The Temple to Be Repaired

Then Jehoash said to the priests, “All the money of the sacred offerings (A)which is brought into the house of the Lord, in current money, both (B)the money of each man’s assessment and all the money [a]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 [b]acquaintance; and they shall repair [c]damage to the house wherever [d]any damage is found.”

But it came about that in the twenty-third year of King Jehoash, (C)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 [e]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 [f]repair damage to the house.

Instead, (D)Jehoiada the priest [g]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, (E)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 [h]paid it out to the carpenters and the builders who worked on the house of the Lord; 12 and (F)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 [i]was laid out for the house to repair it. 13 However (G)there were not made for the house of the Lord (H)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, (I)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 (J)money from the guilt offerings and (K)the money from the sin offerings was not brought into the house of the Lord; (L)it belonged to the priests.

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Notas al pie

  1. 2 Kings 12:4 Lit which it comes into...to bring
  2. 2 Kings 12:5 Or perhaps assessor
  3. 2 Kings 12:5 Lit a breach, and so through v 12
  4. 2 Kings 12:5 Lit a breach, and so through v 12
  5. 2 Kings 12:7 See note 1 v 5
  6. 2 Kings 12:8 I.e., do or oversee repairs themselves
  7. 2 Kings 12:9 I.e., at the king’s command; see 2 Chr 24:8
  8. 2 Kings 12:11 Lit brought
  9. 2 Kings 12:12 Lit went out

Jehoash Institutes Temple Repairs

Jehoash spoke to the priests about all of the proceeds[a] of the consecrated gifts that were being brought into the Lord’s Temple, cash from every man who was traveling through the area,[b] cash obtained by personal assessment,[c] and all the cash that came through voluntary gifts[d] 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[e] 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.[f] 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[g] from the sin offerings was not brought into the Lord’s Temple, because it was allocated to the priests.

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Notas al pie

  1. 2 Kings 12:4 Lit. silver; i.e., money from conversion of gifts into cash
  2. 2 Kings 12:4 The Heb. lacks the area
  3. 2 Kings 12:4 Lit. cash from souls to their appointment
  4. 2 Kings 12:4 Lit. through the heart of a man
  5. 2 Kings 12:7 Lit. the
  6. 2 Kings 12:9 Lit. into it
  7. 2 Kings 12:16 Lit. and the money