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¹ Joas regnede in the seuenthe yeer of Hieu; Joas regnede fourti yeer in Jerusalem; the name of his modir was Sebia of Bersabee.² And Joas dide riytfulnesse bifor the Lord in alle the daies, in whiche Joiada, the preest, tauyte hym.³ Netheles he dide noyt awey hiy thingis; for yit the puple made sacrifice, and brente encense in hiye thingis.

⁴ And Joas seide to the preestis, `Preestis bi her ordre take al that money of hooli thingis, which is brouyt of men passyng forth in to the temple of the Lord, `which money is offrid for the prijs of soule, and `which money thei bryngen wilfuli, and bi the fredom of her herte, in to the temple of the Lord.<sup>5</sup> And `the preestis reparele the hilyngis of the hows, if thei seen ony thing nedeful in reparelyng.⁶ Therfor the preestis repareliden not the hilyngis of the temple, `til to the thre and twentithe yeer of kyng Joas.<sup>7</sup> And Joas, the kyng, clepide Joiada, the bischop, and the prestis, and seide to hem, Whi han ye not reparelid the hilyngis of the temple? Therfor nyle ye more take money bi youre ordre, but yelde it to the reparacioun of the temple.<sup>8</sup> And the prestis weren forbodun to take more the money of the puple, and to reparele the hilyngis of the hows.<sup>9</sup> And Joiada, the bischop, took a cofere of tresorie, and openyde an hole aboue, and settide it bisidis the auter, at the riytside of men entrynge in to the hows of the Lord; and preestis, that kepten the doris, senten in it al the money that was brouyt to the temple of the Lord.<sup>10</sup> And whanne thei sien that ful myche money was in the tresorie, the scryuen of the kyng and the bischop stieden, and schedden it out, and thei noumbriden the money that was founden in the hous of the Lord.<sup>11</sup> And thei yauen it bi noumbre and mesure in the hond of hem, that weren souereyns to the masouns of the hows of the Lord, whiche `spendiden that money in `crafti men of trees, and in these masouns, that wrouyten in the hous of the Lord,¹² and maden the hilyngis, and in these men that hewiden stoonys; and that thei schulden bie trees and stoonys, that weren hewid doun; so that the reparacioun of the hows of the Lord was fillid in alle thingis, that nediden cost to make strong the hows.¹³ Netheles water pottis of the temple of the Lord weren not maad of the same money, and fleischokis, and censeris, and trumpis; ech vessel of gold and of siluer weren not maad of the money, that was brouyt in to the temple of the Lord.¹⁴ For it was youun to hem that maden werk, that the temple of the Lord schulde be reparelid.¹⁵ And rekenyng was not maad to these men that token monei, that thei schulden deele it to crafti men; but thei tretiden it in feith.¹⁶ Sotheli thei brouyten not in to the temple of the Lord the money for trespas, and the money for synnes, for it was the preestis.

¹⁷ Thanne Asael, kyng of Sirie, stiede, and fauyte ayen Geth; and he took it, and dresside his face, that he schulde stie in to Jerusalem.¹⁸ Wherfor Joas, kyng of Juda, took alle `thingis halewid, whiche Josephat hadde halewid, and Joram, and Ocozie, fadris of hym, kyngis of Juda, and whiche thingis he hadde offrid, and al the siluer, that myyte be foundun in the tresours of the temple of the Lord, and in the paleis of the kyng.¹⁹ And he sente to Asael, kyng of Sirie; and he yede awei fro Jerusalem. Sotheli the residue of wordis of Joas, and alle thingis whiche he dide, whether these ben not writun in the book of wordis of daies of the kyngis of Juda?²⁰ Forsothe hise seruauntis risiden, and sworen togidere bitwixe hem silf, and smytiden Joas in the hows Mello, and in the goyng doun of Sela.²¹ For Jozachat, sone of Semath, and Joiadath, sone of Soomer, hise seruauntis, smytiden him, and he was deed; and thei birieden hym with hise fadris in the citee of Dauid; and Amasie, his sone, regnyde for hym.