^12:1In Jehu’s seventh year Jehoash became king; he reigned for forty years in Jerusalem.¹ His mother was Zibiah, who was from Beer Sheba. ^12:2Throughout his lifetime Jehoash did what the Lord approved,² just as³ Jehoiada the priest taught him. ^12:3But the high places were not eliminated; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense on the high places.

^12:4Jehoash said to the priests, “I place at your disposal⁴ all the consecrated silver that has been brought to the Lord’s temple, including the silver collected from the census tax,⁵ the silver received from those who have made vows,⁶ and all the silver that people have voluntarily contributed to the Lord’s temple.⁷^12:5The priests should receive the silver they need from the treasurers and repair any damage to the temple they discover.”⁸

^12:6By the twenty-third year of King Jehoash’s reign the priests had still not repaired the damage to the temple. ^12:7So King Jehoash summoned Jehoiada the priest along with the other priests, and said to them, “Why have you not repaired the damage to the temple? Now, take no more silver from your treasurers unless you intend to use it to repair the damage.”⁹^12:8The priests agreed¹⁰ not to collect silver from the people and relieved themselves of personal responsibility for the temple repairs.¹¹

^12:9Jehoiada the priest took a chest and drilled a hole in its lid. He placed it on the right side of the altar near the entrance of¹² the Lord’s temple. The priests who guarded the entrance would put into it all the silver brought to the Lord’s temple. ^12:10When they saw the chest was full of silver, the royal secretary¹³ and the high priest counted the silver that had been brought to the Lord’s temple and bagged it up.¹⁴^12:11They would then hand over¹⁵ the silver that had been weighed to the construction foremen¹⁶ assigned to the Lord’s temple. They hired carpenters and builders to work on the Lord’s temple, ^12:12as well as masons and stonecutters. They bought wood and chiseled stone to repair the damage to the Lord’s temple and also paid for all the other expenses.¹⁷^12:13The silver brought to the Lord’s temple was not used for silver bowls, trimming shears, basins, trumpets, or any kind of gold or silver implements. ^12:14It was handed over¹⁸ to the foremen who used it to repair the Lord’s temple. ^12:15They did not audit the treasurers who disbursed¹⁹ the funds to the foremen, for they were honest.²⁰^12:16(The silver collected in conjunction with reparation offerings and sin offerings was not brought to the Lord’s temple; it belonged to the priests.)

^12:17At that time King Hazael of Syria attacked²¹ Gath and captured it. Hazael then decided to attack Jerusalem.²²^12:18King Jehoash of Judah collected all the sacred items that his ancestors Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah, kings of Judah, had consecrated, as well as his own sacred items and all the gold that could be found in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and the royal palace. He sent it all²³ to King Hazael of Syria, who then withdrew²⁴ from Jerusalem.

^12:19The rest of the events of Joash’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah.²⁵^12:20His servants conspired against him²⁶ and murdered Joash at Beth-Millo, on the road that goes down to Silla.²⁷^12:21His servants Jozabad son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer murdered him.²⁸ He was buried²⁹ with his ancestors in the city of David. His son Amaziah replaced him as king.

Jehoahaz’s Reign over Israel

^13:1In the twenty-third year of the reign of Judah’s King Joash son of Ahaziah, Jehu’s son Jehoahaz became king over Israel. He reigned in Samaria¹ for seventeen years. ^13:2He did evil in the sight of² the Lord. He continued in³ the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who had encouraged Israel to sin; he did not repudiate those sins.⁴^13:3The Lord was furious with⁵ Israel and handed them over to⁶ King Hazael of Syria and to Hazael’s son Ben Hadad for many years.⁷

^13:4Jehoahaz asked for the Lord’s mercy⁸ and the Lord responded favorably,⁹ for he saw that Israel was oppressed by the king of Syria.¹⁰^13:5The Lord provided a deliverer¹¹ for Israel and they were freed from Syria’s power.¹² The Israelites once more lived in security.¹³^13:6But they did not repudiate¹⁴ the sinful ways of the family¹⁵ of Jeroboam, who encouraged Israel to sin; they continued in those sins.¹⁶ There was even an Asherah pole¹⁷ standing in Samaria. ^13:7Jehoahaz had no army left¹⁸ except for fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and 10,000 foot soldiers. The king of Syria had destroyed his troops¹⁹ and trampled on them like dust.²⁰

^13:8The rest of the events of Jehoahaz’s reign, including all his accomplishments and successes, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.²¹^13:9Jehoahaz passed away²² and was buried²³ in Samaria. His son Joash replaced him as king.

