aJoash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Zibiah from Beersheba.
2aJoash did what was right in the sight of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest.
3Jehoiada took two wives for him, and he became the father of sons and daughters.
Now it came about after this that Joash 1decided ato restore the house of the LORD.
5He gathered the priests and Levites and said to them, "Go out to the cities of Judah and collect money from all aIsrael to 1repair the house of your God 2annually, and you shall do the matter quickly." But the Levites did not act quickly.
6So the king summoned Jehoiada the chief priest and said to him, "Why have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah and from Jerusalem athe levy fixed by Moses the servant of the LORD on the congregation of Israel bfor the tent of the testimony?"
7For athe sons of the wicked Athaliah had broken into the house of God and even 1used the holy things of the house of the LORD for the Baals.
So the king commanded, and athey made a chest and set it outside by the gate of the house of the LORD.
9aThey made a proclamation in Judah and Jerusalem to bring to the LORD bthe levy fixed by Moses the servant of God on Israel in the wilderness.
10All the officers and all the people rejoiced and brought in their levies and 1dropped them into the chest until they had finished.
11It came about whenever the chest was brought in to the king's officer by the Levites, and when athey saw that there was much money, then the king's scribe and the chief priest's officer would come, empty the chest, take it, and return it to its place. Thus they did daily and collected much money.
12The king and Jehoiada gave it to those who did the work of the service of the house of the LORD; and they hired masons and carpenters to restore the house of the LORD, and also workers in iron and bronze to 1repair the house of the LORD.
13So the workmen labored, and the repair work progressed in their hands, and they 1restored the house of God 2according to its specifications and strengthened it.
14When they had finished, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada; and it was made into utensils for the house of the LORD, utensils for the service and the burnt offering, and pans and utensils of gold and silver. And they offered burnt offerings in the house of the LORD continually all the days of Jehoiada.
15Now when Jehoiada 1reached a ripe old age he died; he was one hundred and thirty years old at his death.
16They buried him ain the city of David among the kings, because he had done well in bIsrael and 1to God and His house.
17But after the death of Jehoiada the officials of Judah came and bowed down to the king, and the king listened to them.
18They abandoned athe house of the LORD, the God of their fathers, and bserved the 1Asherim and the idols; so cwrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their guilt.
19Yet aHe sent prophets to them to bring them back to the LORD; though they testified against them, they would not listen.
aThen the Spirit of God 1came on Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest; and he stood above the people and said to them, "Thus God has said, ` bWhy do you transgress the commandments of the LORD and do not prosper? cBecause you have forsaken the LORD, He has also forsaken you.' "
21So athey conspired against him and at the command of the king they stoned him 1to death in the court of the house of the LORD.
22Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness which his father Jehoiada had shown him, but he murdered his son. And as he died he said, "May athe LORD see and 1avenge!"
Now it happened at the turn of the year that athe army of the Arameans came up against him; and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, destroyed all the officials of the people from among the people, and sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus.
24Indeed the army of the Arameans came with a small number of men; yet athe LORD delivered a very great army into their hands, bbecause they had forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers. Thus they executed judgment on Joash.
25aWhen they had departed from him (for they left him very sick), his own servants conspired against him because of the blood of the 1son of Jehoiada the priest, and murdered him on his bed. So he died, and they buried him in the city of David, but they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings.
26Now these are those who conspired against him: Zabad the son of Shimeath the Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith the Moabitess.
27As to his sons and the many 1oracles against him and athe 2rebuilding of the house of God, behold, they are written in the 3 btreatise of the Book of the Kings. Then Amaziah his son became king in his place.