Chronological

Jehoash Restores the Temple

12 Jehoash was seven years old when he became king. ² Jehoash began his reign in the seventh year of Jehu and he reigned 40 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah of Beer-sheba. ³ Now Jehoash did what was right in Adonai’s eyes all his days, just as Jehoiada the kohen instructed him. ⁴ The high places, however, were not taken away. The people were still sacrificing and burning incense on the high places.

⁵ Then Jehoash said to the kohanim, “All the money of the sacred donations brought to the House of Adonai—the money in exchange for each person’s valuation, as well as all the money that anyone’s heart prompts him to bring to the House of Adonai— ⁶ let the kohanim receive it, each from one of the treasurers, so they may repair the damage to the House wherever any damage is found.”

⁷ But by the twenty-third year of King Jehoash, the kohanim still had not repaired the damage to the House. ⁸ Then King Jehoash summoned Jehoiada the kohen and the other kohanim, and said to them, “Why are you not repairing the damage to the House? Now therefore, take no more money from your treasurers, but hand it over for the damage to the House.” ⁹ The kohanim agreed that they would take no more money from the people, nor would they repair the damage of the House.

¹⁰ But Jehoiada the kohen took a chest, bored a hole in its lid, and placed it beside the altar, on the right side as one entered the House of Adonai. The priestly guards of the threshold deposited there all the money that was brought to the House of Adonai. ¹¹ Whenever they saw that there was a large amount of money in the chest, the royal scribe and the kohen gadol would come up, put the money in bags and count the money that was found in the House of Adonai. ¹² Then they would give the money that was weighed out into the hands of those who did the work, who had been overseeing the House of Adonai—they, in turn, would pay it out to the carpenters and the builders who worked on the House of Adonai, ¹³ and to the masons and the stonecutters, and for buying timber and cut stone to repair the damage to Adonai’s House, and for all that was laid out for the House to repair it.

¹⁴ But there were no silver cups, snuffers, bowls, trumpets, and no vessels of gold or vessels of silver made for the House of Adonai from the money brought to the House of Adonai. ¹⁵ For they gave it to those that did the work, and with it they repaired the House of Adonai. ¹⁶ They did not check on the men to whom they gave the money to pay the workers, for they dealt faithfully. ¹⁷ The money from the guilt offering and money from the sin offering was not brought into the House of Adonai—it was for the kohanim.

¹⁸ Then King Hazael of Aram marched and attacked Gath and captured it, and next Hazael set his face to march against Jerusalem. ¹⁹ But King Jehoash of Judah took all the sacred objects that his fathers Jehoshaphat, Jehoram and Ahaziah, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own sacred objects, and all the gold that was found in the treasuries of the House of Adonai and in the royal palace, and sent them to King Hazael of Aram, so he withdrew from Jerusalem.

²⁰ 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? ²¹ But his courtiers arose, conspired against him and assassinated Joash at Beth-Millo, on the way that goes down to Silla. ²² His courtiers Jozacar son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer struck him down, and he died. Then they buried him with his fathers in the city of David. His son Amaziah became king in his place.

The Reign of Jehoahaz and Jehoash

13 In the twenty-third year of Joash son of King Ahaziah of Judah, Jehoahaz son of Jehu became king over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned 17 years. ² But he did what was evil in Adonai’s eyes—he continued in the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he caused Israel to commit, and did not turn away from them. ³ So the anger of Adonai was kindled against Israel, and He continually gave them into the hand of King Hazael of Aram and into the hand of Ben-hadad son of Hazael.

⁴ Then Jehoahaz sought Adonai’s face, so Adonai listened to him, for He saw the oppression of Israel, how the king of Aram oppressed them. ⁵ Adonai gave Israel a deliverer, so that they escaped from under the hand of the Arameans, and the men of Israel dwelt in their tents as they had before.

⁶ Nevertheless they did not turn away from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, which he caused Israel to commit, but walked in them—and the Asherah pole remained standing in Samaria. ⁷ Indeed, Jehoahaz was not left with a force of more than 50 horsemen, 10 chariots and 10,000 foot soldiers, because the king of Aram had destroyed them and trampled them like dust when threshing. ⁸ Now the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz and all that he did and his might, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? ⁹ Then Jehoahaz slept with his fathers and they buried him in Samaria. His son Joash became king in his place.

¹⁰ In the thirty-seventh year of King Joash of Judah, Jehoash son of Jehoahaz became king over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned 16 years. ¹¹ But he did what was evil in Adonai’s eyes. He did not turn away from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he caused Israel to commit, but he walked in them. ¹² Now the rest of the events of Joash’s reign and all that he did, and his might with which he fought against King Amaziah of Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? ¹³ Then Joash slept with his fathers, and Jeroboam sat on his throne. So Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.

Victories as Elisha Dies

¹⁴ When Elisha got sick with his illness from which he would die, King Joash of Israel came down to him, wept over him and cried, “Avi, avi, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!”

