2 Kings 12

Jehoash becomes Judah’s king

In Jehu’s seventh year, Jehoash began what would be his forty year reign from Jerusalem. His mother was Zibiah from Beersheba. Jehoash did what was right in the eyes of the Existing One for as long as he lived, because Jehoiada the priest instructed him. Nevertheless, the shrines were not torn down, and the people continued to offer sacrifices at the shrines.

Jehoash repairs temple

Jehoash told the priests, “Take the income the Existing One’s house makes including assessment charges and donations, and use it to make repairs to the building.” But by his twenty-third year on the throne, the priests still hadn’t finished the repairs. So King Jehoash summoned all the priests including Jehoiada and asked them, “Why aren’t you repairing the building? Stop accepting donations and use your own money for repairing the building.” So the priests agreed to stop accepting donations and that the people shouldn’t be the ones responsible for repairing the building.

Then Jehoiada the priest took a chest and drilled a hole through the lid and set it to the right side altar (for someone looking from the entrance). Any income that the Existing One’s house made was put into that chest, and whenever it got full, the king’s secretary and high priest counted it and bagged it up. Then they used that money to pay the construction supervisors, masons, and stonecutters. They also used it to buy the wood and stone needed for the repairs, as well as any other expenses. But the Existing One’s house was still missing silver basins, snuffers, bowls, trumpets, or silver and gold vessels because all the money went toward the repairs. They didn’t ask for receipts from the construction managers, because they were honest. The money from the guilt offerings and sin offerings never made it to the Existing One’s house, because it belonged to the priests.

At that time Syria’s King Hazael captured Gath, but when he advanced toward Jerusalem, Judah’s King Jehoash gave him all the valuables he could find. That included all the valuables his fathers had accumulated, plush his own valuables, plus the valuables from the Existing One’s house and the king’s house. After that, Hazel left instead of attacking Jerusalem.

The rest of Joash’s history, including everything he did is written in the book The Chronicles of the Kings of Judah. His subordinates schemed against him and struck him down in Millo’s house which is on the way to Silla. Jozacar (Shimeath’s son) and Jehozabad (Shomer’s son) were the ones who killed him. So he was buried with his fathers in the City of David, and his son Amaziah reigned in his place.