Joash reigns well while Jehoiada lives and orders repairs to the temple, with money collected in a chest. He later pays tribute to Hazael of Syria with temple treasures, and is assassinated by his own officials.
1 In the seventh year of Jehu Jehoash began to reign ; and forty years reigned he in Jerusalem . And his mother's name was Zibiah of Beersheba .
2 And Jehoash did that which was right in the sight of the LORD all his days wherein Jehoiada the priest instructed him.
3 But the high places were not taken away : the people still sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places .
4 And Jehoash said to the priests , All the money of the dedicated things that is brought into the house of the LORD , even the money of every one that passeth the account, the money that every man is set at , and all the money that cometh into any man's heart to bring into the house of the LORD ,
5 Let the priests take it to them, every man of his acquaintance : and let them repair the breaches of the house , wheresoever any breach shall be found .
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 .
7 Then king Jehoash called for Jehoiada the priest , and the other priests , and said unto them, Why repair ye not the breaches of the house ? now therefore receive no more money of your acquaintance , but deliver it for the breaches of the house .
8 And the priests consented to receive no more money of the people , neither to repair the breaches of the house .
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 .
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 .
11 And they gave the money , being told , into the hands of them that did the work , that had the oversight of the house of the LORD : and they laid it out to the carpenters and builders , that wrought upon the house of the LORD ,
12 And to masons , and hewers of stone , and to buy timber and hewed stone to repair the breaches of the house of the LORD , and for all that was laid out for the house to repair it.
13 Howbeit there were not made for the house of the LORD bowls 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 :
14 But they gave that to the workmen , and repaired therewith the house of the LORD .
15 Moreover they reckoned not with the men , into whose hand they delivered the money to be bestowed on workmen : for they dealt faithfully .
16 The trespass money and sin money was not brought into the house of the LORD : it was 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 .
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 in the king's house , and sent it to Hazael king of Syria : and he went away from Jerusalem .
19 And 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 ?
20 And his servants arose , and made a conspiracy , and slew Joash in the house of Millo , which goeth down to Silla .
21 For Jozachar 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 his stead.