2 Kings

In the seventh year of Jehu Jehoash began to reign; and forty years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba.

1Jehu had been king of Israel for seven years. That is when Joash became king of Judah. He ruled in Jerusalem for forty years. His mother was Zibiah, from a town called Beersheba.

NoteJehoash and Joash are two forms of the same name. This chapter uses both for the same king.

2And Jehoash did that which was right in the sight of the LORD all his days wherein Jehoiada the priest instructed him.

2Joash did what was right in the LORD's eyes. He did this all the time that Jehoiada the priest taught him. A priest was a man who served God at the temple.

3But the high places were not taken away: the people still sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places.

3But the high places were not torn down. These were altars on hills. People still burned offerings and sweet-smelling incense there.

Note"High places" were open-air altars on hills. People used them to worship, but God had told Israel to bring offerings only to the temple.

4And Jehoash said to the priests, All the money of the dedicated things that is brought into the house of the LORD, even the money of every one that passeth the account, the money that every man is set at, and all the money that cometh into any man’s heart to bring into the house of the LORD,

4Joash spoke to the priests. He said, "Gather all the money people give to the LORD's house. That means the money each person owes when they are counted. It also means money from promises people make. And it means gifts people bring because they want to.

5Let the priests take it to them, every man of his acquaintance: and let them repair the breaches of the house, wheresoever any breach shall be found.

5Let each priest take the money from the people he knows. Then use it to fix any broken part of the temple."

6But it was so, that in the three and twentieth year of king Jehoash the priests had not repaired the breaches of the house.

6But by the twenty-third year that Joash was king, the priests still had not fixed the temple.

7Then king Jehoash called for Jehoiada the priest, and the other priests, and said unto them, Why repair ye not the breaches of the house? now therefore receive no more money of your acquaintance, but deliver it for the breaches of the house.

7So King Joash called for Jehoiada and the other priests. He asked, "Why have you not fixed the temple? Do not take any more money from the people you know. Hand it over so the temple can be fixed."

8And the priests consented to receive no more money of the people, neither to repair the breaches of the house.

8The priests agreed. They would not collect money from the people anymore. And they would not do the repairs themselves.

9But Jehoiada the priest took a chest, and bored a hole in the lid of it, and set it beside the altar, on the right side as one cometh into the house of the LORD: and the priests that kept the door put therein all the money that was brought into the house of the LORD.

9Then Jehoiada the priest took a big wooden box. He cut a hole in the lid. He set it beside the altar, on the right as you walk in. The priests who guarded the door put all the gift money in it.

10And it was so, when they saw that there was much money in the chest, that the king’s scribe and the high priest came up, and they put up in bags, and told the money that was found in the house of the LORD.

10When they saw the box held a lot of money, two men came. One was the king's writer, and one was the head priest. They counted the money and tied it up in bags.

11And they gave the money, being told, into the hands of them that did the work, that had the oversight of the house of the LORD: and they laid it out to the carpenters and builders, that wrought upon the house of the LORD,

11They handed the counted money to the men in charge of the work. Those men paid the workers who fixed the LORD's house. They paid the wood workers and the builders.

12And to masons, and hewers of stone, and to buy timber and hewed stone to repair the breaches of the house of the LORD, and for all that was laid out for the house to repair it.

12They also paid the men who worked with stone. They bought wood and cut stone to fix the broken parts. They paid for everything the repairs needed.

13Howbeit there were not made for the house of the LORD bowls of silver, snuffers, basons, trumpets, any vessels of gold, or vessels of silver, of the money that was brought into the house of the LORD:

13The gift money was not used to make silver bowls or cups. It was not used for tools to trim lamp wicks, or for trumpets. No gold or silver dishes were made with it.

14But they gave that to the workmen, and repaired therewith the house of the LORD.

14Instead, all of it was paid to the workers. With that money they fixed the LORD's house.

15Moreover they reckoned not with the men, into whose hand they delivered the money to be bestowed on workmen: for they dealt faithfully.

15No one made the money handlers show records. Those men were honest, so they were trusted.

16The trespass money and sin money was not brought into the house of the LORD: it was the priests’.

16Some money came from offerings people gave when they did wrong. That money did not go to the temple work. It belonged to the priests.

17Then Hazael king of Syria went up, and fought against Gath, and took it: and Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem.

17Around that time, Hazael the king of Aram went to war. He fought the city of Gath and took it. Then he decided to attack Jerusalem.

NoteThe KJV says "Syria." The land is the one the Bible calls Aram, north of Israel.

18And Jehoash king of Judah took all the hallowed things that Jehoshaphat, and Jehoram, and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own hallowed things, and all the gold that was found in the treasures of the house of the LORD, and in the king’s house, and sent it to Hazael king of Syria: and he went away from Jerusalem.

18So Joash, king of Judah, gathered up the holy gifts. Some had been given by earlier kings, his own family: Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah. Joash added his own gifts too. He took all the gold from the temple and from his palace. He sent it all to Hazael, king of Aram. Then Hazael went away and left Jerusalem alone.

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

19The other things Joash did are written down. You can read them in the record book of the kings of Judah.

20And his servants arose, and made a conspiracy, and slew Joash in the house of Millo, which goeth down to Silla.

20Some of his own servants made a secret plan against him. They killed Joash at Beth-millo, on the road going down to Silla.

21For Jozachar the son of Shimeath, and Jehozabad the son of Shomer, his servants, smote him, and he died; and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David: and Amaziah his son reigned in his stead.

21The men who struck him were Jozachar son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer. Joash died, and they buried him with his family in the City of David. His son Amaziah became king after him.