1In the seventh year of Jehu, Joash became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah; she was from Beer-sheba.a 2Throughout the time the priest Jehoiadaa instructedb him, Joash did what was right in the Lord’s sight.c 3Yet the high places were not taken away; the people continued sacrificing and burning incense on the high places.a

Repairing the Temple

4Thena Joash said to the priests, “All the dedicated silver brought to the Lord’s temple,b census silver,c silver from vows,d and all silver voluntarily givene for the Lord’s temple —  5each priest is to take it from his assessorA and repair whatever damage is found in the temple.”B a

6But by the twenty-third yeara of the reign of King Joash, the priests had not repaired the damageA to the temple.b 7So King Joash called the priest Jehoiadaa and the other priests and asked, “Why haven’t you repaired the temple’s damage? Since you haven’t, don’t take any silver from your assessors; instead, hand it over for the repair of the temple.” 8So the priests agreed that they would receive no silver from the people and would not be the ones to repair the temple’s damage.

9Then the priest Jehoiada took a chest,a bored a hole in its lid, and set it beside the altar on the right side as one enters the Lord’s temple; the priests who guarded the threshold put into the chest all the silver that was brought to the Lord’s temple.b 10Whenever they saw there was a large amount of silver in the chest, the king’s secretarya and the high priest would go bag up and tally the silver found in the Lord’s temple.b 11Then they would give the weighed silver to those doing the work — those who oversaw the Lord’s temple. They in turn would pay it out to those working on the Lord’s temple — the carpenters, the builders, 12the masons, and the stonecutters — and would use it to buy timber and quarried stone to repair the damage to the Lord’s templea and for all expenses for temple repairs.

13However, no silver bowls, wick trimmers, sprinkling basins, trumpets, or any articles of gold or silvera were made for the Lord’s temple from the contributionsA brought to the Lord’s temple. 14Instead, it was given to those doing the work, and they repaired the Lord’s temple with it. 15No accounting was required from the men who received the silver to pay those doing the work, since they worked with integrity.a 16The silver from the guilt offering and the sin offering was not brought to the Lord’s temple since it belonged to the priests.a

Aramean Invasion of Judah

17At that time King Hazaela of Aram marched up and fought against Gath and captured it. Then he planned to attack Jerusalem.b 18So King Joash of Judah took all the items consecrated by himself and by his ancestors — Judah’s kings Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah — as well as all the gold found in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and in the king’s palace, and he sent them to King Hazael of Aram.a Then Hazael withdrew from Jerusalem.

Joash Assassinated

19The rest of the events of Joash’s reign, along with all his accomplishments, are written in the Historical Record of Judah’s Kings.a 20Joash’s servants conspired against him and attacked hima at Beth-millob on the road that goes down to Silla. 21It was his servants JozabadA son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer who attacked him. He dieda and they buried him with his ancestors in the city of David, and his son Amaziah became king in his place.b