1Yo’ash was seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Yerushalayim. And the name of his mother was Tsiḇyah of Be’ĕrsheḇa.

2And Yo’ash did what was right in the eyes of יהוה all the days of Yehoyaḏa the priest.

3And Yehoyaḏa took for him two wives, and he brought forth sons and daughters.

4And after this it came to be that Yo’ash set his heart on restoring the House of יהוה.

5And he gathered the priests and the Lĕwites, and said to them, “Go out to the cities of Yehuḏah, and gather from all Yisra’ĕl silver to repair the House of your Elohim from year to year, and see that you hurry the matter.” But the Lĕwites did not hurry it.

6And the sovereign called Yehoyaḏa the chief, and said to him, “Why have you not required the Lĕwites to bring in from Yehuḏah and from Yerushalayim the levy of Mosheh the servant of יהוה and of the assembly of Yisra’ĕl, for the Tent of the Witness?”

7For the sons of Athalyahu, that wrong woman, had broken into the House of Elohim, and had also prepared all the set-apart vessels of the House of יהוה to the Ba‛als.

8So the sovereign commanded and they made a chest, and set it outside at the gate of the House of יהוה,

9and made it known in Yehuḏah and in Yerushalayim to bring to יהוה the levy that Mosheh the servant of Elohim had imposed on Yisra’ĕl in the wilderness.

10And all the rulers and all the people rejoiced, and they brought in and put them into the chest to completion.

11And it came to be, at that time, when the chest was brought to the sovereign’s official by the hand of the Lĕwites, and when they saw that there was much silver, that the sovereign’s scribe and the high priest’s officer came and emptied the chest, and took it and returned it to its place. So they did day by day, and gathered a large amount of silver.

12And the sovereign and Yehoyaḏa gave it to those who did the work of the service of the House of יהוה. And they hired stonemasons and carpenters to restore the House of יהוה, and also those who worked in iron and bronze to repair the House of יהוה.

13And the workmen laboured, and the work of restoration progressed in their hands, and they established the House of Elohim to its proper form and strengthened it.

14And when they had finished, they brought the rest of the silver before the sovereign and Yehoyaḏa, and they made utensils from it for the House of יהוה, utensils for serving and offering, ladles and vessels of gold and silver. And they offered burnt offerings in the House of יהוה continually all the days of Yehoyaḏa.

15And Yehoyaḏa was old and satisfied with days, and died, one hundred and thirty years old when he died.

16And they buried him in the City of Dawiḏ among the sovereigns, for he had done good in Yisra’ĕl, both toward Elohim and His house.

17And after the death of Yehoyaḏa the rulers of Yehuḏah came and bowed themselves to the sovereign. And the sovereign listened to them,

18and they forsook the House of יהוה Elohim of their fathers, and served the Ashĕrim and the idols. And wrath came upon Yehuḏah and Yerushalayim because of their trespass.

19And He sent prophets to them, to bring them back to יהוה. And they witnessed against them, but they did not listen.

20Then the Spirit of Elohim came upon Zeḵaryah son of Yehoyaḏa the priest, who stood above the people, and said to them, “Thus said Elohim, ‘Why are you transgressing the commands of יהוה,a and do not prosper? Because you have forsaken יהוה, He has forsaken you.’ ”

21And they conspired against him, and at the command of the sovereign they stoned him with stones in the courtyard of the House of יהוה.

22Thus Yo’ash the sovereign did not remember the kindness which Yehoyaḏa his father had done to him, and slew his son. And as he died, he said, “יהוה does see, and repay!”

23And it came to be, at the turn of the year, that the army of Aram came up against him. And they came into Yehuḏah and Yerushalayim, and destroyed all the rulers of the people from among the people, and sent all their spoil to the sovereign of Darmeseq.

24For the army of Aram came with few men, but יהוה gave a very great army into their hand, because they had forsaken יהוה Elohim of their fathers. So they executed judgment against Yo’ash.

25And when they had withdrawn from him – for they left him very sick – his own servants conspired against him because of the blood of the sons of Yehoyaḏa the priest, and slew him on his bed, and he died. And they buried him in the City of Dawiḏ, but they did not bury him in the tombs of the sovereigns.

26And these are the ones who conspired against him: Zaḇaḏ the son of Shim‛ath the Ammonitess, and Yehozaḇaḏ the son of Shimrith the Mo’aḇitess.

27As to his sons, and the many words about him, and the rebuilding of the House of Elohim, see, they are written in the commentary of the book of the sovereigns. And Amatsyahu his son reigned in his place.