2 Kings 12

1 In the seventh year of Jehu, the reign of Joash began; he reigned for forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zibiah, of Beersheba.

In the seventh year of Jehu, Joash became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years. His mother’s name was Zibiah; she was from Beersheba.

2 Joash did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh all the time, because Jehoiada the priest was instructing him.

And Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the days he was instructed by Jehoiada the priest.

3 But the high places were not taken away. The people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.

Nevertheless, the high places were not removed; the people continued sacrificing and burning incense there.

4 Joash said to the priests, “All the money that is brought in as sacred offerings into the house of Yahweh, that money for which each person is assessed—whether it is the money collected in the census, or the money received from personal vows, or the money brought in by people motivated by Yahweh in their hearts to give—

Then Joash said to the priests, “Collect all the money brought as sacred gifts into the house of the LORD—the census money, the money from vows, and the money brought voluntarily into the house of the LORD.

5 the priests should receive the money from one of their treasurers and repair whatever damage is found in the temple.”

Let every priest receive it from his constituency, and let it be used to repair any damage found in the temple.”

6 But by the twenty-third year of King Joash, the priests had not repaired anything in the temple.

By the twenty-third year of the reign of Joash, however, the priests had not yet repaired the damage to the temple.

7 Then King Joash called for Jehoiada the priest and for the other priests; he said to them, “Why have you not repaired anything in the temple? Now take no more money from your taxpayers, but take what has been collected for repairs of the temple and give it to those who can make the repairs.”

So King Joash called Jehoiada and the other priests and said, “Why have you not repaired the damage to the temple? Now, therefore, take no more money from your constituency, but hand it over for the repair of the temple.”

8 So the priests consented to take no more money from the people and not repair the temple themselves.

So the priests agreed that they would not receive money from the people and that they would not repair the temple themselves.

9 Instead, Jehoiada the priest took a chest, bored a hole in its lid, and set it beside the altar, on the right side as one comes into the house of Yahweh. The priests who were guarding the temple entrance put into it all the money that was brought to the house of Yahweh.

Then Jehoiada the priest took a chest, bored a hole in its lid, and set it beside the altar on the right side as one enters the house of the LORD. There the priests who guarded the threshold put all the money 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 would come and put the money in bags and then count it, the money found in the temple of Yahweh.

Whenever they saw that there was a large amount of money in the chest, the royal scribe and the high priest would go up, count the money brought into the house of the LORD, and tie it up in bags.

11 They gave the money that was weighed out into the hands of men who took care of the temple of Yahweh. They paid it out to the carpenters and the builders who worked on the temple of Yahweh,

Then they would put the counted money into the hands of those who supervised the work on the house of the LORD, who in turn would pay those doing the work—the carpenters, builders,

12 and to the masons and the stonecutters, for buying timber and cutting stone to repair the temple of Yahweh, and for all that was needed to be paid to repair it.

masons, and stonecutters. They also purchased timber and dressed stone to repair the damage to the house of the LORD, and they paid the other expenses of the temple repairs.

13 But the money that was brought into the house of Yahweh did not pay to make for it any silver cups, lamp trimmers, basins, trumpets, or any gold or silver furnishing.

However, the money brought into the house of the LORD was not used for making silver basins, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, trumpets, or any articles of gold or silver for the house of the LORD.

14 They gave this money to those who did the work of repairing the house of Yahweh.

Instead, it was paid to those doing the work, and with it they repaired the house of the LORD.

15 In addition, they did not require the money paid for repairs to be accounted for by the men who received it and paid it to the workmen, because these men were honest.

No accounting was required from the men who received the money to pay the workmen, because they acted with integrity.

16 But the money for the guilt offerings and the money for the sin offerings was not brought into the temple of Yahweh, because it belonged to the priests.

The money from the guilt offerings and sin offerings was not brought into the house of the LORD; it belonged to the priests.

17 Then Hazael king of Aram attacked and fought against Gath, and took it. Hazael then turned to attack Jerusalem.

At that time Hazael king of Aram marched up and fought against Gath and captured it. Then he decided to attack Jerusalem.

18 Joash king of Judah took all the things that Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had set apart, and what he had set apart, and all the gold that was found in the storerooms of the houses of Yahweh and of the king and he sent them to Hazael king of Aram. Then Hazael went away from Jerusalem.

So King Joash of Judah took all the sacred objects dedicated by his fathers—Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah, the kings of Judah—along with his own consecrated items and all the gold found in the treasuries of the house of the LORD and the royal palace, and he sent them to Hazael king of Aram. So Hazael withdrew from Jerusalem.

19 As for the other matters concerning Joash, all that he did, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Judah?

As for the rest of the acts of Joash, along with all his accomplishments, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

20 His servants arose and plotted together; they attacked Joash in Beth Millo, on the way that goes down to Silla.

And the servants of Joash rose up and formed a conspiracy and killed him at Beth-millo, on the road down to Silla.

21 Jozabad son of Shimeath, and Jehozabad son of Shomer, his servants, attacked him, and he died. They buried Joash with his ancestors in the city of David, and Amaziah, his son, became king in his place.

His servants Jozabad son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer struck him down, and he died. And they buried him with his fathers in the City of David, and his son Amaziah reigned in his place.