Read the Modern Pastor’s Version

In the seventh year of King Jehu's reign, Jehoash became the new king of Judah. He ruled for forty years from Jerusalem. His mother was Zibiah from Beersheba.

Jehoash did what was right in God's sight all his life. The priest Jehoiada guided him and helped him make wise decisions. However, even though they were doing things right, the people continued to use the high places for sacrifices and incense.

The king called the priests together and asked them to collect money from the people for repairs on the Lord's house. He instructed them to gather contributions from everyone who brought offerings, as well as any extra money that came in. The priests were to take this money from their donors and use it to fix any broken parts of the temple.

Twenty-three years into Jehoash's reign, the priests still hadn't made any repairs to the house. So the king called Jehoiada again and asked him why the work wasn't being done. He told them not to accept any more money from the people but instead to put it towards the repairs.

The priests agreed to stop taking money from the people and promised to use it only for fixing the temple. To keep track of the donations, they placed a chest near the altar with a hole in its lid. The priests who guarded the entrance would put all the collected money into the chest.

As time passed, the chest became filled with a significant amount of money. The king's scribe and the high priest counted it carefully and divided it among those responsible for the temple repairs – the carpenters, builders, masons, and stonecutters who worked on the house.

Not one penny from the donations was used to make fancy items like silver bowls or gold vessels. Instead, the money was given to the workers who repaired the temple. The king's officials trusted the people in charge of the funds, so they didn't have to account for every single shekel.

However, there was a problem with the sin and trespass offerings – the priests were keeping that money for themselves instead of putting it towards the temple repairs.

King Hazael of Syria attacked Gath and then marched his army towards Jerusalem. King Jehoash took all the sacred treasures from his ancestors' time as well as some gold from the temple and the palace, and he sent them to Hazael.

The rest of Jehoash's story is recorded in the book of the kings of Judah.

Eventually, a group of servants rose up against him and killed him inside the Millo district, near Silla. Jozachar son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer were responsible for his death. They buried him with his ancestors in the city of David, and Amaziah became the new king.

He ruled after Jehoash's passing