2 Kings 12:1–13:25

12 In the seventh year of Jehu, Joash became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah; she was from Beer-sheba.aa 2 Throughout the time the priest Jehoiadaab instructedac him, Joash did what was right in the Lord’s sight.ad 3 Yet the high places were not taken away; the people continued sacrificing and burning incense on the high places.ae

REPAIRING THE TEMPLE

4 Thenaf Joash said to the priests, “All the dedicated silver brought to the Lord’s temple,ag census silver,ah silver from vows,ai and all silver voluntarily givenaj for the Lord’s temple—5 each priest is to take it from his assessorC and repair whatever damage is found in the temple.”D,ak

6 But by the twenty-third yearal of the reign of King Joash, the priests had not repaired the damage* to the temple.am 7 So King Joash called the priest Jehoiadaan and the other priests and asked, “Why haven’t you repaired the temple’s damage? Since you haven’t, don’t take any silver from your assessors; instead, hand it over for the repair of the temple.” 8 So the priests agreed that they would receive no silver from the people and would not be the ones to repair the temple’s damage.

9 Then the priest Jehoiada took a chest,ao bored a hole in its lid, and set it beside the altar on the right side as one enters the Lord’s temple; the priests who guarded the threshold put into the chest all the silver that was brought to the Lord’s temple.ap 10 Whenever they saw there was a large amount of silver in the chest, the king’s secretaryaq and the high priest would go bag up and tally the silver found in the Lord’s temple.ar 11 Then they would give the weighed silver to those doing the work—those who oversaw the Lord’s temple. They in turn would pay it out to those working on the Lord’s temple—the carpenters, the builders, 12 the masons, and the stonecutters—and would use it to buy timber and quarried stone to repair the damage to the Lord’s templeas and for all expenses for temple repairs.

13 However, no silver bowls, wick trimmers, sprinkling basins, trumpets, or any articles of gold or silvera were made for the Lord’s temple from the contributionsA brought to the Lord’s temple. 14 Instead, it was given to those doing the work, and they repaired the Lord’s temple with it. 15 No accounting was required from the men who received the silver to pay those doing the work, since they worked with integrity.b 16 The silver from the guilt offering and the sin offering was not brought to the Lord’s temple since it belonged to the priests.c

ARAMEAN INVASION OF JUDAH

17 At that time King Hazaeld of Aram marched up and fought against Gath and captured it. Then he planned to attack Jerusalem.e 18 So King Joash of Judah took all the items consecrated by himself and by his ancestors—Judah’s kings Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah—as well as all the gold found in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and in the king’s palace, and he sent them to King Hazael of Aram.f Then Hazael withdrew from Jerusalem.

JOASH ASSASSINATED

19 The rest of the events of Joash’s reign, along with all his accomplishments, are written in the Historical Record of Judah’s Kings.g 20 Joash’s servants conspired against him and attacked himh at Beth-milloi on the road that goes down to Silla. 21 It was his servants Jozabad* son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer who attacked him. He diedj and they buried him with his ancestors in the city of David, and his son Amaziah became king in his place.k

ISRAEL’S KING JEHOAHAZ

13 In the twenty-third year of Judah’s King Joashl son of Ahaziah, Jehoahazm son of Jehu became king over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned seventeen years. 2 He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight and followed the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit; he did not turn away from them.n 3 So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel,o and he handed them over to King Hazaelp of Aram and to his son Ben-hadadq during their reigns.

4 Then Jehoahaz sought the Lord’s favor, and the Lord heard him, for he saw the oppression the king of Aram inflicted on Israel.r 5 Therefore, the Lord gave Israel a deliverer,s and they escaped from the power of the Arameans. Then the people of Israel returned to their former way of life,C 6 but they didn’t turn away from the sins that the house of Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit. Jehoahaz continued them,t and the Asherah pole also remained standing in Samaria. 7 Jehoahaz did not have an army left, except for fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand foot soldiers, because the king of Aram had destroyed them,u making them like dust at threshing.v

8 The rest of the events of Jehoahaz’s reign, along with all his accomplishments and his might, are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings.w 9 Jehoahaz rested with his ancestors, and he was buried in Samaria. His son JehoashA became king in his place.

ISRAEL’S KING JEHOASH

10 In the thirty-seventh year of Judah’s King Joash, Jehoash son of Jehoahaz became king over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned sixteen years. 11 He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight. He did not turn away from all the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit, but he continued them.x

12 The rest of the events of Jehoash’s reign, along with all his accomplishments and the power he had to wage war against Judah’s King Amaziah,y are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings. 13 Jehoash rested with his ancestors, and Jeroboamz sat on his throne. Jehoash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.

ELISHA’S DEATH

14 When Elisha became sick with the illness from which he died, King Jehoash of Israel went down and wept over him and said, “My father, my father, the chariots and horsemen of Israel!”aa

15 Elisha responded, “Get a bow and arrows.” So he got a bow and arrows.ab 16 Then Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Grasp the bow.” So the king grasped it, and Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands. 17 Elisha said, “Open the east window.” So he opened it. Elisha said, “Shoot!” So he shot.ac Then Elisha said, “The Lord’s arrow of victory, yes, the arrow of victory over Aram. You are to strike down the Arameans in Apheka until you have put an end to them.”

18 Then Elisha said, “Take the arrows!” So he took them. Then Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground!” So he struck the ground three times and stopped. 19 The man of Godb was angry with him and said, “You should have struck the ground five or six times. Then you would have struck down Aram until you had put an end to them, but now you will strike down Aram only three times.” 20 Then Elisha died and was buried.c

Now Moabite raidersd used to come into the land in the spring of the year. 21 Once, as the Israelites were burying a man, suddenly they saw a raiding party, so they threw the man into Elisha’s tomb. When he touched Elisha’s bones, the man revived and stood up!e

GOD’S MERCY ON ISRAEL

22 King Hazaelf of Aram oppressed Israel throughout the reign of Jehoahaz, 23 but the Lord was gracious to them, had compassion on them,g and turned toward them because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.h He was not willing to destroy them. Even now he has not banished them from his presence.i

24 King Hazael of Aram died, and his son Ben-hadadj became king in his place. 25 Then Jehoash son of Jehoahaz took back from Ben-hadad son of Hazael the cities that Hazael had taken in war from Jehoash’s father Jehoahaz. Jehoash defeated Ben-hadad three times and recovered the cities of Israel.k