In the seventh year of Jehu king of Israel, ^1aJehoash became king over Judah, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba. 2 Jehoash did right in the sight of the LORD all his days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him. 3 Only ^athe high places were not removed; the people were still sacrificing and burning incense to the LORD on the high places rather than at the temple.

4 Jehoash said to the priests, “All the money for the dedicated things which is ^abrought into the house of the LORD, in current money, both ^bthe money of each man’s assessment for all those bound by vows, and all the money which any man’s heart prompts him to bring into the house (temple) of the LORD, 5 let the priests receive such contributions for themselves, each from his acquaintance; and they shall repair any breach in the house of the LORD, wherever a breach is found.”

6 But it came about in the twenty-third year of the reign of King Jehoash, that ^athe priests still had not repaired the damages of the LORD’S house. 7 Then King Jehoash called for Jehoiada the priest and the other priests and said to them, “Why are you not repairing the damage of the house (temple) ? Now then, do not take any more money from your acquaintances, but turn it all over for the repair of the damages of the house.” You are no longer responsible for this work. I will take it into my own hands. 8 So the priests agreed that they would receive no more money from the people, nor be responsible to repair the damages of the house.

9 Then ^aJehoiada the priest took a chest and bored a hole in its lid and set it beside the altar, on the right side as one enters the house of the LORD; and the priests who guarded the door put in the chest all the money that was brought by the people into the house of the LORD. 10 And whenever they saw that there was a large amount of money in the chest, ^athe king’s scribe and the high priest came up and tied it in bags and counted the money that was found in the house of the LORD. 11 Then they gave the money, which was weighed out into the hands of those who were doing the work, who had the oversight of the house of the LORD; and they paid it out to the carpenters and builders who worked on the house (temple) of the LORD, 12 and ^ato the masons and stonecutters, and to buy timber and hewn (cut) stone to repair any breach in the house of the LORD, and for all that was laid out for repairing the house. 13 However, ^athere were not made for the house of the LORD ^bbasins of silver, snuffers, bowls, trumpets, any gold containers or other silver containers, from the money that was brought into the house of the LORD; 14 but they gave that to those who did the work, and with it they repaired the house of the LORD. 15 Moreover, ^athey did not require an accounting from the men into whose hands they placed the money to be paid to those who did the work, for they acted in good faith. 16 ^aMoney from the guilt offerings and money from the ^bsin offerings was not brought into the house of the LORD for repairs; ^cit was for the priests.

17 Then ^aHazael king of Aram (Syria) went up, fought against Gath in Philistia, and captured it. And ^bHazael ¹resolved to go up to Jerusalem. 18 So ^aJehoash the king of Judah took all the sacred things that Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and ^bhis own sacred things and all the gold that was found in the treasuries of the house (temple) of the LORD and of the king’s house, and sent them to Hazael king of Aram; and Hazael departed from Jerusalem. 1+@Kin 15:18

19 Now the rest of the acts of Joash and everything that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 20 ^aHis servants arose and formed a ¹conspiracy against him and ^bstruck down Joash in revenge at ^cthe house of Millo, on the way that goes down to Silla. 2+@Chr 24:22-25 21 For Jozacar (Jozachar) the son of Shimeath and Jehozabad the son of ^aShomer, his servants, struck him and he died; and they buried Joash with his fathers in the City of David. ^bAmaziah his son became king in his place.