Joash

1Athaliah was the mother of King Ahaziah. When she saw that her son was dead, she acted. She killed everyone in the royal family who might become king.

And when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal.

NoteIn those days a king's son became the next king after him. Athaliah killed the boys in the family so that she could rule instead.

2But Jehosheba was the daughter of King Joram and the sister of Ahaziah. She took Joash, the little son of Ahaziah, away from the king's sons who were being killed. She hid him and his nurse in a bedroom. Athaliah never found him, so he was not killed.

But Jehosheba, the daughter of king Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king’s sons which were slain; and they hid him, even him and his nurse, in the bedchamber from Athaliah, so that he was not slain.

NoteJehosheba was Joash's aunt. A nurse was a woman who fed a baby and cared for him. Joash was still very small.

3Joash stayed hidden with his nurse in the temple, God's house, for six years. All that time Athaliah ruled the land.

And he was with her hid in the house of the LORD six years. And Athaliah did reign over the land.

NoteThe temple was God's house in Jerusalem. It had many side rooms where the priests lived, so a child could stay hidden there.

4In the seventh year, a priest named Jehoiada sent for the army commanders and the palace guards. He brought them into the temple. He made an agreement with them and had them promise to keep it. Then he showed them the king's son.

And the seventh year Jehoiada sent and fetched the rulers over hundreds, with the captains and the guard, and brought them to him into the house of the LORD, and made a covenant with them, and took an oath of them in the house of the LORD, and shewed them the king’s son.

NoteA priest was a man whose job was to lead worship at God's house. The agreement he made was a strong promise that everyone meant to keep.

5He told them what to do. One third of you who start work on the Sabbath, the weekly rest day, will guard the palace.

And he commanded them, saying, This is the thing that ye shall do; A third part of you that enter in on the sabbath shall even be keepers of the watch of the king’s house;

NoteThe guards worked in turns. On the Sabbath one group started work and another group went home to rest.

6One third of you will stand at the gate of Sur. One third will stand at the gate behind the guards. Take turns watching over the temple.

And a third part shall be at the gate of Sur; and a third part at the gate behind the guard: so shall ye keep the watch of the house, that it be not broken down.

NoteNobody today knows where the gate of Sur was. It was one of the ways into the palace.

7The two groups who would normally go home that day have a job too. They will guard the temple and stay close around the king.

And two parts of all you that go forth on the sabbath, even they shall keep the watch of the house of the LORD about the king.

8Stand in a circle around the king with your weapons ready. Anyone who tries to push through your lines must be killed. Stay with the king wherever he goes.

And ye shall compass the king round about, every man with his weapons in his hand: and he that cometh within the ranges, let him be slain: and be ye with the king as he goeth out and as he cometh in.

9The commanders did just what Jehoiada the priest told them. Each one gathered his men. He took both those starting work and those finishing. Then they came to Jehoiada the priest.

And the captains over the hundreds did according to all things that Jehoiada the priest commanded: and they took every man his men that were to come in on the sabbath, with them that should go out on the sabbath, and came to Jehoiada the priest.

10The priest gave the commanders the spears and shields that had belonged to King David. They had been kept in the temple.

And to the captains over hundreds did the priest give king David’s spears and shields, that were in the temple of the LORD.

NoteKing David had ruled the land long before this. His old spears and shields had been kept safe in the temple for many years.

11The guards stood around the king with their weapons ready. They lined up from one side of the temple to the other. They stood near the altar and the temple building.

And the guard stood, every man with his weapons in his hand, round about the king, from the right corner of the temple to the left corner of the temple, along by the altar and the temple.

NoteAn altar was a stone table. People burned gifts to God on top of it.

12Jehoiada brought out the king's son. He put the crown on his head and handed him the Testimony. They made him king and poured oil on him. The people clapped their hands and shouted, "Long live the king!"

And he brought forth the king’s son, and put the crown upon him, and gave him the testimony; and they made him king, and anointed him; and they clapped their hands, and said, God save the king.

