2 Kings 11:21-12:15

New American Standard Bible

^21 [a](A)Jehoash was seven years old when he became king.

Jehoash (Joash) Reigns over Judah

12 In the seventh year of Jehu, ^[b](B)Jehoash became king, and he reigned for forty years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba. ² Jehoash did what was right in the sight of the Lord all his days that Jehoiada the priest instructed him. ³ Only ^(C)the high places did not end; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.

The Temple to Be Repaired

⁴ Then Jehoash said to the priests, “All the money of the sacred offerings ^(D)which is brought into the house of the Lord, in current money, both ^(E)the money of each man’s assessment and all the money ^[c]which anyone’s heart prompts him to bring into the house of the Lord, ⁵ The priests are to take it for themselves, each from his ^[d]acquaintance; and they shall repair ^[e]damage to the house wherever ^[f]any damage is found.”

⁶ But it came about that in the twenty-third year of King Jehoash, ^(F)the priests had not repaired any damage to the house. ⁷ So King Jehoash summoned Jehoiada the priest, and the other priests, and said to them, “Why do you not repair damage to the house? Now then, you are not to take any more money from your ^[g]acquaintances, but give it up for the damage to the house.” ⁸ The priests then agreed that they would not take any more money from the people, nor would they ^[h]repair damage to the house.

⁹ Instead, ^(G)Jehoiada the priest ^[i]took a chest and drilled a hole in its lid and put it beside the altar, on the right side as one comes into the house of the Lord; and the priests who guarded the threshold put in it all the money that was brought into the house of the Lord. ¹⁰ When they saw that there was a great amount of money in the chest, ^(H)the king’s scribe and the high priest went up and tied it up in bags, and counted the money that was found in the house of the Lord. ¹¹ And they handed the money which was assessed over to those who did the work, who had the oversight of the house of the Lord; and they ^[j]paid it out to the carpenters and the builders who worked on the house of the Lord; ¹² and ^(I)to the masons and the stonecutters, and for buying timber and cut stone to repair the damage to the house of the Lord, and for everything that ^[k]was laid out for the house to repair it. ¹³ However ^(J)there were not made for the house of the Lord ^(K)silver cups, shears, bowls, trumpets, any receptacles of gold, or receptacles of silver from the money which was brought into the house of the Lord; ¹⁴ for they gave that to those who did the work, and with it they repaired the house of the Lord. ¹⁵ Moreover, ^(L)they did not require an accounting from the men into whose hands they gave the money to pay to those who did the work, because they acted faithfully.