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2 Kings 12
International Children’s Bible

12 Joash became king of Judah in Jehu’s seventh year as king of Israel. Joash ruled for 40 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah. She was from Beersheba. 2 Joash did what the Lord said was right all the time Jehoiada the priest taught him. 3 But the places where false gods were worshiped were not removed. The people still made sacrifices and burned incense there.

The Temple to Be Repaired

4 Joash said to the priests, “Take all the money brought as offerings to the Temple of the Lord. This includes the money each person owes in taxes. It also includes the money each person promises or brings to the Lord because he wants to. 5 Each priest must take the money from the people he serves. Then the priests must repair any damage they find in the Temple.”

6 But by the twenty-third year of Joash the priests still had not repaired the Temple. 7 So King Joash called for Jehoiada the priest and the other priests. He said to them, “Why are you not repairing the damage of the Temple? Don’t take any more money from the people you serve. But hand over the money for the repair of the Temple.” 8 The priests agreed not to take any more money from the people. And they agreed not to repair the Temple themselves.

9 But Jehoiada the priest took a box and made a hole in the top of it. Then he put it by the altar. It was on the right side as the people came into the Temple of the Lord. The priests guarding the doorway put all the money brought to the Temple of the Lord into the box.

10 Each time the priests saw that the box was full of money, the king’s royal assistant and the high priest came. They counted the money that had been brought to the Temple of the Lord. Then they put it into bags. 11 Next they weighed the money. They gave it to the men who were in charge of the work on the Temple. With it they paid the carpenters and the builders who worked on the Temple of the Lord. 12 They also paid the stoneworkers and stonecutters. They used the money to buy timber and cut stone. The money was used to repair the damage of the Temple of the Lord. It paid for everything.

13 The money brought into the Temple of the Lord was not used to make silver cups. It was not used for wick trimmers, bowls or trumpets. And it wasn’t used for any gold or silver vessels. 14 They paid the money to the workers. And the workers used it to repair the Temple of the Lord. 15 They did not make the men tell how the money was spent. This was because the men were honest. 16 The money from the penalty offerings and sin offerings was not brought into the Temple of the Lord. It belonged to the priests.

Joash Saves Jerusalem

17 About this time Hazael king of Aram attacked Gath and captured it. Then he went to attack Jerusalem. 18 But Joash king of Judah took all the holy things his ancestors had given. His ancestors were the kings of Judah—Jehoshaphat, Jehoram and Ahaziah. He also took his own holy things. He took the gold that was found in the treasuries of the Temple of the Lord. And he took the gold from the palace. Joash sent all this treasure to Hazael king of Aram. Then Hazael turned away from Jerusalem.

19 Everything else Joash did is written down. It is in the book of the history of the kings of Judah. 20 His officers made plans against him. They killed him at Beth Millo on the road to Silla. 21 The officers who killed him were Jozabad son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer. Joash was buried with his ancestors in Jerusalem. And Amaziah, his son, became king in his place.

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2 Kings 12
New King James Version

Jehoash Repairs the Temple(A)

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

4 And Jehoash said to the priests, (E)“All the money of the dedicated gifts that are brought into the house of the Lord—each man’s (F)census[c] money, each man’s (G)assessment money—and all the money that [d]a man (H)purposes in his heart to bring into the house of the Lord, 5 let the priests take it themselves, each from his constituency; and let them repair the [e]damages of the temple, wherever any dilapidation is found.”

6 Now it was so, by the twenty-third year of King Jehoash, (I)that the priests had not repaired the damages of the temple. 7 (J)So King Jehoash called Jehoiada the priest and the other priests, and said to them, “Why have you not repaired the damages of the temple? Now therefore, do not take more money from your constituency, but deliver it for repairing the damages of the temple.” 8 And the priests agreed that they would neither receive more money from the people, nor repair the damages of the temple.

9 Then Jehoiada the priest took (K)a chest, bored a hole in its lid, and set it beside the altar, on the right side as one comes into the house of the Lord; and the priests who [f]kept the door put (L)there all the money brought into the house of the Lord. 10 So it was, whenever they saw that there was much money in the chest, that the king’s (M)scribe[g] and the high priest came up and [h]put it in bags, and counted the money that was found in the house of the Lord. 11 Then they gave the money, which had been apportioned, into the hands of those who did the work, who had the oversight of the house of the Lord; and they [i]paid it out to the carpenters and builders who worked on the house of the Lord, 12 and to masons and stonecutters, and for buying timber and hewn stone, to (N)repair the damage of the house of the Lord, and for all that was paid out to repair the temple. 13 However (O)there were not made for the house of the Lord basins of silver, trimmers, sprinkling-bowls, trumpets, any articles of gold or articles of silver, from the money brought into the house of the Lord. 14 But they gave that to the workmen, and they repaired the house of the Lord with it. 15 Moreover (P)they did not require an account from the men into whose hand they delivered the money to be paid to workmen, for they dealt faithfully. 16 (Q)The money from the trespass offerings and the money from the sin offerings was not brought into the house of the Lord. (R)It belonged to the priests.

