Beginning

12 During Jehu’s seventh year, Jehoash inherited the throne in Jerusalem. His reign lasted for 40 years. His mother was Zibiah of Beersheba. ² Jehoash was righteous in the Eternal’s eyes during the entire time he was mentored by Jehoiada the priest. ³ But the high places remained. They were not destroyed, and people still went to them to offer sacrifices and burn incense.

⁶ During King Jehoash’s 23rd year, the Eternal One’s temple was only getting worse because the priests had not used any money to repair the Eternal One’s house. ⁷ So King Jehoash questioned Jehoiada and the other priests.

⁸ The priests agreed they would not take any more monetary offerings from anyone, and they would not repair the Eternal’s temple.

^9-10 Jehoiada the priest gouged a hole in the lid of a chest and set it next to the altar. He put it on the right side of the altar, so that everyone walked past it as they entered into the Eternal’s temple. The priests who stood at the entrance placed all the monetary offerings that were carried into the Eternal’s temple into the chest. When the chest was almost full, the king’s secretary and the high priest counted the money and placed it into separate bags. ¹¹ They handed the money to the workers who took care of the Eternal’s temple, and then handed out money to the carpenters and builders who repaired it, ¹² and they also gave some of the money to the masons and stonecutters who paid for the wood and carved stone and other materials that went into repairing the Eternal’s temple. ¹³ None of the monetary offerings that were given to the Eternal’s temple were used to make silver cups, snuffers, bowls, trumpets, gold vessels, or silver vessels. ¹⁴ All the money went to those who repaired the Eternal’s temple for their work. ¹⁵ The priests did not ask for any receipts or documentation to be made of the financial handlings. The workers were completely trustworthy and did not cheat. ¹⁶ Any monetary offerings—be they guilt offerings or sin offerings—still belonged to the priests and were not carried into the Eternal’s temple.

¹⁷ Meanwhile Hazael (Aram’s king) was fighting Gath in Philistia, and he took the entire city captive. Then he put his sights on Jerusalem. ¹⁸ Jehoash, Judah’s king, gathered up all the sacred articles that his ancestors, Judah’s kings—Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah—had consecrated, as well as all the many articles he himself had consecrated. He gathered up all the gold in the treasuries in the Eternal’s temple and in the palace, and he sent it all to Hazael, Aram’s king. After that, Hazael departed from Jerusalem.

¹⁹ Is not the rest of Jehoash’s^[a] story—his actions and lasting legacy—documented in the book of the chronicles of Judah’s kings? ²⁰ Those who served Joash plotted against him, and they killed him at the house of Millo while he was on his way to Silla.

²¹ Joash’s own servants, Jozacar (Shimeath’s son) and Jehozabad (Shomer’s son) were the ones who assassinated him. They laid him to rest with his ancestors in the city of David. Joash’s son, Amaziah, then inherited the throne.

13 When Joash, son of Ahaziah and king of Judah, had ruled Judah 23 years, Jehoahaz (Jehu’s son) succeeded his father as king of Israel in Samaria. He sat upon the throne for 17 years. ² Jehoahaz committed evil in the Eternal’s eyes. He walked the wicked path of Jeroboam (Nebat’s son) causing the Israelites to live sinful lives. Jehoahaz did not abandon Jeroboam’s sins.

³ The Eternal’s wrath burned against Israel, and He handed them over to Hazael, Aram’s king, and to Ben-hadad, Hazael’s son. ⁴ Jehoahaz begged for the Eternal One to hear him, and the Eternal granted his desperate request and listened to him. He perceived the suffering of Israel, and He knew how Aram’s king caused that suffering. ⁵ The Eternal One sent a savior, so that they escaped from the rule of the Arameans. The Israelites then went back to living in their own tents. ⁶ Even though they escaped from the Arameans, the Israelites continued walking the wicked path that they had learned from the family of Jeroboam—the path that caused the Israelites to live sinful lives. The sacred poles were not demolished in Samaria either. They remained standing and in use. ⁷ Jehoahaz’s army was decimated. He was left with only 50 horsemen, 10 chariots, and 10,000 foot soldiers at most. Aram’s king had killed everyone else. They were trampled like dust on the ground.

⁸ Is not the rest of Jehoahaz’s story—his actions and lasting legacy—documented in the book of the chronicles of Israel’s kings? ⁹ Jehoahaz left this world to sleep with his fathers and was laid to rest in Samaria. His son, Joash, then inherited the throne.

¹⁰ During the 37th year of Joash of Judah’s reign, Jehoash (Jehoahaz’s son) inherited the throne of Israel in Samaria. His reign lasted 16 years. ¹¹ He committed evil in the Eternal’s eyes. He walked the wicked path of Jeroboam (Nebat’s son)—causing the Israelites to live sinful lives.

¹² Is not the rest of the story of Joash (King of Israel)—his actions and his courage toward Amaziah, Judah’s king—documented in the book of the chronicles of Israel’s kings? ¹³ Joash of Israel left this world to sleep with his fathers and was laid to rest in Samaria with Israel’s kings. Jeroboam then inherited the throne.

¹⁴ Now Elisha was sick with a terminal illness; and Joash, Israel’s king, came to visit him. He cried over Elisha,

Joash did as Elisha instructed and brought a bow and some arrows back to Elisha’s bedside.

So Joash gripped the bow, and Elisha placed his hands over the king’s hands.

So Joash opened the window.

