1Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for forty years. His mother’s name was Zibiah, from Beersheba.
2Joash did what was right in Yahweh’s eyes throughout the time of Jehoiada the priest.
3Jehoiada married two wives, and he had sons and daughters.
4After this, Joash decided to repair the house of Yahweh.
5He called together the priests and Levites and told them, “Go out to the cities of Judah and collect money from all of Israel year by year to repair the house of your God. Make sure you do this quickly.” However, the Levites did not do it right away.
6The king called for Jehoiada, the chief priest, and asked him, “Why haven’t you made the Levites bring in the tax that Moses, Yahweh’s servant, and the assembly of Israel, from Judah and Jerusalem, were supposed to pay for the Tent of the Testimony?”
7For the sons of that wicked woman Athaliah had damaged God’s house, and they had also given all the sacred items from Yahweh’s house to the gods Baal.
8So the king gave a command, and they made a chest and placed it outside by the gate of Yahweh’s house.
9They announced throughout Judah and Jerusalem that everyone should bring to Yahweh the tax that Moses, the servant of God, had required from Israel in the wilderness.
10All the leaders and all the people rejoiced, brought their contributions, and put them into the chest until it was full.
11Whenever the Levites brought the chest to the king’s officials and they saw that there was a lot of money, the king’s scribe and the chief priest’s officer would come, empty the chest, and carry it back to its place. They did this day after day and collected a large amount of money.
12The king and Jehoiada gave the money to the workers in charge of maintaining Yahweh’s temple. They hired masons and carpenters to restore Yahweh’s temple, as well as those who worked with iron and bronze to repair Yahweh’s temple.
13So the workers labored, and the repair work moved forward efficiently. They set up God’s house as it was planned and made it strong.
14When they finished, they brought the remaining money to the king and Jehoiada. From this money, vessels were made for Yahweh’s house, including items for services and offerings, such as spoons and vessels of gold and silver. They continuously offered burnt offerings in Yahweh’s house throughout Jehoiada’s life.
15Jehoiada became old and lived a long life, then he died. He was 130 years old when he died.
16They buried him in the City of David among the kings, because he had done good things in Israel, for God, and for God’s house.
17After Jehoiada’s death, the leaders of Judah came and bowed down to the king. The king then listened to them.
18They abandoned the house of Yahweh, the God of their ancestors, and served Asherah poles and idols. Because of this guilt, God’s anger came upon Judah and Jerusalem.
19Yet, God sent prophets to them to bring them back to Yahweh. The prophets spoke against them, but they refused to listen.
20The Spirit of God came upon Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood above the people and said to them, “This is what God says: ‘Why do you disobey Yahweh’s commands, which prevents you from succeeding? Because you have abandoned Yahweh, he has also abandoned you.’”
21They plotted against him and, at the king’s command, stoned him to death in the courtyard of Yahweh’s house.
22In this way, King Joash did not remember the kindness that Jehoiada, his adoptive father, had shown him, but instead killed Jehoiada’s son. When Zechariah died, he said, “May Yahweh see this and repay it.”
23At the end of the year, the Syrian army attacked Joash. They came to Judah and Jerusalem, destroyed all the leaders among the people, and sent all their plunder to the king of Damascus.
24Even though the Syrian army came with only a small group of men, Yahweh handed over a very large army to them because Judah had abandoned Yahweh, the God of their ancestors. So, the Syrians brought judgment upon Joash.
25When the Syrians left him (after leaving him very ill), his own servants conspired against him because of the murder of the sons of Jehoiada the priest. They killed him on his bed, and he died. They buried him in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.
26Those who plotted against him were Zabad, the son of Shimeath the Ammonitess, and Jehozabad, the son of Shimrith the Moabitess.
27Regarding his sons, the heavy burdens placed upon him, and the rebuilding of God’s house, these things are written in the commentary of the book of the kings. His son Amaziah became king in his place.