lord’s temple. ¹⁴Instead, it was given to those doing the work, and they repaired the Lord’s temple with it. ¹⁵No accounting was required from the men who received the silver to pay those doing the work, since they worked with integrity.^(U) ¹⁶The silver from the guilt offering and the sin offering was not brought to the Lord’s temple since it belonged to the priests.^(V)

Aramean Invasion of Judah

¹⁷At that time King Hazael^(W) of Aram marched up and fought against Gath and captured it. Then he planned to attack Jerusalem.^(X) ¹⁸So King Joash of Judah took all the items consecrated by himself and by his ancestors—Judah’s kings Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah—as well as all the gold found in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and in the king’s palace, and he sent them to King Hazael of Aram.^(Y) Then Hazael withdrew from Jerusalem.

Joash Assassinated

¹⁹The rest of the events of Joash’s reign, along with all his accomplishments, are written in the Historical Record of Judah’s Kings.^(Z) ²⁰Joash’s servants conspired against him and attacked him^(AA) at Beth-millo^(AB) on the road that goes down to Silla. ²¹It was his servants Jozabad^[e] son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer who attacked him. He died^(AC) and they buried him with his ancestors in the city of David, and his son Amaziah became king in his place.^(AD)

Footnotes

12:5 Hb obscure
12:5 Lit repair the breach of the temple wherever there is found a breach
12:6 Lit breach in 2Kg 12:5–12
12:13 Lit silver
12:21 Some Hb mss, LXX read Jozacar; 2Ch 24:26 reads Zabad

2 Kings 12

Complete Jewish Bible

12 ^(11:21)Y’ho’ash was seven years old when he began his reign. ²⁽¹⁾It was in the seventh year of Yehu that Y’ho’ash began to rule, and he ruled forty years in Yerushalayim. His mother’s name was Tzivyah, from Be’er-Sheva. ³⁽²⁾Y’ho’ash did what was right from Adonai’s perspective throughout the lifetime of Y’hoyada the cohen, who instructed him. ⁴⁽³⁾Nevertheless the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and presented offerings on the high places.

⁵⁽⁴⁾Y’ho’ash said to the cohanim, “All the funds for sacred purposes which are brought to the house of Adonai — the half-shekel tax, the taxes on persons in a man’s household, and all the offerings anyone voluntarily brings to the house of Adonai — ⁶⁽⁵⁾the cohanim are to receive from whoever personally makes contributions to them; and they are to use these funds to repair the damaged parts of the house, wherever damage is found. ⁷⁽⁶⁾But twenty-three years into the reign of King Y’ho’ash, the cohanim had still not repaired the damaged places in the house. ⁸⁽⁷⁾So King Y’ho’ash summoned Y’hoyada the cohen and the other cohanim and said to them, “Why aren’t you repairing the damaged places in the house? Therefore, you are no longer to take money from those who contribute it personally to you; you must hand it over to be used for repairing the damage in the house.” ⁹⁽⁸⁾The cohanim agreed not to receive money from the people, and they would no longer be responsible for repairing the damage to the house.

¹⁰⁽⁹⁾Then Y’hoyada the cohen took a chest, drilled a hole in its lid and set it by the altar, on the right, as one enters the house of Adonai; and the cohanim in charge of the entry put in it all the money brought into the house of Adonai. ¹¹⁽¹⁰⁾When they saw that there was a large amount of money in the chest, the king’s secretary and the cohen hagadol would come up, count the money found in the house of Adonai and put it in bags. ¹²⁽¹¹⁾Then they would give the weighed-out money to those supervising the work in the house of Adonai, who would use it to pay the carpenters and construction-workers doing the work in the house of Adonai, ¹³⁽¹²⁾on masons, stone-workers, timber, worked stone and everything else needed for repairing the damaged places in the house of Adonai. ¹⁴⁽¹³⁾But none of the money brought into the house of Adonai was used to make silver cups, snuffers, bowls, trumpets or other articles of gold or silver for the house of Adonai; ¹⁵⁽¹⁴⁾because they gave the money to those doing the work, thus restricting its use to repairing the damage in the house of Adonai. ¹⁶⁽¹⁵⁾Moreover, they did not require an accounting from the supervisors given the money to pay the workers, because they dealt honestly. ¹⁷⁽¹⁶⁾Money from guilt offerings and sin offerings, however, was not brought into the house of Adonai; it went to the cohanim.

¹⁸⁽¹⁷⁾Haza’el king of Aram went up and fought against Gat; and after capturing it, Haza’el made his decision to attack Yerushalayim. ¹⁹⁽¹⁸⁾Y’ho’ash king of Y’hudah took all the consecrated articles that Y’hoshafat, Y’horam and Achazyah, his ancestors, kings of Y’hudah, had dedicated, as well as his own consecrated articles and all the gold found in the treasuries of the house of Adonai and of the royal palace, and sent them to Haza’el king of Aram, who then withdrew from Yerushalayim.

²⁰⁽¹⁹⁾Other activities of Yo’ash and all his accomplishments are recorded in the Annals of the Kings of Y’hudah.

²¹⁽²⁰⁾Then his servants got together, formed a conspiracy and murdered Yo’ash at Beit-Millo on the way down to Sila. ²²⁽²¹⁾His servants Yozakhar the son of Shim‘at and Y’hozavad the son of Shomer struck him, so that he died. They buried him with his ancestors in the City of David, and Amatzyah his son took his place as king.

Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

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Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)

2 Kings 12 Christian Standard Bible