Hazael Threatens Jerusalem

17 (S)Hazael king of Syria went up and fought against Gath, and took it; then (T)Hazael set his face to [j]go up to Jerusalem. 18 And Jehoash king of Judah (U)took all the sacred things that his fathers, Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own sacred things, and all the gold found in the treasuries of the house of the Lord and in the king’s house, and sent them to Hazael king of Syria. Then he went away from Jerusalem.

Death of Joash(V)

19 Now the rest of the acts of [k]Joash, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

20 And (W)his servants arose and formed a conspiracy, and killed Joash in the house of [l]the Millo, which goes down to Silla. 21 For [m]Jozachar the son of Shimeath and Jehozabad the son of [n]Shomer, his servants, struck him. So he died, and they buried him with his fathers in the City of David. Then (X)Amaziah his son reigned in his place.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 12:1 Joash, 2 Kin. 11:2ff.
  2. 2 Kings 12:3 Places for pagan worship
  3. 2 Kings 12:4 Lit. the money coming over
  4. 2 Kings 12:4 any man’s heart prompts him to bring
  5. 2 Kings 12:5 Lit. breaches
  6. 2 Kings 12:9 guarded at the door
  7. 2 Kings 12:10 secretary
  8. 2 Kings 12:10 tied it up
  9. 2 Kings 12:11 Lit. weighed
  10. 2 Kings 12:17 Advance upon
  11. 2 Kings 12:19 Jehoash, vv. 1–18
  12. 2 Kings 12:20 Lit. The Landfill
  13. 2 Kings 12:21 Zabad, 2 Chr. 24:26
  14. 2 Kings 12:21 Shimrith, 2 Chr. 24:26
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2 Kings 12
New English Translation

12 1 (12:2) In Jehu’s seventh year Jehoash became king; he reigned for forty years in Jerusalem. His mother was Zibiah, who was from Beer Sheba. 2 Jehoash did what the Lord approved[a] all his days when[b] Jehoiada the priest taught him. 3 But the high places were not eliminated; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense on the high places.

4 Jehoash said to the priests, “I place at your disposal[c] all the consecrated silver that has been brought to the Lord’s temple, including the silver collected from the census tax,[d] the silver received from those who have made vows,[e] and all the silver that people have voluntarily contributed to the Lord’s temple.[f] 5 The priests should receive the silver they need from the treasurers and repair any damage to the temple they discover.”[g]

6 By the twenty-third year of King Jehoash’s reign the priests had still not repaired the damage to the temple. 7 So King Jehoash summoned Jehoiada the priest along with the other priests, and said to them, “Why have you not repaired the damage to the temple? Now, take no more silver from your treasurers unless you intend to use it to repair the damage.”[h] 8 The priests agreed[i] not to collect silver from the people and relieved themselves of personal responsibility for the temple repairs.[j]

9 Jehoiada the priest took a chest and drilled a hole in its lid. He placed it on the right side of the altar near the entrance of[k] the Lord’s temple. The priests who guarded the entrance would put into it all the silver brought to the Lord’s temple. 10 When they saw the chest was full of silver, the royal secretary[l] and the high priest counted the silver that had been brought to the Lord’s temple and bagged it up.[m] 11 They would then hand over[n] the silver that had been weighed to the construction foremen[o] assigned to the Lord’s temple. They hired carpenters and builders to work on the Lord’s temple, 12 as well as masons and stonecutters. They bought wood and chiseled stone to repair the damage to the Lord’s temple and also paid for all the other expenses.[p] 13 The silver brought to the Lord’s temple was not used for silver bowls, trimming shears, basins, trumpets, or any kind of gold or silver implements. 14 It was handed over[q] to the foremen who used it to repair the Lord’s temple. 15 They did not audit the treasurers who disbursed[r] the funds to the foremen, for they were honest.[s] 16 (The silver collected in conjunction with reparation offerings and sin offerings was not brought to the Lord’s temple; it belonged to the priests.)

17 At that time King Hazael of Syria attacked[t] Gath and captured it. Hazael then decided to attack Jerusalem.[u] 18 King Jehoash of Judah collected all the sacred items that his ancestors Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah, kings of Judah, had consecrated, as well as his own sacred items and all the gold that could be found in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and the royal palace. He sent it all[v] to King Hazael of Syria, who then withdrew[w] from Jerusalem.

