1Now in the seventh year of Jehu, Joash began to reign. And he reigned in Jerusalem forty years. And his mother's name was Zibiah of Beersheba. 2And Joash did what was right in the sight of the LORD all his days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him. 3But the high places were not taken away. The people still sacrificed and burned incense in the high places.

4And Joash said to the priests, "All the silver from things dedicated to God, which is brought into the house of the LORD, the silver from each man, and the silver of his valuation, all the silver that comes into any man's heart to bring to the house of the LORD, 5Let the priests take it to themselves, each man from those he knows. And let them repair the damage in the house, in all places where any damage shall be found.

6And it came to pass in the twenty-third year of King Joash, the priests had not repaired the damage in the house. 7Then King Joash called for Jehoiada the priest, and the priests, and said to them, "Why are you not repairing the damage in the house? And now take no more silver from those you know, but deliver it for the damage in the house." 8And the priests agreed to take no silver from the people, nor to repair the damage in the house.

9But Jehoiada the priest took a chest and bored a hole in its lid. And he set it beside the altar, on the right side as one comes into the house of the LORD. And the priests who kept the door put in it all the silver brought into the house of the LORD. 10Now it came to pass when they saw that much silver was in the chest, the king's scribe and the high priest came up. And they bound and counted the silver that was found in the house of the LORD. 11And they gave the silver which was counted into the hands of those who did the work, those overseeing the house of the LORD. And they paid it out to the carpenters and builders who worked upon the house of the LORD, 12And to masons and cutters of stone, and to buy timber and cut stone to repair the damage in the house of the LORD, and for all that went forth for the house to repair it. 13Only, there were no bowls of silver, snuffers, basins, silver trumpets, or any vessels of gold or vessels of silver, made for the house of the LORD from the silver which was brought into the house of the LORD, 14For they gave it to the workmen, and repaired the house of the LORD with it. 15And they did not make an accounting with the men into whose hands they gave the silver to be given to the workmen, for they dealt faithfully. 16The trespass silver and sin silver was not brought into the house of the LORD. It was the priests'.

17Then Hazael king of Syria went up and fought against Gath, and took it. And Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem. 18And Joash king of Judah took all the holy things which Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own holy things, and all the gold found in the treasures of the house of the LORD, and in the king's house, and sent it to Hazael king of Syria. And he went away from Jerusalem.

19And 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? 20And his servants arose and made a plot. And they killed Joash in the house of Millo, which goes down to Silla. 21For Jozachar the son of Shimeath, and Jehozabad the son of Shomer, his servants, struck him, and he died. And they buried him with his fathers in the city of David. And Amaziah his son reigned in his place.