1It was in the seventh year of Yehu that Y'ho'ash began to rule, and he ruled forty years in Yerushalayim. His mother's name was Tzivyah, from Be'er-Sheva.
2Y'ho'ash did what was right from ADONAI's perspective throughout the lifetime of Y'hoyada the cohen, who instructed him.
3Nevertheless the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and presented offerings on the high places.
4Y'ho'ash said to the cohanim, "All the funds for sacred purposes which are brought to the house of ADONAI - the half-shekel tax, the taxes on persons in a man's household, and all the offerings anyone voluntarily brings to the house of ADONAI -
5the cohanim are to receive from whoever personally makes contributions to them; and they are to use these funds to repair the damaged parts of the house, wherever damage is found.
6But twenty-three years into the reign of King Y'ho'ash, the cohanim had still not repaired the damaged places in the house.
7So King Y'ho'ash summoned Y'hoyada the cohen and the other cohanim and said to them, "Why aren't you repairing the damaged places in the house? Therefore, you are no longer to take money from those who contribute it personally to you; you must hand it over to be used for repairing the damage in the house."
8The cohanim agreed not to receive money from the people, and they would no longer be responsible for repairing the damage to the house.
9Then Y'hoyada the cohen took a chest, drilled a hole in its lid and set it by the altar, on the right, as one enters the house of ADONAI; and the cohanim in charge of the entry put in it all the money brought into the house of ADONAI.
10When they saw that there was a large amount of money in the chest, the king's secretary and the cohen hagadol would come up, count the money found in the house of ADONAI and put it in bags.
11Then they would give the weighed-out money to those supervising the work in the house of ADONAI, who would use it to pay the carpenters and construction-workers doing the work in the house of ADONAI,
12on masons, stoneworkers, timber, worked stone and everything else needed for repairing the damaged places in the house of ADONAI.
13But none of the money brought into the house of ADONAI was used to make silver cups, snuffers, bowls, trumpets or other articles of gold or silver for the house of ADONAI;
14because they gave the money to those doing the
15More-work, thus restricting its use to repairing the damage in the house of ADONAI. over, they did not require an accounting from the supervisors given the money to pay the workers, because they dealt honestly.
16Money from guilt offerings and sin offerings, however, was not brought into the house of ADONAI; it went to the cohanim.
17Haza'el king of Aram went up and fought against Gat; and after capturing it, Haza'el made his decision to attack Yerushalayim.
18Y'ho'ash king of Y'hudah took all the consecrated articles that Y'hoshafat, Y'horam and Achazyah, his ancestors, kings of Y'hudah, had dedicated, as well as his own consecrated articles and all the gold found in the treasuries of the house of ADONAI and of the royal palace, and sent them to Haza'el king of Aram, who then withdrew from Yerushalayim.
19Other activities of Yo'ash and all his accomplishments are recorded in the Annals of the Kings of Y'hudah.
20Then his servants got together, formed a conspiracy and murdered Yo'ash at Beit-Millo on the way down to Sila.
21His servants Yozakhar the son of Shim'at and Y'hozavad the son of Shomer struck him, so that he died. They buried him with his ancestors in the City of David, and Amatzyah his son took his place as king.