So Joash drew back the bow and launched the arrow as far as he could.

So Joash took the arrows.

So Joash hit the ground three times and stood up. ¹⁹ But the man of God became angry at this.

²⁰ Elisha then died and was laid to rest.

The Moabite bandits used to storm the land every spring. It was expected by the people. ²¹ During the springtime, while a group of men were out burying a man, they spied a gang of bandits approaching them. They became afraid, so they threw the dead man’s body into Elisha’s grave. As soon as the dead man’s body touched the bones of Elisha, the dead man miraculously came back to life and stood up.

²² Hazael, Aram’s king, persecuted and abused the Israelites all during Jehoahaz’s reign. ²³ But the Eternal One was gracious and compassionate toward them. He was good and turned his face to them because of the covenant He had made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Eternal, true to His promise, had protected them and remained near them until now.

²⁴ After Hazael (Aram’s king) died, his son, Ben-hadad, inherited the throne. ²⁵ Jehoash, the king of Israel and Jehoahaz’s son, captured the same cities from Ben-hadad (Hazael’s son) that Ben-hadad had captured from his father, Jehoahaz. Joash crushed him and delivered Israel’s cities three different times just as Elisha had prophesied.

14 During the second year of Joash (son of Joahaz, Israel’s king), Amaziah (son of Joash, Judah’s king) inherited the throne in Judah. ² Amaziah was 25 years old when he took the throne, and he sat upon it in Jerusalem for 29 years. Amaziah’s mother was Jehoaddin of Jerusalem. ³ Amaziah did what was good in the Eternal’s eyes, but not to the extent that his forefather David had. Amaziah was a lot more like his father, Joash, than he was like David, for he was not as devoted to the Lord as David was. ⁴ But the high places were not destroyed. They remained standing, and everyone continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.

⁵ As soon as Amaziah inherited the throne, he crushed all the servants who participated in the assassination of his father, King Joash. ⁶ But he left the sons of the murderers alive because of the Eternal’s command written in Moses’ book of laws, “Fathers should not be killed because of the sins of their sons, and sons should not be killed because of the sins of their fathers. Every man is to be held accountable for his own sins.”^[c]

⁷ Amaziah crushed 10,000 Edomites while fighting in the valley of Salt, and he won Sela in battle and renamed it Joktheel. That name remains today.

⁸ Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash, Israel’s king, who was the son of Jehoahaz (Jehu’s son).

¹¹ But Amaziah was stubborn and did not listen to Jehoash’s advice. So Jehoash (Israel’s king) went to meet Amaziah (Judah’s king) face-to-face at Beth-shemesh, in the land of Judah. ¹² Israel won the victory, and Judah was left defeated. Then both went back to their own tents. ¹³ Jehoash (Israel’s king) took Amaziah (Judah’s king) captive at Beth-shemesh and brought him to Jerusalem. Jehoash demolished a large part of the Jerusalem Wall—from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate, 600 feet in all. ¹⁴ He then took possession of all the precious valuables he could find—the gold, silver, and objects that were in the Eternal’s temple and in the king’s palace treasuries. He also took hostages and then went back to Samaria.

¹⁵ Are not the remainder of Jehoash’s deeds—his mighty actions and how he defeated Amaziah (Judah’s king)—documented in the book of the chronicles of Israel’s kings? ¹⁶ Jehoash left this world to sleep with his fathers and was laid to rest in Samaria with Israel’s kings. His son, Jeroboam, then inherited the throne in Israel.

¹⁷ Amaziah (Joash’s son), king of Judah was alive for 15 years after the death of Jehoash (Jehoahaz’s son), king of Israel. ¹⁸ Is not the rest of Amaziah’s story—his actions and lasting legacy—documented in the book of the chronicles of Judah’s kings? ¹⁹ They plotted against him in Jerusalem, and he ran away to Lachish. But they followed after him to Lachish and killed him. ²⁰ They brought his body back to Jerusalem on horses, and they buried him with his ancestors in the city of David, as was tradition. ²¹ Everyone in Judah raised up his 16-year-old son, Azariah, to be king. Azariah then inherited his father’s throne. ²² After his father left this world to sleep with his fathers, Azariah rebuilt Elath and restored it to Judah.

²³ During the 15th year of Amaziah (Joash’s son), Jeroboam (Jehoash’s son) inherited Israel’s throne in Samaria. Jeroboam’s reign lasted 41 years. ²⁴ Jeroboam (Joash’s son) committed evil in the Eternal’s eyes. He walked the wicked path of Jeroboam (Nebat’s son) causing the Israelites to live sinful lives. ²⁵ He reinstated Israel’s border from the Hamath entrance to Aram all the way to the Arabah Sea. He did this exactly as the Eternal One, the True God of Israel, had said through his servant, the prophet Jonah (Amittai’s son) who was from Gath-hepher.

²⁶ The Eternal One observed Israel’s intense, bitter suffering whether they were free men or slaves. There was no one who came to the aid of Israel. ²⁷ The Eternal had not said He would erase the reputation or remembrance of Israel from under heaven, so He rescued them through Jeroboam (Joash’s son).

²⁸ Is not the rest of Jeroboam’s story—how he restored Damascus and Hamath to Judah in Israel^[d] through his military exploits—documented in the book of the chronicles of Israel’s kings? ²⁹ Jeroboam left this world to sleep with his fathers, including Israel’s kings. His son, Zechariah, then inherited the throne.