2 Kings 12

1 In the seventh year of Jehu began Jehoash to reign; and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem: and his mother’s name was Zibiah of Beer-sheba.

Joash became king in the seventh year of the reign of Jehu, and he reigned in Jerusalem for forty years. His mother's name was Zibiah of Beersheba.

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

Joash did what was right in the Lord's sight during the years that Jehoiada the priest advised him.

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

Even so, the high places were not removed—the people went on sacrificing and presenting burnt offerings at these places.

4 And Jehoash said to the priests, All the money of the hallowed things that is brought into the house of the LORD, in current money, the money of the persons for whom each man is rated, and all the money that it cometh into any man’s heart to bring into the house of the LORD,

Joash told the priests, “Collect together all the money that is brought as holy offerings to the Lord's Temple, whether the census money, the money from individual vows, and the money brought as a voluntary donation to the Lord's Temple.

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

Let each priest receive the money from those who give, and use it to repair whatever damage is discovered in the Temple.”

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

But by the twenty-third year of the reign of Joash, the priests still had not repaired the damage to the Temple.

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

So King Joash called together Jehoiada and the other priests and asked, “Why haven't you repaired the damage in the Temple? Don't use any more money you're given for yourselves, instead hand it over to others to repair the Temple.”

8 And the priests consented that they should take no [more] money from the people, neither repair the breaches of the house.

The priests agreed not to receive any more money from the people, and that they wouldn't carry out the repairs to the Temple themselves.

9 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.

Jehoiada the priest took a large wooden box, cut a hole in its lid, and placed it on the right side of the altar next to the entrance to the Lord's Temple. There the priests who guarded the doorway put all the money brought into the Lord's Temple into the collection box.

10 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.

Whenever they saw there was a lot of money in the box, the king's secretary and the high priest would come, count the money brought into the Lord's Temple, and put it into bags.

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

Then they weighed out the money and gave it to the supervisors of the work on the Lord's Temple. They paid the ones doing the work—the carpenters, builders,

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

masons, and stonecutters. They also bought the timber and blocks of cut stone needed for the repair of the Lord's Temple, and paid all the other costs of restoring the Temple.

13 But there were not made for the house of the LORD cups 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:

However, the money collected for the Lord's Temple was not used for making silver basins, lamp trimmers, bowls, trumpets, or any items of gold or silver for the Lord's Temple.

14 for they gave that to them that did the work, and repaired therewith the house of the LORD.

It was used to pay the workers doing the repairs to the Lord's Temple.

15 Moreover they reckoned not with the men, into whose hand they delivered the money to give to them that did the work: for they dealt faithfully.

No accounts were demanded from the men who received the money to pay the workers because they did everything honestly.

16 The money for the guilt offerings, and the money for the sin offerings, was not brought into the house of the LORD: it was the priests’.

The money from the guilt offerings and sin offerings was not collected for the Lord's Temple because it belonged to the priests.

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

Around this time Hazael, king of Aram, went and attacked Gath, and captured it. Then he marched to attack Jerusalem.

18 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 of the king’s house, and sent it to Hazael king of Syria: and he went away from Jerusalem.

So King Joash of Judah took all the holy objects dedicated by his forefathers Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah, the kings of Judah, along with all the items he had dedicated himself, and all the gold found in the treasuries of the Lord's Temple and the royal palace, and he sent everything to Hazael, king of Aram. So Hazael retreated from Jerusalem.

19 Now 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?

The rest of what happened in Joash's reign and all that he did are recorded in the Book of Chronicles of the Kings of Judah.

20 And his servants arose, and made a conspiracy, and smote Joash at the house of Millo, [on the way] that goeth down to Silla.

His officials plotted against him and murdered him at Beth Millo, on the road that goes down to Silla.

21 For Jozacar 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 hin stead.

The officials who attacked and killed him were Jozacar, son of Shimeath, and Jehozabad, son of Shomer. They buried him with his forefathers in the City of David. His son Amaziah succeeded him as king.