1   In the seventh year of Jehu, Joash became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for forty years; his mother was Zibiah of Beersheba. 2   He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all his days, as Jehoiada the priest had taught him. 3   The hill-shrines, however, were allowed to remain; the people still continued to sacrifice and make smoke-offerings there.

4   Then Joash ordered the priests to take ^note all the silver brought as holy-gifts into the house of the Lord, the silver for which each man was assessed, ^note the silver for the persons assessed under his name, and any silver which any man brought voluntarily to the house of the Lord. 5   He ordered the priests, also, each to make a contribution from his own funds, and to repair the house wherever it was found necessary. 6   But in the twenty-third year of the reign of Joash the priests had still not carried out the repairs to the house. 7   King Joash summoned Jehoiada the priest and the other priests and said to them, ‘Why are you not repairing the house? Henceforth you need not contribute from your own funds for the repair of the house.’ 8   So the priests agreed neither to receive money from the people nor to undertake the repairs of the house. 9   Then Jehoiada the priest took a chest and bored a hole in the lid and put it beside the altar on the right side going into the house of the Lord, and the priests on duty at the entrance put in it all the money brought into the house of the Lord. 10   And whenever they saw that the chest was well filled, the king's secretary and the high priest came and melted down the silver found in the house of the Lord and weighed it. 11   When it had been checked, they gave the silver to the

Kings of Israel and Judah foremen over the work in the house of the Lord and they paid the 12   carpenters and the builders working on the temple and the masons and the stone-cutters; they used it also to buy timber and hewn stone for the repairs and for all other expenses connected with them. 13   They did not use the silver brought into the house of the Lord to make silver cups, snuffers, tossing-bowls, trumpets, or any gold or silver vessels; but they paid it to the workmen and used it for the repairs. 14    15   No account was demanded from the foremen to whom the money was given for the payment of the workmen, for they were acting on trust. 16   Money from guilt-offerings and sin-offerings was not brought into the house of the Lord: it belonged to the priests.

17   Then Hazael king of Aram came up and attacked Gath and took it; and he moved on against Jerusalem. 18   But Joash king of Judah took all the holy-gifts that Jehoshaphat, Joram, and Ahaziah his forefathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own holy-gifts, and all the gold that was found in the treasuries of the house of the Lord and in the royal palace, and sent them to Hazael king of Aram; and he withdrew from Jerusalem.

19   The other acts and events of the reign of Joash are recorded in the annals of the kings of Judah. 20    ^noteHis servants revolted against him and struck him down in the house of Millo on the descent to Silla. 21   It was his servants Jozachar ^note son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer who struck the fatal blow; and he was buried with his forefathers in the city of David. He was succeeded by his son Amaziah.

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