Joash Repairs the Temple
1 Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years. His mother was Zibiah from Beersheba.
2 Joash did what was pleasing in theLord’s sight throughout the lifetime of Jehoiada the priest.
3 Jehoiada chose two wives for Joash, and he had sons and daughters.
4 At one point Joash decided to repair and restore the Temple of theLord.
5 He summoned the priests and Levites and gave them these instructions: “Go to all the towns of Judah and collect the required annual offerings, so that we can repair the Temple of your God. Do not delay!” But the Levites did not act immediately.
6 So the king called for Jehoiada the high priest and asked him, “Why haven’t you demanded that the Levites go out and collect the Temple taxes from the towns of Judah and from Jerusalem? Moses, the servant of theLord, levied this tax on the community of Israel in order to maintain the Tabernacle of the Covenant.”
7 Over the years the followers of wicked Athaliah had broken into the Temple of God, and they had used all the dedicated things from the Temple of theLordto worship the images of Baal.
8 So now the king ordered a chest to be made and set outside the gate leading to the Temple of theLord.
9 Then a proclamation was sent throughout Judah and Jerusalem, telling the people to bring to theLordthe tax that Moses, the servant of God, had required of the Israelites in the wilderness.
10 This pleased all the leaders and the people, and they gladly brought their money and filled the chest with it.
11 Whenever the chest became full, the Levites would carry it to the king’s officials. Then the court secretary and an officer of the high priest would come and empty the chest and take it back to the Temple again. This went on day after day, and a large amount of money was collected.
12 The king and Jehoiada gave the money to the construction supervisors, who hired masons and carpenters to restore the Temple of theLord. They also hired metalworkers, who made articles of iron and bronze for theLord’s Temple.
13 The men in charge of the renovation worked hard and made steady progress. They restored the Temple of God according to its original design and strengthened it.
14 When all the repairs were finished, they brought the remaining money to the king and Jehoiada. It was used to make various articles for the Temple of theLord—articles for worship services and for burnt offerings, including ladles and other articles made of gold and silver. And the burnt offerings were sacrificed continually in the Temple of theLordduring the lifetime of Jehoiada the priest.
15 Jehoiada lived to a very old age, finally dying at 130.
16 He was buried among the kings in the City of David, because he had done so much good in Israel for God and his Temple.
Jehoiada’s Reforms Reversed
17 But after Jehoiada’s death, the leaders of Judah came and bowed before King Joash and persuaded him to listen to their advice.
18 They decided to abandon the Temple of theLord, the God of their ancestors, and they worshiped Asherah poles and idols instead! Because of this sin, divine anger fell on Judah and Jerusalem.
19 Yet theLordsent prophets to bring them back to him. The prophets warned them, but still the people would not listen.
20 Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood before the people and said, “This is what God says: Why do you disobey theLord’s commands and keep yourselves from prospering? You have abandoned theLord, and now he has abandoned you!”
21 Then the leaders plotted to kill Zechariah, and King Joash ordered that they stone him to death in the courtyard of theLord’s Temple.
22 That was how King Joash repaid Jehoiada for his loyalty—by killing his son. Zechariah’s last words as he died were, “May theLordsee what they are doing and avenge my death!”
The End of Joash’s Reign
23 In the spring of the yearthe Aramean army marched against Joash. They invaded Judah and Jerusalem and killed all the leaders of the nation. Then they sent all the plunder back to their king in Damascus.
24 Although the Arameans attacked with only a small army, theLordhelped them conquer the much larger army of Judah. The people of Judah had abandoned theLord, the God of their ancestors, so judgment was carried out against Joash.
25 The Arameans withdrew, leaving Joash severely wounded. But his own officials plotted to kill him for murdering the sonof Jehoiada the priest. They assassinated him as he lay in bed. Then he was buried in the City of David, but not in the royal cemetery.
26 The assassins were Jozacar,the son of an Ammonite woman named Shimeath, and Jehozabad, the son of a Moabite woman named Shomer.
27 The account of the sons of Joash, the prophecies about him, and the record of his restoration of the Temple of God are written inThe Commentary on the Book of the Kings.His son Amaziah became the next king.
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