NoteA crown is a gold circle worn on the head to show that someone is king. The Testimony was a copy of God's rules for the king to keep. Pouring oil on his head was a way of showing that God had picked him for the job. "Long live the king" was a happy shout, wishing him many years.

13Athaliah heard the noise of the guards and the people. So she came out to the people at the temple.

And when Athaliah heard the noise of the guard and of the people, she came to the people into the temple of the LORD.

14She looked and saw the young king standing by the pillar, the way kings always did. Officers and trumpet players stood beside him. All the people of the land were glad and blew their trumpets. Athaliah tore her clothes and screamed, "Treason! Treason!" She meant that people had turned against her.

And when she looked, behold, the king stood by a pillar, as the manner was, and the princes and the trumpeters by the king, and all the people of the land rejoiced, and blew with trumpets: and Athaliah rent her clothes, and cried, Treason, Treason.

NoteA pillar is a tall stone post inside a building. Kings stood in that same spot for important moments. The trumpets were long horns, blown when something big and happy happened. When people were very upset or angry, they tore their own clothes so everyone could see how they felt.

15Jehoiada the priest gave an order to the army commanders. He said, "Take her out between the rows of guards. Kill anyone who follows her." The priest had said she must not be killed inside the temple.

But Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of the hundreds, the officers of the host, and said unto them, Have her forth without the ranges: and him that followeth her kill with the sword. For the priest had said, Let her not be slain in the house of the LORD.

16So they took hold of her. She was led to the gate where horses go into the palace. There she was killed.

And they laid hands on her; and she went by the way by the which the horses came into the king’s house: and there was she slain.

17Then Jehoiada made an agreement between the LORD, the king, and the people. They promised to be the LORD's people. He also made an agreement between the king and the people.

And Jehoiada made a covenant between the LORD and the king and the people, that they should be the LORD’s people; between the king also and the people.

NoteThe LORD is God's own name in this book. A promise this serious was called a covenant.

18All the people of the land went to the temple of Baal, a false god. They tore it down. They smashed his altars and statues to pieces. They killed Mattan, the priest of Baal, in front of the altars. Then Jehoiada put guards at the house of the LORD.

And all the people of the land went into the house of Baal, and brake it down; his altars and his images brake they in pieces thoroughly, and slew Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. And the priest appointed officers over the house of the LORD.

NoteBaal was a god that some people prayed to instead of the LORD. The statues were carved figures of him that people bowed down to.

19Jehoiada took the commanders, the king's own soldiers, the guards, and all the people with him. They brought the king down from the temple to the palace. They went in through the Gate of the Guards. Then the king sat down on the royal throne.

And he took the rulers over hundreds, and the captains, and the guard, and all the people of the land; and they brought down the king from the house of the LORD, and came by the way of the gate of the guard to the king’s house. And he sat on the throne of the kings.

NoteA throne is the special chair a king sits in when he rules.

20All the people of the land were glad, and the city was calm and quiet. Athaliah had been killed with a sword beside the palace.

And all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was in quiet: and they slew Athaliah with the sword beside the king’s house.

21Joash was seven years old when he became king.

Seven years old was Jehoash when he began to reign.

NoteJoash had been hidden away since he was a baby. He was still a child, so Jehoiada the priest helped him.

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.

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.

NoteGod's people lived in two lands with two kings. Israel was in the north. Judah was in the south. Jehu was king in Israel. Joash was king in Judah. The King James calls him "Jehoash" here and "Joash" later. Both names belong to the same boy king.

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.

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

NoteThe temple was God's house in Jerusalem. It was a big stone building. People came there to worship God and bring gifts. When you see "the LORD" in big letters, that is God's own special name.

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

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

NoteAn altar is a stone table for gifts given to God. People burned animals and grain on it. Incense is a spice that smells sweet when it burns. God had told the people to bring their gifts to the temple only. The high places were altars people built on hilltops instead.

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.

And 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,

NoteEvery so often the people were all counted. Each grown man paid a small piece of silver then. That silver was used for the temple. Some people also promised God a gift and paid it later.