Jehoash’s Reign over Israel

^13:10In the thirty-seventh year of King Joash’s reign over Judah, Jehoahaz’s son Jehoash became king over Israel. He reigned in Samaria²⁴ for sixteen years. ^13:11He did evil in the sight of²⁵ the Lord. He did not repudiate²⁶ the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin; he continued in those sins.²⁷^13:12The rest of the events of Joash’s²⁸ reign, including all his accomplishments and his successful war with King Amaziah of Judah, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.²⁹^13:13Joash passed away³⁰ and Jeroboam succeeded him on the throne.³¹ Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.

Elisha Makes One Final Prophecy

^13:14Now Elisha had a terminal illness.³² King Joash of Israel went down to visit him.³³ He wept before him and said, “My father, my father! The chariot³⁴ and horsemen of Israel!”³⁵^13:15Elisha told him, “Take a bow and some arrows,” and he did so.³⁶^13:16Then Elisha³⁷ told the king of Israel, “Aim the bow.”³⁸ He did so,³⁹ and Elisha placed his hands on the king’s hands. ^13:17Elisha⁴⁰ said, “Open the east window,” and he did so.⁴¹ Elisha said, “Shoot!” and

he did so.⁴² Elisha⁴³ said, “This arrow symbolizes the victory the Lord will give you over Syria.⁴⁴ You will annihilate Syria in Aphek!”⁴⁵^13:18Then Elisha⁴⁶ said, “Take the arrows,” and he did so.⁴⁷ He told the king of Israel, “Strike the ground!” He struck the ground three times and stopped. ^13:19The prophet⁴⁸ got angry at him and said, “If you had struck the ground five or six times, you would have annihilated Syria!⁴⁹ But now, you will defeat Syria only three times.”

^13:20Elisha died and was buried.⁵⁰ Moabite raiding parties invaded⁵¹ the land at the beginning of the year.⁵²^13:21One day some men⁵³ were burying a man when they spotted⁵⁴ a raiding party. So they threw the dead man⁵⁵ into Elisha’s tomb. When the body⁵⁶ touched Elisha’s bones, the dead man⁵⁷ came to life and stood on his feet.

^13:22Now King Hazael of Syria oppressed Israel throughout Jehoahaz’s reign.⁵⁸^13:23But the Lord had mercy on them and felt pity for them.⁵⁹ He extended his favor to them⁶⁰ because of the promise he had made⁶¹ to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He has been unwilling to destroy them or remove them from his presence to this very day.⁶²^13:24When King Hazael of Syria died, his son Ben Hadad replaced him as king. ^13:25Jehoahaz’s son Jehoash took back from⁶³ Ben Hadad son of Hazael the cities that he had taken from his father Jehoahaz in war. Joash defeated him three times and recovered the Israelite cities.

Amaziah’s Reign over Judah

^14:1In the second year of the reign of Israel’s King Joash son of Joahaz,¹ Joash’s² son Amaziah became king over Judah. ^14:2He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem.³ His mother⁴ was Jehoaddan, who was from Jerusalem. ^14:3He did what the Lord approved,⁵ but not like David his father. He followed the example of his father Joash.⁶^14:4But the high places were not eliminated; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense on the high places.

