Chronological

Jehoash Repairs the Temple^(A)

12 In the seventh year of Jehu, Jehoash became king. He reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba. ² Jehoash did what was right in the sight of the Lord all his days because Jehoiada the priest instructed him. ³ However, the high places were not taken away. The people still sacrificed and made offerings in the high places.

⁴ Now Jehoash said to the priests, “All the consecrated money that is brought into the house of the Lord, the money for which each man is currently assessed, and all the money that is brought voluntarily to the house of the Lord, ⁵ let the priests receive it, each from his donor, and repair the damages to the house wherever damages are found.”

⁶ But in the twenty-third year of King Jehoash the priests had not repaired the damages to the house. ⁷ Then King Jehoash called for Jehoiada the priest and the other priests and said to them, “Why have you not repaired the damages to the house? So now money will no longer be taken from your donors. You will give it over for the damages to the house.” ⁸ The priests agreed that they should take no more money from the people, nor repair the damages of the house.

⁹ So Jehoiada the priest took a chest, made a hole in its lid, and set it beside the altar on the right side as one enters the house of the Lord. The priests guarding the threshold put there all the money that was brought into the house of the Lord. ¹⁰ Whenever they saw that there was much money in the chest, the king’s scribe and the high priest went up, emptied it, and counted the money that was found in the house of the Lord. ¹¹ They gave the money that was weighed out into the hands of the workers who were appointed to the house of the Lord. Then they paid it out to the carpenters and builders working on the house of the Lord, ¹² to the masons and stonecutters, and to buy timber and cut stone to repair the damages to the house of the Lord, that is, whatever went out for repairs to the house.

¹³ But for the house of the Lord silver bowls, snuffers, sprinkling basins, trumpets, and all the gold and silver vessels were not made with any of the money that was brought into the house of the Lord, ¹⁴ for they gave it to the workmen, and they repaired the house of the Lord with it. ¹⁵ They did not settle accounts with the men in whose hand they gave the money to give to the workmen, for they dealt faithfully. ¹⁶ The money from the guilt offerings and the money from the sin offerings were not brought into the house of the Lord. It belonged to the priests.

Hazael Threatens Jerusalem

¹⁷ Then Hazael king of Aram went up, fought against Gath, and seized it. Then Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem. ¹⁸ So Jehoash king of Judah took all the consecrated things that Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated and his own consecrated things, all the gold that was found in the treasures of the house of the Lord and in the king’s house, and sent it to Hazael king of Aram. Then Hazael went away from Jerusalem.

The Death of Joash

¹⁹ Now the rest of the deeds of Joash, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? ²⁰ His servants rose up, made a conspiracy, and struck Joash in the house of Millo, which goes down to Silla. ²¹ Jozabad the son of Shimeath and Jehozabad the son of Shomer, his servants, struck him, and he died. They buried him with his fathers in the City of David. Then Amaziah his son reigned in his place.

Jehoahaz, King of Israel

13 In the twenty-third year of Joash the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria for seventeen years. ² He did evil in the sight of the Lord and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin. He did not turn aside from them. ³ The anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, so He gave them into the hand of Hazael king of Aram and into the hand of Ben-Hadad the son of Hazael all their days.

⁴ But Jehoahaz appeased the Lord, and the Lord listened to him. For He saw the oppression of Israel, because the king of Aram oppressed them. ⁵ So the Lord gave Israel a savior, so that they got out from under the hand of Aram. Then the children of Israel dwelt in their tents as before. ⁶ Nevertheless, they did not turn aside from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who caused Israel to sin, but walked in them. The Asherah pole also stood in Samaria.

⁷ So Jehoahaz had only fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen left, for the king of Aram had destroyed them and made them like the dust at threshing.

⁸ Now the rest of the deeds of Jehoahaz, all that he did and his power, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? ⁹ And Jehoahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. Joash his son reigned in his place.

Jehoash, King of Israel

¹⁰ In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah, Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz reigned over Israel in Samaria for sixteen years. ¹¹ He did evil in the sight of the Lord. He did not turn aside from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin, but he walked in them.

¹² The rest of the deeds of Joash, all that he did and his power with which he fought against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? ¹³ So Joash slept with his fathers, and Jeroboam sat on his throne. Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.

The Death of Elisha

¹⁴ Now Elisha had become sick with the illness of which he would die. So Joash the king of Israel went down to him and wept before him, and said, “My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen.”

¹⁵ Elisha said to him, “Take a bow and arrows.” So he took a bow and arrows. ¹⁶ Then he said to the king of Israel, “Draw the bow.” So he drew it. Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands.

¹⁷ Then he said, “Open the east window.” So he opened it. Then Elisha said, “Shoot.” So he shot. Then he said, “The arrow of the deliverance of the Lord, and the arrow of deliverance from Aram; for you must strike Aram in Aphek until you have destroyed them.”