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

Let 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.

NoteThe King James says "breaches." That means cracks and broken places in the walls. The temple was old, and parts of it were falling apart.

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

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

NoteJoash had been king for twenty-three years by now. That is a very long time to wait for repairs.

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."

Then 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.

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

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

9Then Jehoiada the priest took a 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.

But 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.

NoteMoney back then was not coins like ours. It was pieces of silver, weighed on a little scale. Some priests had the job of guarding the temple doors.

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.

And 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.

NoteThe king's writer kept the king's records. He wrote down lists and numbers. The head priest was the priest in charge of all the other priests.

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.

And 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,

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.

And 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.

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.

Howbeit 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:

NoteLamps then burned oil with a cloth wick. Snuffers were small tools for trimming the burnt wick. Trimming kept the flame bright and clean. Priests blew trumpets at the temple on special days. All these things were kept in God's house.

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

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

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

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

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.

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

NoteWhen people did something wrong, they brought a gift to God. Priests did not have farms or land of their own. Gifts like these were how priests got their food.

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.

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

NoteAram was a country north of Israel. Today we call that land Syria. Gath was a city near the sea, not far from Judah.

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.

And 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.

NoteThe holy gifts were treasures given to God. Kings had brought them to the temple over many years. Sometimes a smaller king sent treasure to a stronger king. It was a way of saying, please do not attack us.

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

And 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?

NoteKings kept big record books of everything they did. Those old books are lost now. Only the Bible still tells us about them.

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

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

NoteBeth-millo was a strong, built-up part of Jerusalem. It was near the king's palace.

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.

For 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.

NoteThe City of David was the oldest part of Jerusalem. The kings of Judah were buried there.

10Athaliah was Ahaziah's mother. When she saw that her son was dead, she began killing the whole royal family of Judah.

But when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal of the house of Judah.

NoteThe royal family means the king's children and close relatives. Long ago, a person taking over sometimes killed them all. Then no one was left who could take the throne back.

11But Jehoshabeath, a daughter of King Jehoram, took Joash, the baby son of Ahaziah. She stole him away from the king's sons who were being killed. She hid him and the woman who cared for him in a bedroom. Jehoshabeath was Ahaziah's sister and the wife of Jehoiada the priest. She hid Joash from Athaliah, so Athaliah could not kill him.

But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king’s sons that were slain, and put him and his nurse in a bedchamber. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of king Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest, (for she was the sister of Ahaziah,) hid him from Athaliah, so that she slew him not.

NoteA priest was a man whose job was to lead people in worshiping God. The woman who cared for Joash fed him and looked after him, like a babysitter who lived with the family.

12Joash stayed hidden with them in God's house for six years. During those years, Athaliah ruled the land.

And he was with them hid in the house of God six years: and Athaliah reigned over the land.

NoteGod's house was the temple in Jerusalem. It was the special building where people came to worship God.

1Joash was seven years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for forty years. His mother was named Zibiah, and she came from Beersheba.

Joash was seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Zibiah of Beersheba.

NoteJoash was still a small boy when he became king. Grown-ups helped him rule until he grew up. Jerusalem was the main city of his land.

2Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD. He did this as long as the priest Jehoiada was alive.

And Joash did that which was right in the sight of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest.

NoteA priest was a man who led worship at God's house. Priests brought the people's gifts to God for them.

3Jehoiada chose two wives for Joash. Joash had sons and daughters.

And Jehoiada took for him two wives; and he begat sons and daughters.

NoteBack then a king was allowed to have more than one wife. Kings often married so they would have many children.

4Later on, Joash decided to fix up the temple. The temple was the house where people worshiped the LORD.

And it came to pass after this, that Joash was minded to repair the house of the LORD.

NoteThe temple was a large stone building in Jerusalem. It was the one place built for worshiping the LORD. It was very old by now and needed fixing.

5Joash called together the priests and the Levites, the men who helped at the temple. He said, "Go to the towns of Judah. Collect the money that all Israel gives each year. Use it to fix the house of your God. Do this quickly." But the Levites did not hurry.

