12 6 Jehoash maketh provision for the repairing of the Temple. 16 He slayeth the king of Syria by a present from coming against Jerusalem. 20 He is killed by two of his servants.
1 In (A)the seventh year of Jehu Jehoash began to reign, and reigned forty years in Jerusalem, and his mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba.
2 And Jehoash did that which was good in the sight of the Lord all his time that [a]Jehoiada the Priest taught him.
3 But [b]the high places were not taken away: for the people offered yet and burnt incense in the high places.
4 ¶ And Jehoash said to the Priests, All the silver of dedicated things that be brought to the house of the Lord, that is, the money of them that are under the [c]count, the money that every man is set at, and all the money that one offereth willingly, and bringeth into the house of the Lord,
5 Let the Priests take it to them, every man of his acquaintance: and they shall repair the [d]broken places of the house, wheresoever any decay is found.
6 ¶ Yet in the three and twentieth year of King Jehoash the Priests had not mended that which was decayed in the Temple.
7 Then King Jehoash called for Jehoiada the Priest, and the other Priests, and said unto them, Why repair ye not the ruins of the Temple? now therefore [e]receive no more money of your acquaintance, except ye deliver it to repair the ruins of the Temple.
8 So the Priests consented to receive no more money of the people, neither to repair the decayed places of the Temple.
9 Then Jehoiada the Priest took a chest and bored an hole in the lid of it, and set it beside the altar, on the [f]right side, as every man cometh into the Temple of the Lord. And the Priests that kept the [g]door, put therein all the money that was brought into the house of the Lord.
10 And when they saw there was much money in the chest, the king’s Secretary came up and the high Priest, and put it up after that they had told the money that was found in the house of the Lord,
11 And they gave the money made ready into the hands of them, [h]that undertook the work, and that had the oversight of the house of the Lord: and they paid it out to the carpenters and builders that wrought upon the house of the Lord,
12 And to the masons and hewers of stone, and to buy timber and hewed stone, to repair that was decayed in the house of the Lord, and for all that which was laid out for the reparation of the Temple.
13 Howbeit there was [i]not made for the house of the Lord bowls of silver, instruments of music, basins, trumpets, nor any vessels of gold, or vessels of silver of the money that was brought into the house of the Lord.
14 But they gave it to the workmen, which repaired therewith the house of the Lord.
15 Moreover, they reckoned not with the men, into whose hands they delivered that money to be bestowed on workmen: for they dealt faithfully.
16 The money of the trespass offering, and the money of the sin offerings was not brought into the house of the Lord: for it was the Priests’.
17 ¶ Then came up Hazael king of Aram, and fought against Gath, and took it, and Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem.
18 And [j]Jehoash king of Judah took all the hallowed things that Jehoshaphat, and Jehoram, and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah had dedicated, and that he himself had dedicated, and all the gold that was found in the treasures of the house of the Lord, and in the king’s house, and sent it to Hazael king of Aram, and he departed from Jerusalem.
19 Concerning 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?
20 ¶ And his servants arose and wrought treason, and [k]slew Joash in the house of [l]Millo, when he came down to Silla.
21 Even [m]Jozachar the son of Shimeath, and Jehozabad the son of Shomer his servants smote him and he died, and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David. And Amaziah his son reigned in his stead.
Footnotes
- 2 Kings 12:2 So long as rulers give ear to the true ministers of God, they prosper.
- 2 Kings 12:3 So hard a thing it is for them, that are in authority, to be brought to the perfect obedience of God.
- 2 Kings 12:4 That is, the money of redemption, Exod. 30:12, also the money which the Priest valued the vows at, Lev. 27:2, and their free liberality.
- 2 Kings 12:5 For the Temple which was built an hundred fifty and five years before, had many things decayed in it, both by the negligence of the King’s predecessors, and also by the wickedness of the idolaters.
- 2 Kings 12:7 He taketh from them the ordering of the money, because of their negligence.
- 2 Kings 12:9 That is, on the South side.
- 2 Kings 12:9 Or, vessel.
- 2 Kings 12:11 For the King had appointed others which were meet for that purpose, 2 Kings 22:5.
- 2 Kings 12:13 For these men had only the charge of the reparation of the Temple, and the rest of the money was brought to the king, who caused these afterward to be made, 2 Chron. 24:14.
- 2 Kings 12:18 After the death of Jehoiada, Joash fell to idolatry: therefore God rejected him, and stirreth up his enemy against him, whom he pacified with the treasures of the Temple: for God would not be served with those gifts, seeing the king’s heart was wicked.
- 2 Kings 12:20 Because he had put Zechariah the son of Jehoiada to death, 2 Chron. 24:25.
- 2 Kings 12:20 Read 2 Sam. 3:9.
- 2 Kings 12:21 Or, Jozahar.