2 Chronicles

Joash of Judah (835-796)

Joash was seven years old when he became king and reigned for forty years in Jerusalem. His mother was Zibiah of Beersheba.

Joash did what was pleasing to the Lord throughout the lifetime of Jehoiada, the priest.

Jehoiada found him two wives, and he had sons and daughters.

After that, Joash decided to repair the Lord’s house.

Calling the priests and the Levites together, he said: “Go out to the towns of Judah and collect enough money from all the Israelites to make possible annual repairs on the house of God. Do this quickly.” But the Levites were in no hurry.

So the king called Jehoiada, for he was their head, and said: “Why have you not insisted on the Levites collecting from Judah and Jerusalem the tax which Moses, the servant of the Lord, required the people to pay for the maintenance of the Tent of Meeting?

Athaliah and her sons, whom she perverted, damaged the house of God and even used many of the sacred objects in the worship of Baal.”

So the king ordered them to make a chest and place it outside the gate of the Lord’s house.

And they announced throughout Judah and Jerusalem that they had to bring to the Lord the tax Moses, that servant of God, had required in the wilderness.

All the officials and all the people came joyfully with their contribution, dropping it into the chest until it was filled.

The Levites took the chest to the royal control office whenever they saw a lot of money. The king’s secretary then came with representatives of the chief priest to remove the chest, empty it of its contents, and later return it to its original place. They did this every day and amassed a substantial amount of money.

The king and Jehoiada gave the money to those who were in charge of repairing the house, and they hired men, masons, and carpenters, who set about restoring the Lord’s house; artisans in iron and bronze also worked on the repairing of it.

The supervisors having once made a start, the repairs went ahead. They rebuilt the house of God as before, as solid as ever.

When they finished, they brought the balance of the money to the king and Jehoiada; from this, furnishings were made for the Lord’s house, vessels for the liturgy and burnt offerings, incense boats, and objects of gold and silver. So, for as long as Jehoiada lived, they offered sacrifices regularly in the Lord’s house.

Then Jehoiada, growing old, had his fill of days and died. He died at the age of one hundred and thirty years,

and they buried him with the kings in the city of David because he had served Israel well and God and his house.

After the death of Jehoiada, the officials of Judah came to pay court to the king, and the king now turned to them for advice.

The Judaeans abandoned the house of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and worshiped the Asherah poles and idols. Because of this sinful activity, God was angry with Judah and Jerusalem.

He sent prophets to bring them back to the Lord, but they would not listen when they spoke.

The spirit of God took control of Zechariah, son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood up before the people and said: “God says this: Why are you disobeying the commandments of the Lord? You cannot prosper. You have abandoned the Lord, and he will abandon you.”

They then plotted against him and, by order of the king, stoned him in the court of the Lord’s house.

King Joash forgot the kindness of Jehoiada, the father of Zechariah, and killed Jehoiada’s son, who cried out as he died: “Let the Lord see and do justice!”

When a year had gone by, the Aramaean army made war on Joash. They reached Judah and Jerusalem and killed all the officials among the people, sending back to the king of Damascus all that they had plundered from them.

Though the Aramaean army was small, the Lord delivered an army of great size into its power, for they had abandoned him, the God of their ancestors.

The Aramaeans wounded Joash, and when they withdrew, they left him a very sick man, and his officers, plotting against him to avenge the death of the son of Jehoiada, the priest, murdered him in his bed. So he died, and they buried him in the city of David, though not in the king’s tomb.

These were the conspirators: Zabad, son of Shimeath, the Ammonite woman, and Jehozabad, son of Shimrith from Moab.

Regarding his sons, the heavy tribute he demanded, and the restoration of the house of God, this is recorded in the Book of the King’s commentary. His son Amaziah succeeded him.