And he gathered together the priests and the Levites, and said to them, Go out unto the cities of Judah, and gather of all Israel money to repair the house of your God from year to year, and see that ye hasten the matter. Howbeit the Levites hastened it not.

NoteThe Levites were one big family group in Israel. God chose them to help the priests at the temple. Judah was the part of the land where Joash was king.

6So the king called for Jehoiada, the leading priest. He asked, "Why have you not made the Levites collect the money? Moses, the servant of the LORD, told Israel to pay it. The people agreed to it long ago, for the holy tent where God met them."

And the king called for Jehoiada the chief, and said unto him, Why hast thou not required of the Levites to bring in out of Judah and out of Jerusalem the collection, according to the commandment of Moses the servant of the LORD, and of the congregation of Israel, for the tabernacle of witness?

NoteThe holy tent was a special tent Israel used long before. They carried it with them and worshiped God there. Moses was the leader who brought Israel out of Egypt.

7The sons of the wicked woman Athaliah had broken into God's house. They had taken the holy things from the temple. They used them to worship the false gods called the Baals.

For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken up the house of God; and also all the dedicated things of the house of the LORD did they bestow upon Baalim.

NoteAthaliah was Joash's grandmother. She had ruled before him and hurt many people. The Baals were pretend gods that people nearby prayed to.

8The king gave an order, so they made a box. They put it outside, by the gate of the LORD's house.

And at the king’s commandment they made a chest, and set it without at the gate of the house of the LORD.

NoteThe box was like a big locked bank for gifts. People could drop money in as they walked by.

9Then they sent word through Judah and Jerusalem. The people were told to bring the money to the LORD. It was the money Moses had asked Israel for in the desert.

And they made a proclamation through Judah and Jerusalem, to bring in to the LORD the collection that Moses the servant of God laid upon Israel in the wilderness.

NoteLong before, Moses told each person to give a little silver. That money paid for the holy tent and its care.

10All the leaders and all the people were glad. They brought their money and dropped it in the box. They kept giving until the box was full.

And all the princes and all the people rejoiced, and brought in, and cast into the chest, until they had made an end.

NoteThe King James calls the leaders "princes." Here that does not mean the king's sons. It means important men who helped run the country.

11The Levites carried the box to the king's officers. When the officers saw all the money, the king's writer and the chief priest's helper came. They emptied the box and carried it back to its place. They did this every day and collected a lot of money.

Now it came to pass, that at what time the chest was brought unto the king’s office by the hand of the Levites, and when they saw that there was much money, the king’s scribe and the high priest’s officer came and emptied the chest, and took it, and carried it to his place again. Thus they did day by day, and gathered money in abundance.

NoteThe king's writer kept lists and records for him. Very few people back then could read or write.

12The king and Jehoiada gave the money to the men in charge of the work. Those men hired stone workers and wood workers to fix the temple. They also hired men who worked with iron and bronze.

And the king and Jehoiada gave it to such as did the work of the service of the house of the LORD, and hired masons and carpenters to repair the house of the LORD, and also such as wrought iron and brass to mend the house of the LORD.

NoteBronze is a hard metal. People made it by melting copper and tin together.

13So the workmen did their job, and the repairs went well. They made God's house just as it was meant to be. They also made it strong again.

So the workmen wrought, and the work was perfected by them, and they set the house of God in his state, and strengthened it.

14When the work was done, they brought the rest of the money to the king and Jehoiada. It was used to make things for the temple. They made bowls and dishes for the services and the offerings. Some were made of gold and some of silver. As long as Jehoiada lived, offerings were burned at the temple every day.

And when they had finished it, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada, whereof were made vessels for the house of the LORD, even vessels to minister, and to offer withal, and spoons, and vessels of gold and silver. And they offered burnt offerings in the house of the LORD continually all the days of Jehoiada.

NoteAn offering was a gift given to God. Some gifts were animals burned on a stone table called an altar. The smoke going up showed the gift was for God.