 1 In the seventh year of Jehu, Joash began to reign. And he reigned in Jerusalem 40 years. And his mother's name was Zibiah of Beersheba. 2 Joash did the right in the sight of the Lord all his days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him. 3 But the high places were not taken away. The people still sacrificed and burned incense in the high places. 4 Joash said to the priests, All the silver from things dedicated to God that is brought into the house of the Lord, the silver from each man the silver of his valuation, all the silver that comes into any man's heart to bring to the house of the Lord, 5 let the priests take it to themselves, each man from those he knows. And let them repair the breaks in the house, in all places where any break shall be found. 6 In the twenty third year of King Joash, the priests had not repaired the breaks of the house. 7 Then king Joash called for Jehoiada the priest, and the priests, and said to them, Why are you not repairing the breaks of the house? Now take no silver from those you know, but deliver it for the breaks of the house. 8 The priests agreed to take no silver from the people, nor to repair the breaks of the house. 9 But Jehoiada the priest took a chest and bored a hole in its lid. And he set it beside the altar, on the right side as one comes into the house of the Lord. And the priests who kept the door put in it all the silver brought into the house of the Lord. 10 When they saw that much silver was in the chest, the king's scribe and the high priest came up. They bound and counted the silver that was found in the house of the Lord. 11 They gave the silver that was counted into the hands of those who did the work, those overseeing the house of the Lord. They laid it out to the carpenters and builders who worked on the house of the Lord. 12 And to masons and cutters of stone, and to buy timber and cut stone to repair the breaks of the house of the Lord, and for all that went for the house to repair it. 13 Only, there were no bowls of silver, snuffers, basins, trumpets, or any vessels of gold or vessels of silver, made for the house of the Lord from the silver that was brought into the house of the Lord. 14 For they gave it to the workmen, and repaired the house of the Lord with it. 15 They did not make an accounting with the men into whose hands they gave the silver to be given to the workmen. For they dealt faithfully. 16 The trespass silver and sin silver was not brought into the house of the Lord. It was the priests'. 17 Then King Hazael of Syria fought against Gath and took it. And Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem. 18 King Joash of Judah took all the holy things that Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own holy things, and all the gold found in the treasures of the house of the Lord, and in the king's house, and sent it to King Hazael of Syria. And he went away from Jerusalem. 19 The rest of the acts of Joash and all that he did are written in the book of the kings of Judah. 20 His servants arose and made a plot. They killed Joash in the house of Millo that goes down to Silla. 21 For Jozachar the son of Shimeath and Jehozabad the son of Shomer, his servants, struck him and he died. They buried him with his fathers in the city of David. And Amaziah his son reigned in his place.
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