2 Kings 12–19

12¹In the seventh year of Jehu, Joash became king and reigned 40 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah, who was from Beer-sheba. ^z2Throughout the time Jehoiada ^athe priest instructed ^bhim, Joash did what was right in the Lord’s sight. ^c3Yet the high places were not taken away; the people continued sacrificing and burning incense on the high places. ^d

Repairing the Temple

⁴Then ^eJoash said to the priests, “All the dedicated money brought to the Lord’s temple, ^fcensus money, ^gmoney from vows, ^hand all money voluntarily given ⁱfor the Lord’s temple, ⁵each priest is to take from his assessor ^jand repair whatever damage to the temple is found.” ^kl

⁶But by the twenty-third year ^mof the reign of King Joash, the priests had not repaired the damage ⁿto the temple. ^o7So King Joash called Jehoiada ^pthe priest and the other priests and said, “Why haven’t you repaired the temple’s damage? Since you haven’t, don’t take any money from your assessors; instead, hand it over for the repair of the temple.” ⁸So the priests agreed they would not take money from the people and they would not repair the temple’s damage.

⁹Then Jehoiada the priest took a chest, ^qbored a hole in its lid, and set it beside the altar on the right side as one enters the Lord’s temple; in it the priests who guarded the threshold put all the money brought into the Lord’s temple. ^r10Whenever they saw there was a large amount of money in the chest, the king’s secretary ^sand the high priest would go to the Lord’s temple and count the money found there and tie it up in bags. ^t11Then they would put the counted money into the hands of 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, ¹²the masons, and the stonecutters—and would use it to buy timber and quarried stone to repair the damage to the Lord’s temple ^uand for all spending for temple repairs.

¹³However, no silver bowls, wick trimmers, sprinkling basins, trumpets, or any articles of gold or silver ^vwere made for the Lord’s temple from the money brought into the temple. ¹⁴Instead, it was given to those doing the work, and they repaired the Lord’s temple with it. ¹⁵No accounting was required from the men who received the money to pay those doing the work, since they worked with integrity. ^w16The money from the restitution offering and the sin offering was not brought to the Lord’s temple since it belonged to the priests. ^x

Aramean Invasion of Judah

¹⁷At that time Hazael ^yking of Aram marched up and fought against Gath and captured it. Then he planned to attack Jerusalem. ^z18So King Joash of Judah took all the consecrated items that his ancestors—Judah’s kings Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah—had consecrated, along with his own consecrated items and all the gold found in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and in the king’s palace, and he sent them to Hazael king of Aram. ^aThen Hazael withdrew from Jerusalem.

Joash Assassinated

¹⁹The rest of the events of Joash’s reign, along with all his accomplishments, are written in the Historical Record of Judah’s Kings. ^b20Joash’s servants conspired against him and killed him ^cat Beth-millo ^don the road that goes down to Silla. ²¹His servants Jozabad ^eson of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer struck him down, and he died. ^fThen they buried him with his fathers in the city of David, and his son Amaziah became king in his place. ^g

Israel’s King Jehoahaz

13In the twenty-third year of Judah’s King Joash ^hson of Ahaziah, Jehoahaz ⁱson of Jehu became king over Israel in Samaria and reigned 17 years. ²He 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. ^j3So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel, ^kand He surrendered them to the power of Hazael ^lking of Aram and his son Ben-hadad ^mduring their reigns.

⁴Then Jehoahaz sought the Lord’s favor, and the Lord heard him, for He saw the oppression the king of Aram inflicted on Israel. ⁿ⁵Therefore, the Lord gave Israel a deliverer, ^oand they escaped from the power of the Arameans. Then the people of Israel dwelt in their tents as before, ⁶but they didn’t turn away from the sins that the house of Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit. Jehoahaz walked in them, ^pand the Asherah pole also remained standing in Samaria. ⁷Jehoahaz did not have an army left, except for 50 horsemen, 10 chariots, and 10,000 foot soldiers, because the king of Aram had destroyed them, ^qmaking them like dust at threshing. ^r

⁸The 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. ^s9Jehoahaz rested with his fathers, and he was buried in Samaria. His son Jehoash ^tbecame king in his place.

