Jehoash (Joash) Reigns over Judah

1In the seventh year of Jehu, [a]Jehoash became king, and he reigned for forty years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba. 2Jehoash did what was right in the sight of the LORD all his days that Jehoiada the priest instructed him. 3Only the high places did not end; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.

The Temple to Be Repaired

4Then Jehoash said to the priests, “All the money of the sacred offerings which is brought into the house of the LORD, in current money, both the money of each man’s assessment and all the money [b]which anyone’s heart prompts him to bring into the house of the LORD, 5The priests are to take it for themselves, each from his [c]acquaintance; and they shall repair [d]damage to the house wherever [e]any damage is found.”

6But it came about that in the twenty-third year of King Jehoash, the priests had not repaired any damage to the house. 7So King Jehoash summoned Jehoiada the priest, and the other priests, and said to them, “Why do you not repair damage to the house? Now then, you are not to take any more money from your [f]acquaintances, but give it up for the damage to the house.” 8The priests then agreed that they would not take any more money from the people, nor would they [g]repair damage to the house.

9Instead, Jehoiada the priest [h]took a chest and drilled a hole in its lid and put it beside the altar, on the right side as one comes into the house of the LORD; and the priests who guarded the threshold put in it all the money that was brought into the house of the LORD. 10When they saw that there was a great amount of money in the chest, the king’s scribe and the high priest went up and tied it up in bags, and counted the money that was found in the house of the LORD. 11And they handed the money which was assessed over to those who did the work, who had the oversight of the house of the LORD; and they [i]paid it out to the carpenters and the builders who worked on the house of the LORD; 12and to the masons and the stonecutters, and for buying timber and cut stone to repair the damage to the house of the LORD, and for everything that [j]was laid out for the house to repair it. 13However there were not made for the house of the LORD silver cups, shears, bowls, trumpets, any receptacles of gold, or receptacles of silver from the money which was brought into the house of the LORD; 14for they gave that to those who did the work, and with it they repaired the house of the LORD. 15Moreover, they did not require an accounting from the men into whose hands they gave the money to pay to those who did the work, because they acted faithfully. 16The money from the guilt offerings and the money from the sin offerings was not brought into the house of the LORD; it belonged to the priests.

17Then Hazael the king of Aram went up and fought against Gath and captured it, and Hazael [k]was intent on going up against Jerusalem. 18So Jehoash king of Judah took all the sacred offerings that Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had consecrated, and his own sacred offerings, and all the gold that was found among the treasuries of the house of the LORD and of the king’s house, and sent them to Hazael king of Aram. Then he withdrew from Jerusalem.

Joash (Jehoash) Succeeded by Amaziah in Judah

19Now as for the rest of the acts of Joash and everything that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 20And his servants rose up and formed a conspiracy; and they struck and killed Joash at the house of Millo as he was going down to Silla. 21For Jozacar 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 his son Amaziah became king in his place.

[a] 1 Jehoash is another spelling of Joash in Heb
[b] 4 Lit which it comes into...to bring
[c] 5 Or perhaps assessor
[d] 5 Lit a breach, and so through v 12
[e] 5 Lit a breach, and so through v 12
[f] 7 See note 1 v 5
[g] 8 I.e., do or oversee repairs themselves
[h] 9 I.e., at the king’s command; see 2 Chr 24:8
[i] 11 Lit brought
[j] 12 Lit went out
[k] 17 Lit set his face to go