CHAPTER 12
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.
And Joash
did
what was right
in the eyes
of the LORD
all
the days
he was instructed
by Jehoiada
the priest.
Nevertheless,
the high places
were not
removed;
the people
continued
sacrificing
and burning incense
there.
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.
Let every
priest
receive it
from his constituency,
and let it be used
to repair
any damage
found
in the temple.”
But
by the twenty-third
year
of the reign
of Joash,
the priests
had not
repaired
the damage
to the temple.
So King
Joash
called
Jehoiada
and the other priests
and said,
“Why
have you not
repaired
the damage
in the temple?
Now, therefore,
take
no more
money
from
your constituency,
but
hand it over
for the repair
of the temple."
So the priests
agreed
they would not
receive
money
from
the people
and that they would not
repair
the temple themselves.
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.
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.
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,
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.
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.
No
accounting was required
from the men
who
received the money
to pay
the workmen,
because
they
acted
with fidelity.
The money
from the guilt offerings
and sin offerings
was not
brought
into the house
of the LORD;
it belonged to
the priests.
At that time
Hazael
king
of Aram
marched up
and fought
against
Gath
and captured it.
Then he
decided
to attack
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.
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?
And the servants of Joash
rose up
and formed
a conspiracy
and killed
him
at Beth-millo,
on the road down
to Silla.
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
became king
in his place.