Israel’s King Jehoash

¹⁰In the thirty-seventh year of Judah’s King Joash, Jehoash son of Jehoahaz became king over Israel in Samaria and reigned 16 years. ¹¹He 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 walked in them. ^u

¹²The 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, ^vare written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings. ¹³Jehoash rested with his fathers, and Jeroboam ^wsat on his throne. Jehoash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.

Elisha’s Death

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

¹⁵Elisha responded, “Take a bow and arrows.” So he got a bow and arrows. ^y16Then Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Put your hand on the bow.” So the king put his hand on it, and Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands. ¹⁷Elisha said, “Open the east window.” So he opened it. Elisha said, “Shoot!” So he shot. ^zThen Elisha said, “The Lord’s arrow of victory, yes, the arrow of victory over Aram. You are to strike down the Arameans in Aphek ^auntil you have put an end to them.”

¹⁸Then 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. ¹⁹The man of God ^bwas 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 only strike down Aram three times.” ²⁰Then Elisha died and was buried. ^c

Now Moabite raiders ^dused to come into the land in the spring of the year. ²¹Once, 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

²²Hazael ^fking of Aram oppressed Israel throughout the reign of Jehoahaz, ²³but the Lord was gracious to them, had compassion on them, ^gand turned toward them because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. ^hHe was not willing to destroy them. Even now He has not banished them from His presence. ⁱ

²⁴King Hazael of Aram died, and his son Ben-hadad ^jbecame king in his place. ²⁵Then 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

Judah’s King Amaziah

14In ^lthe second year of Israel’s King Jehoash ^mnson of Jehoahaz, ^oAmaziah ^pson of Joash became king of Judah. ²He was 25 years old when he became king and reigned 29 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan ^qand was from Jerusalem. ³He did what was right in the Lord’s sight, but not like his ancestor David. He did everything his father Joash had done. ^r4Yet the high places were not taken away, and the people continued sacrificing and burning incense on the high places. ^s

⁵As soon as the kingdom was firmly in his grasp, Amaziah killed his servants who had murdered his father the king. ^t6However, he did not put the children of the murderers to death, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses where the Lord commanded, “Fathers must not be put to death because of children, and children must not be put to death because of fathers; instead, each one will be put to death for his own sin.” ^u

⁷Amaziah killed 10,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt. ^vHe took Sela ^win battle and called it Joktheel, ^xwhich is its name to this very day. ⁸Amaziah then sent messengers to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, “Come, let us meet face to face.” ^y

⁹King Jehoash of Israel sent word to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, “The thistle that was in Lebanon once sent a message to the cedar ^zthat was in Lebanon, ^asaying, ‘Give your daughter to my son as a wife.’ Then a wild animal that was in Lebanon passed by and trampled the thistle. ¹⁰You have indeed defeated Edom, and you have become overconfident. ^bEnjoy your glory and stay at home. Why should you stir up such trouble that you fall—you and Judah with you?”

¹¹But Amaziah would not listen, so King Jehoash of Israel advanced. He and King Amaziah of Judah faced off at Beth-shemesh ^cthat belongs to Judah. ¹²Judah was routed before Israel, and everyone fled to his own tent. ^d13King Jehoash of Israel captured Judah’s King Amaziah son of Joash, ^eson of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh. Then Jehoash went to Jerusalem and broke down 200 yards ^fof Jerusalem’s wall from the Ephraim Gate ^gto the Corner Gate. ^h14He took all the gold and silver, all the articles found in the Lord’s temple and in the treasuries of the king’s palace, and some hostages. ⁱThen he returned to Samaria.

Jehoash’s Death

¹⁵The rest of the events of Jehoash’s reign, along with his accomplishments, his might, and how he waged war against Amaziah king of Judah, are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings. ^j…