24:1 Joash was seven years old when he began to reign. He reigned for forty years in Jerusalem. 1 His mother was Zibiah, who was from Beer Sheba. 24:2 Joash did what the Lord approved 2 throughout the lifetime 3 of Jehoiada the priest. 24:3 Jehoiada chose two wives for him who gave him sons and daughters.
24:4 Joash was determined to repair the Lord’s temple. 4 24:5 He assembled the priests and Levites and ordered them, “Go out to the cities of Judah and collect the annual quota of silver from all Israel for repairs on the temple of your God. Be quick about it!” But the Levites delayed.
24:6 So the king summoned Jehoiada the chief priest, 5 and said to him, “Why have you not made 6 the Levites collect 7 from Judah and Jerusalem the tax authorized by Moses the Lord’s servant and by the assembly of Israel at the tent containing the tablets of the law?” 8 24:7 (Wicked Athaliah and her sons had broken into God’s temple and used all the holy items of the Lord’s temple in their worship of the Baals.) 24:8 The king ordered a chest to be made and placed outside the gate of the Lord’s temple. 9 24:9 An edict was sent throughout Judah and Jerusalem requiring the people to bring to the Lord the tax that Moses, God’s servant, imposed on Israel in the wilderness. 10 24:10 All the officials and all the people gladly brought their silver and threw it into the chest until it was full. 24:11 Whenever the Levites brought the chest to the royal accountant and they saw there was a lot of silver, the royal scribe and the accountant of the high priest emptied the chest and then took it back to its place. They went through this routine every day and collected a large amount of silver.
24:12 The king and Jehoiada gave it to the construction foremen 11 assigned to the Lord’s temple. They hired carpenters and craftsmen to repair the Lord’s temple, as well as those skilled in working with iron and bronze to restore the Lord’s temple. 24:13 They worked hard and made the repairs. 12 They followed the measurements specified for God’s temple and restored it. 13 24:14 When they were finished, they brought the rest of the silver to the king and Jehoiada. They used it to make items for the Lord’s temple, including items used in the temple service and for burnt sacrifices, pans, and various other gold and silver items. Throughout Jehoiada’s lifetime, burnt sacrifices were offered regularly in the Lord’s temple.
1 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
2 tn Heb “and Joash did what was proper in the eyes of the
3 tn Heb “all the days of.”
4 tn Heb “and it was, later, there was with the heart of Joash to repair the house of the
5 tn Heb “Jehoiada the head”; the word “priest” not in the Hebrew text but is implied.
6 tn Heb “sought.”
7 tn Heb “bring.”
8 tn Heb “the tent of testimony.”
9 tn Heb “and the king said [it] and they made a chest and placed it in the gate of the house of the
10 tn Heb “and they gave voice in Judah and Jerusalem to bring to the
11 tn Heb “doers of the work.”
12 tn Heb “and the doers of the work worked, and the repairs went up for the work by their hand.”
13 tn Heb “and they caused the house of God to stand according to its measurements and they strengthened it.”