2 *Kings 12

₁Joash became king_of_Judah in the 7th year after Jehu had become king_of_Israel. Joash was king in Jerusalem for 40 years. His mother's name was Zibiah. She came from the town of Beersheba. ₂Joash did what the Lord said was right all the years that the priest Jehoiada lived and while he was teaching him. ₃But Joash did not break down the places_of_sacrifice. The people kept on sacrificing there and burning incense-offerings at the places of sacrifice.

₄Joash told the priests to save all the money that the people consecrated and gave to the temple, both the money they had to pay and the money they wanted to give. ₅They had to take the money from the people who brought it and they had to repair the temple when something was broken.

₆But in the 23rd year after Joash had become king, the priests had not yet started the work of repairing the temple. ₇Joash called the priest Jehoiada and the other priests and he asked them: ‘Why don't you repair the temple? From now on you can not keep the money that people bring if you do not use it to repair the temple.’ ₈The priests agreed that they would no longer take the money that the people gave and they would not repair the temple themselves.

₉Then the priest Jehoiada took a wooden box and he made a hole in it. He put the box on the right hand side of the altar where the people came into the temple. The priests who always stood at the door of the temple took all the money that the people brought to the temple and they put the money in the box. ₁₀When there was a lot of money in the box, the king's secretary and the high-priest counted the money and put it into bags. ₁₁Then they gave the money to the managers who had to see that the people did the work. They used the money to pay the carpenters and builders who worked on the temple. ₁₂They also paid the people who worked with the stones and cut them. They also bought wood and stones that people had cut, to repair the temple and to do everything that they had to do. ₁₃They did not use the money to buy silver bowls, lamp-snuffers, sprinkling bowls, trumpets or any gold or silver tools for the temple. ₁₄They gave the money to the managers who had to see that the people did their work and the managers used the money to repair the temple. ₁₅The king's secretary and the high-priest gave the money to the managers and they were honest. The secretary and the high-priest did not ask them to come back and tell them what they had done with the money. ₁₆Some people also paid money as guilt-offerings and sin-offerings but the managers did not use that money to repair the temple. They gave that money to the priests.

₁₇At that time King Hazael of Aram attacked the town of Gath and he defeated them. Then he came to attack Jerusalem. ₁₈King Joash of Judah then took all the holy_gifts that his forefathers, Jehoshaphat, Jehoram and Ahaziah, kings_of_Judah, had consecrated and have given to the temple, and also his own holy_gifts. He took all the gold that he could find in the store rooms of the temple and the palace and he sent it to King Hazael of Aram. Then Hazael did not attack Jerusalem.

₁₉All the other things that Joash did are written in the book of the history of the kings_of_Judah. ₂₀His officials did not want to listen to him and rebelled_against him. They made plans against him and killed him at the town of Beth-Millo on the road that goes to Silla. ₂₁The officials who killed him were Jozabad, son of Shimeath, and Jehozabad, son of Shomer. He died and his people buried him with his forefathers in the City of David. His son, Amaziah, became king after him.