¹⁵ Then Elisha said to him, “Take bow and arrows.” So he took bow and arrows. ¹⁶ Then he said to the king of Israel, “Mount your hand on the bow!” So he mounted his hand on it. Elisha then laid his hands on the king’s hands, ¹⁷ and said, “Open the window to the east,” and then Elisha said, “Shoot!” and he shot. Then he said, “Adonai’s arrow of deliverance! Yes, an arrow of victory over Aram! You will strike down the Arameans in Aphek until they are demolished.” ¹⁸ Then he said, “Take the arrows!” and he took them. Then he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground!” and he struck it three times, then stopped. ¹⁹ But the man of God was upset with him and said, “If only you had struck five or six times, then you would have annihilated Aram till you had consumed it. But now you will strike Aram only three times.”

²⁰ Then Elisha died, and they buried him. Now bands of Moabite marauders used to invade the land at the spring of the year. ²¹ It came about, as they were burying a man, behold, they saw a marauding band, so they threw the man’s body into Elisha’s tomb. As soon as the man’s body touched Elisha’s bones, he came back to life and stood up on his feet!

²² But King Hazael of Aram oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz. ²³ Yet Adonai was gracious to them, had compassion on them and turned to them because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. So He was not willing to destroy them or cast them from His presence up to now. ²⁴ Then King Hazael of Aram died, and his son Ben-hadad became king in his place. ²⁵ Then Jehoash son of Jehoahaz restored from the hand of Ben-hadad son of Hazael the towns which he had taken out from the hand of his father Jehoahaz in war. Three times Joash defeated him and recovered the towns of Israel.

Joash Repairs the Temple

24 Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem 40 years. His mother’s name was Zibiah of Beer-sheba. ² Joash did what was right in the eyes of Adonai all the days of Jehoiada the kohen.

³ Jehoiada took two wives by whom he fathered sons and daughters. ⁴ It came to pass after this that Joash had a heart to renovate the House of Adonai. ⁵ He assembled the kohanim and the Levites and told them, “Go out to the cities of Judah and collect money from all Israel year by year to repair the House of your God. Do this quickly!”

However, the Levites did not act quickly. ⁶ So the king summoned Jehoiada the chief and asked him, “Why have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah and from Jerusalem the tax of Moses the servant of Adonai on the congregation of Israel for the Tent of the Testimony?”

⁷ For the sons of wicked Athaliah had broken into the House of God, and had even used all the sacred things of the House of Adonai for the Baalim^[a]. ⁸ So the king commanded that a box be made and placed outside the gate of the House of Adonai. ⁹ A proclamation was made throughout Judah and Jerusalem to bring in to Adonai the tax of Moses, God’s servant, upon Israel in the wilderness. ¹⁰ All the officers and all the people rejoiced, and brought in and cast into the chest until it was full. ¹¹ Whenever the chest was brought by the Levites to the king’s officers and when they saw that it was full of money, the royal scribe and the officer of the kohen gadol would come and empty the box and take it back to its place. Thus they did daily and gathered much money. ¹² The king and Jehoiada gave it to workmen who carried out the work for the House of Adonai. They hired masons and carpenters to renovate the House of Adonai, as well as craftsmen in iron and bronze to repair the House of Adonai. ¹³ So the workmen labored and the renovation work progressed in their hands. They restored the House of God to its original design, and strengthened it. ¹⁴ When they had finished, they brought the remainder of the money before the king and Jehoiada and they made it into vessels for the House of Adonai—vessels for avodah and for burnt offering, pans and utensils of gold and silver. Then they offered burnt offerings in the House of Adonai continually all the days of Jehoiada.

¹⁵ When Jehoiada reached a ripe old age, he died. He was 130 years old when he died. ¹⁶ So he was buried in the city of David among the kings, because he had done good things in Israel and toward God and His House.

Joash Betrays the Righeous Kohen

¹⁷ Now after the death of Jehoiada, the chiefs of Judah came and bowed down to the king. Then the king listened to them. ¹⁸ They forsook the House of Adonai, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherah poles and the idols. Wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for their guilt. ¹⁹ Adonai sent prophets to them to bring them back to Him and although they admonished them, they would not listen.

²⁰ Then the Ruach Elohim came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the kohen.^[b] He stood above the people and said to them, “Thus says God, ‘Why do you transgress the mitzvot of Adonai? You will not succeed. Because you have forsaken Adonai, He has also forsaken you.’”

²¹ But they conspired against him, and by order of the king, they stoned him to death in the courtyard of the House of Adonai. ²² Thus King Joash disregarded the loyalty which his father Jehoiada had shown to him—and slew Jehoiada’s son. As he was dying, he said: “May Adonai see and avenge!”

Judgment on Joash and His Chieftains

²³ It came to pass that at the turn of the year, the Aramean army came up against him. They invaded Judah and Jerusalem and massacred all the chieftains of the people, and sent all their plunder to the king of Damascus. ²⁴ Although the Aramean army came with only a small number of men, Adonai gave over a much larger army into their hands, because they had forsaken Adonai, God of their fathers. So they executed judgment upon Joash. ²⁵ When they withdrew from him—for they left him very sick—his own servants plotted against him because of the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the kohen, and assassinated him on his bed. He died and was buried in the city of David—but not in the tombs of the kings. ²⁶ These men conspired against him: Zabad son of Shimiath the Ammonitess and Jehozabad son of Shimrith the Moabitess.

²⁷ Now concerning his sons and the many prophesies against him and the rebuilding of the House of God, behold, they are written in the commentary of the book of the kings. And Amaziah his son became king in his place.