¹⁸ Then he said, “Take the arrows.” So he took them. Then he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground.” So he struck it three times and stood there. ¹⁹ Then the man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck it five or six times. Then you would have stricken Aram until you had finished them. Now you will strike Aram just three times.”

²⁰ So Elisha died, and they buried him.

Now Moabite raiders would enter the land in the spring. ²¹ As they were burying a man, they saw raiders. So they threw the man into the tomb of Elisha. When the man touched the bones of Elisha, he came to life and stood on his feet.

Israel Recaptures Cities from Aram

²² Now Hazael king of Aram oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz. ²³ But the Lord was gracious to them and had compassion on them. He turned toward them because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not yet destroy them or cast them from His presence.

²⁴ Then Hazael king of Aram died and Ben-Hadad his son reigned in his place. ²⁵ And Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz took back the cities from Ben-Hadad the son of Hazael that had been taken from Jehoahaz his father in war. Three times Joash struck him and recovered the cities of Israel.

Joash Repairs the Temple^(A)

24 Now Joash^[a] was seven years old when he started his reign, and he was king in Jerusalem for forty years. The name of his mother was Zibiah of Beersheba. ² Joash did what was correct in the eyes of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the priest. ³ And Jehoiada gave Joash two wives, and he had sons and daughters.

⁴ And it happened after this that it was in the heart of Joash to restore the house of the Lord. ⁵ So he assembled the priests and Levites to speak with them, “Go out to the cities of Judah and collect money from all Israel to fortify the house of your God, what is necessary each year. Now hurry with this matter.” But the Levites delayed.

⁶ So the king called Jehoiada, who was head over this, and said to him, “Why have you not required from the Levites that they bring in from Judah and Jerusalem the tax levied by Moses, the servant of the Lord, for the congregation of Israel for the tent of the testimony?”

⁷ For the sons of Athaliah, the wicked woman, had broken into the house of God and even used all the holy items of the house of the Lord for Baal worship.

⁸ Then the king spoke, and they made a chest, and put it outside the gate of the house of the Lord. ⁹ And they gave a report in Judah and Jerusalem to bring in to the Lord a tax levied by Moses the servant of God on Israel in the wilderness. ¹⁰ So all the officials and people rejoiced, and they brought in the money and cast it into the chest until it was full. ¹¹ And it happened that at the time the Levites brought the chest to the guards of the king that there was a large amount of money. So the king’s scribe and head priest’s commissioner would bring it and empty the chest and then take it and return it to its place. They continued to do this every day and collected a great amount of money. ¹² So the king and Jehoiada gave it to those doing a work of labor on the house of the Lord. And they hired masons and craftsmen to repair the house of the Lord, and even metal workers in iron and bronze to fortify the house of the Lord.

¹³ So the workmen worked, and the work was completed by them. They restored the house of God to its specifications and strengthened it. ¹⁴ When they had finished, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada, who made vessels for the house of the Lord, vessels for serving and for making burnt offerings, spoons and vessels of gold and silver. They continually offered burnt offerings in the house of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada.

¹⁵ Then Jehoiada became old and full of days and died. He was one hundred and thirty years old when he died. ¹⁶ So they buried him in the City of David with the kings, because he had done good in Israel, both toward God and His house.

The Wickedness of Joash

¹⁷ After the death of Jehoiada the officials of Judah came and paid homage to the king. At that time the king listened to them. ¹⁸ Then they abandoned the house of the Lord and God of their fathers, and they served the Asherah poles and idols. And divine wrath was on Judah and Jerusalem because of this guilt. ¹⁹ And God sent prophets to return them to the Lord. These warned the people, but they would not listen.

²⁰ Then the Spirit of God clothed Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, and he stood above the people saying, “Thus says God: Why are you transgressing the commandments of the Lord so that you all will not be successful? Because you all have abandoned the Lord, He has abandoned you.”

²¹ But they plotted against him, and at the command of the king they all stoned him in the court of the house of the Lord. ²² And Joash the king did not remember the kindness that Jehoiada the father of Zechariah had shown him, but killed his son. As he was dying, he said, “May the Lord see and avenge!”

The Death of Joash

²³ And it happened that at the turn of the year the army of Aram came up against Joash. They came to Judah and Jerusalem and destroyed all the officials of the people, and they sent all their plunder to the king of Damascus. ²⁴ Though the Aramean army came with a few men, the Lord delivered into their hand a very great Judean army because they abandoned the Lord God of their fathers. So they enacted judgment on Joash. ²⁵ When they left him (for they abandoned him with severe wounds) his own servants plotted against him because of the blood of the son of Jehoiada the priest. So they killed him on his bed. So he died, and they buried him in the City of David, but they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings.

²⁶ And those who conspired against him were Zabad the son of Shimeath the Ammonite and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith the Moabite. ²⁷ Accounts of his sons and of the many oracles against him and of the rebuilding of the house of God are written in the annals of the kings. And Amaziah his son ruled in his place.