1 Jehoash became king of Judah. It was the seventh year of Jehu's rule over Israel. Jehoash ruled for forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zibiah of Beersheba.
2 Jehoash did what was right in the eyes of Jehovah all his days, because he was guided by the teaching of Jehoiada the priest.
3 The high places were not taken away. The people continued making offerings and burning them in the high places.
4 Jehoash said to the priests: »All the money of the holy things, which comes into the house of Jehovah, the amount fixed for every man's payment, and all the money given by any man freely by motivation of his heart,
5 »Let the priests take, every man from his friends and neighbors, to make good what is damaged in the Temple, wherever it is to be seen.«
6 But in the twenty-third year of King Jehoash, the priests had not made good the damaged parts of the Temple.
7 He called in Jehoiada and the other priests and asked them: »Why are you not repairing the Temple? From now on you are not to keep the money you receive. You must hand it over, so that the repairs can be made.«
8 The priests agreed to this and also agreed not to make the repairs in the Temple.
9 Then Jehoiada took a box, made a hole in the lid, and placed the box by the altar, on the right side as one enters the Temple. The priests on duty at the entrance put in the box all the money given by the worshipers.
10 Whenever there was a large amount of money in the box, the royal secretary and the High Priest would come, melt down the silver, and weigh it.
11 After recording the exact amount, they would hand the silver over to the men in charge of the work in the Temple. These would pay the carpenters, the builders,
12 the masons, and the stonecutters, buy the timber and the stones used in the repairs, and pay all other necessary expenses.
13 None of the money was used to pay for making silver cups, bowls, trumpets, or tools for tending the lamps, or any other article of silver or of gold.
14 It was all used to pay the workers and to buy the materials used in the repairs.
15 The men in charge of the work were very honest. There was no need to require them to account for the funds.
16 The money given for the repayment offerings and for the offerings for sin was not deposited in the box. It belonged to the priests.
17 King Hazael of Syria attacked the city of Gath and conquered it. Then he decided to attack Jerusalem.
18 King Jehoash of Judah took all the offerings that his predecessors Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah had dedicated to Jehovah, added to them his own offerings and all the gold in the treasuries of the Temple and the palace, and sent them all as a gift to King Hazael, who then led his army away from Jerusalem.
19 The rest of the history of Jehoash is recorded in The Annals of the Kings of Judah.
20 His own officials plotted against him and killed him at the House of the Mound on the road that goes down to Silla.
21 Jehoash's officials Jozacar, son of Shimeath, and Jehozabad, son of Shomer, executed him. They buried him with his ancestors in the City of David. His son Amaziah succeeded him as king.