19 The rest of the events of Joash’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah.[x] 20 His servants conspired against him[y] and murdered Joash at Beth Millo, on the road that goes down to Silla.[z] 21 His servants Jozabad son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer murdered him.[aa] He was buried[ab] with his ancestors in the City of David. His son Amaziah replaced him as king.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 12:2 tn Heb “what was proper in the eyes of the Lord.”
  2. 2 Kings 12:2 tn The MT reads יָמָיו אֲשֶׁר (yamayv ʾasher, “all his days which…”). The LXX says “all the days which Jehoiada the priest enlightened him,” implying either יָמִים (yamim, “days”) or יְמֵי (yeme, “days of”), without the pronominal suffix. Lev 13:46 demonstrates that יְמֵי can be in construct with an אֲשֶׁר clause, but an אֲשֶׁר clause can also follow יוֹם (yom “day”) when it has a pronominal suffix. In either case the אֲשֶׁר clause restricts the time period that יוֹם describes. Therefore this verse does not contradict 2 Chr 24:2 which limits its praise of the king to “all the days of Jehoiada the priest.”
  3. 2 Kings 12:4 tn The words “I place at your disposal” are added in the translation for clarification.
  4. 2 Kings 12:4 tn Heb “the silver of passing over a man.” The precise meaning of the phrase is debated, but עָבַר (ʿavar), “pass over,” probably refers here to counting, suggesting the reference is to a census conducted for taxation purposes. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 137.
  5. 2 Kings 12:4 tn Heb “the silver of persons, his valuation.” The precise meaning of the phrase is uncertain, but parallels in Lev 27 suggest that personal vows are referred to here. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 137.
  6. 2 Kings 12:4 tn Heb “all the silver which goes up on the heart of a man to bring to the house of the Lord.”
  7. 2 Kings 12:5 tn Heb “Let the priests take for themselves, each from his treasurer, and let them repair the damage of the temple, with respect to all the damage that is found there.” The word מַכָּר (makar), translated here “treasurer,” occurs only in this passage. Some suggest it means “merchant” or “benefactor.” Its usage in Ugaritic texts, where it appears in a list of temple officials, suggests that it refers in this context to individuals who were in charge of disbursing temple funds.
  8. 2 Kings 12:7 tn Heb “Now, do not take silver from your treasurers, because for the damages to the temple you must give it.”
  9. 2 Kings 12:8 tn Outside of this passage the verb אוּת (ʾut) appears only in Gen 34:15-22.
  10. 2 Kings 12:8 tn Heb “and not to repair the damages to the temple.” This does not mean that the priests were no longer interested in repairing the temple. As the following context makes clear, the priests decided to hire skilled workers to repair the damage to the temple, rather than trying to make the repairs themselves.
  11. 2 Kings 12:9 tn Heb “on the right of the altar as a man enters.”
  12. 2 Kings 12:10 tn Heb “the king’s scribe.”
  13. 2 Kings 12:10 tn Heb “went up and tied [it] and counted the silver that was found in the house of the Lord.” The order of the clauses has been rearranged in the translation to make better sense in English, since it seems more logical to count the money before bagging it (cf. NIV, NCV, NRSV, NLT).
  14. 2 Kings 12:11 tn Heb “would give.”
  15. 2 Kings 12:11 tn Heb “doers of the work.”
  16. 2 Kings 12:12 tn Heb “and for all that which was going out concerning the house for repair.”
  17. 2 Kings 12:14 tn Heb “was given.”
  18. 2 Kings 12:15 tn Heb “gave.”
  19. 2 Kings 12:15 tn Heb “and they did not conduct a reckoning of the men who gave the silver into their hand to give to the doers of the work, for in honesty they were working.”
  20. 2 Kings 12:17 tn Heb “went up and fought against.”
  21. 2 Kings 12:17 tn Heb “Hazael set his face to go up against Jerusalem.”
  22. 2 Kings 12:18 tn The object (“it all”) is supplied in the translation for clarification.
  23. 2 Kings 12:18 tn Heb “went up.”
  24. 2 Kings 12:19 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Joash, and all which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?”
  25. 2 Kings 12:20 tn Heb “rose up and conspired [with] a conspiracy.”
  26. 2 Kings 12:20 tn Heb “Beth Millo which goes down [toward] Silla.”
  27. 2 Kings 12:21 tn Heb “struck him down and he died.”
  28. 2 Kings 12:21 tn Heb “they buried him.”
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2 Kings 11
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