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Joash Rules Judah

¹ In the seventh year of Jehu, Joash became king. He ruled for forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zibiah of Beersheba. ² Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all his days, because Jehoiada the religious leader taught him. ³ But the high places were not taken away. The people still gave gifts and burned special perfume on the high places.

⁴ Then Joash said to the religious leaders, "All the money of the holy things brought into the house of the Lord, money for which each man is taxed, and money that is brought in because a man wants in his heart to bring it into the house of the Lord, ⁵ the religious leaders may take this money. Each leader should take it from those whom he knows. And they should use it to build the house again in the places where it has been broken and destroyed.

⁶ But by the twenty-third year of King Joash, the religious leaders had not put together the broken places of the house. ⁷ So King Joash called for Jehoiada the religious leader and the other religious leaders. He said to them, "Why do you not put together the broken places of the house? Do not take any more money from those you know, but give it for the work that is needed on the house." ⁸ So the religious leaders agreed that they should take no more money from the people. And they agreed that they should not do the work that was needed on the house.

⁹ Then Jehoiada the religious leader took a box and cut a hole in its cover. He put it beside the altar, on the right side as one comes into the house of the Lord. And the religious leaders who watched the door put all the money into it that was brought into the house of the Lord. ¹⁰ When they saw that there was much money in the box, the king's writer and the head religious leader came up to the house of the Lord. They found out how much money was there, and tied it up in bags. ¹¹ After weighing it, they gave the money to those who watched over the work that was being done on the house of the Lord. Then these men paid the wood-workers and the builders who worked on the house of the Lord. ¹² They paid the stonecutters and those who laid the stones in place. And they bought the cut wood and stone and all that was needed for the work on the house of the Lord. ¹³ But there were no silver cups, objects to put out the lights, pots, horns, or dishes of gold or silver made for the house of the Lord. None of these were made from the money brought into the house of the Lord. ¹⁴ For they gave that to those who did the work. It was used to put together the broken places of the house of the Lord. ¹⁵ And they did not ask the men who paid those who did the work how the money was spent. For they were men of honor. ¹⁶ The money from the guilt gifts and sin gifts was not brought into the house of the Lord. It was for the religious leaders.

¹⁷ At that time King Hazael of Syria went up and fought against Gath, and took it. Then he turned to go up to Jerusalem. ¹⁸ But Joash king of Judah took all the holy things that had been set apart by his fathers, Jehoshaphat, Jehoram and Ahaziah, kings of Judah. He took his own holy things, and all the gold that was found in the storehouses of the house of the Lord and the king's house. And he sent it to Hazael king of Syria. Then Hazael went away from Jerusalem.

¹⁹ The rest of the acts of Joash and all he did are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah. ²⁰ His servants made plans against Joash, and killed him at the house of Millo on the way down to Silla. ²¹ He was killed by Jozacar the son of Shimeath, and Jehozabad the son of Shomer, his servants. They buried him in the city of David. His son Amaziah became king in his place.