2 Kings 12

Joash Reigns in Jerusalem

1In the seventh year of Jehu, Joash became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah from Beersheba. 2Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all his days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him. 3Only the high places were not removed. The people were still sacrificing and burning incense on the high places.

Joash Orders Repairs to the Temple

4Joash said to the priests, “All the silver of the holy things that is brought into the house of the LORD—the silver of those who pass over, the silver of each person’s valuation, and all silver that comes upon a person’s heart to bring into the house of the LORD— 5let the priests take it, each from his acquaintance, and let them repair the damage of the house wherever damage is found.” 6But in the twenty-third year of King Joash, the priests had not repaired the damage of the house. 7So King Joash called Jehoiada the priest and the other priests and said to them, “Why are you not repairing the damage of the house? And now, do not take silver from your acquaintances for yourselves, but give it for the damage of the house.” 8The priests agreed that they would no longer take silver from the people and that they would not themselves repair the damage of the house.

A Chest Is Set beside the Altar

9Jehoiada the priest took a chest, bored a hole in its lid, and placed it beside the altar, on the right side as one enters the house of the LORD. The priests who guarded the threshold put there all the silver that was brought into the house of the LORD. 10And it happened whenever they saw that there was much silver in the chest, the king’s scribe and the high priest would come up, bind and count the silver that was found in the house of the LORD. 11They would give the weighed silver into the hands of those doing the work, those appointed over the house of the LORD. They paid it out to the carpenters and builders who worked on the house of the LORD, 12to masons and stonecutters, and to buy timber and quarried stone to repair the damage of the house of the LORD and for everything that went out for repairing the house.

The Money Is Used for Repair Work

13But there were not made for the house of the LORD silver basins, snuffers, bowls, trumpets, or any vessel of gold or vessel of silver from the money brought into the house of the LORD, 14for they gave it to those doing the work, and with it they repaired the house of the LORD. 15They did not require an accounting from the men into whose hand they gave the silver to give to those doing the work, for they were acting faithfully. 16The silver of guilt offerings and the silver of sin offerings was not brought into the house of the LORD; it belonged to the priests.

Joash Pays Hazael to Withdraw

17Then Hazael king of Aram went up and fought against Gath and captured it. Hazael set his face to go up against Jerusalem. 18Joash king of Judah took all the holy things that Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah his ancestors, kings of Judah, had consecrated, and his own holy things, and all the gold found in the treasuries of the house of the LORD and the king’s house, and sent them to Hazael king of Aram. Then he went away from Jerusalem.

Joash Is Assassinated

19Now 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? 20His servants arose and made a conspiracy and struck Joash at the house of Millo, on the way that goes down to Silla. 21Jozacar son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer, his servants, struck him, and he died. They buried him with his ancestors in the city of David. Amaziah his son became king in his place.