^14:5When he had secured control of the kingdom,⁷ he executed the servants who had assassinated his father.⁸^14:6But he did not execute the sons of the assassins. He obeyed the Lord’s commandment as recorded in the law scroll of Moses,⁹ “Fathers must not be put to death for what their sons do,¹⁰ and sons must not be put to death for what their fathers do.¹¹ A man must be put to death only for his own sin.”¹²

^14:7He defeated¹³ 10,000 Edomites in the Salt Valley; he captured Sela in battle and renamed it Joktheel, a name it has retained to this very day. ^14:8Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel. He said, “Come, let’s meet face to face.”¹⁴^14:9King Jehoash of Israel sent this message back to King Amaziah of Judah, “A thornbush in Lebanon sent this message to a cedar in Lebanon, ‘Give your daughter to my son as a wife.’ Then a wild animal¹⁵ of Lebanon came by and trampled down the thorn.¹⁶^14:10You thoroughly defeated Edom¹⁷ and it has gone to your head!¹⁸ Gloat over your success,¹⁹ but stay in your palace. Why bring calamity on yourself? Why bring down yourself and Judah along with you?”²⁰^14:11But Amaziah would not heed the warning,²¹ so King Jehoash of Israel attacked.²² He and King Amaziah of Judah met face to face²³ in Beth Shemesh of Judah. ^14:12Judah was defeated by Israel, and each man ran back home.²⁴^14:13King Jehoash of Israel captured King Amaziah of Judah, son of Jehoash son of Ahaziah, in Beth Shemesh. He²⁵ attacked²⁶ Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate—a distance of about six hundred feet.²⁷^14:14He took away all the gold and silver, all the items found in the Lord’s temple and in the treasuries of the royal palace, and some hostages.²⁸ Then he went back to Samaria.²⁹

(^14:15The rest of the events of Jehoash’s³⁰ reign, including all his accomplishments and his successful war with King Amaziah of…

Read in Logos

This passage has been shortened. Keep reading 2 Kings 12–19 in Logos

Footnotes

1 For location see ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .
2 Heb “and Jehoash did what was proper in the eyes of the Lord all his days.”
3 Heb “that which.” Jehoiada taught the king the Lord’s will.
4 The words “I place at your disposal” are added in the translation for clarification.
5 Heb “the silver of passing over a man.” The precise meaning of the phrase is debated, but עָבַר (’avar), “pass over,” probably refers here to counting, suggesting the reference is to a census conducted for taxation purposes. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (), .
6 Heb “the silver of persons, his valuation.” The precise meaning of the phrase is uncertain, but parallels in Lev 27 suggest that personal vows are referred to here. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (), .
7 Heb “all the silver which goes up on the heart of a man to bring to the house of the Lord.”
8 Heb “Let the priests take for themselves, each from his treasurer, and let them repair the damage of the temple, with respect to all the damage that is found there.” The word מַכָּר (makar), translated here “treasurer,” occurs only in this passage. Some suggest it means “merchant” or “benefactor.” Its usage in Ugaritic texts, where it appears in a list of temple officials, suggests that it refers in this context to individuals who were in charge of disbursing temple funds.
9 Heb “Now, do not take silver from your treasurers, because for the damages to the temple you must give it.”
10 Outside of this passage the verb אוּת (’ut) appears only in Gen 34:15–22.
11 Heb “and not to repair the damages to the temple.” This does not mean that the priests were no longer interested in repairing the temple. As the following context makes clear, the priests decided to hire skilled workers to repair the damage to the temple, rather than trying to make the repairs themselves.
12 Heb “on the right side of the altar as a man enters.”
13 Heb “the king’s scribe.”
14 Heb “went up and tied [it] and counted the silver that was found in the house of the Lord.” The order of the clauses has been rearranged in the translation to make better sense in English, since it seems more logical to count the money before bagging it (cf. , , , ).
15 Heb “would give.”
16 Heb “doers of the work.”
17 Heb “and for all that which was going out concerning the house for repair.”
18 Heb “was given.”
19 Heb “gave.”
20 Heb “and they did not conduct a reckoning of the men who gave the silver into their hand to give to the doers of the work, for in honesty they were working.”
21 Heb “went up and fought against.”
22 Heb “Hazael set his face to go up against Jerusalem.”
23 The object (“it all”) is supplied in the translation for clarification.
24 Heb “went up.”
25 Heb “As for the rest of the events of Joash, and all which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?”
26 Heb “rose up and conspired [with] a conspiracy.”
27 Heb “Beth Millo which goes down [toward] Silla.”
28 Heb “struck him down and he died.”
29 Heb “they buried him.”
1 For location see ; ; ; ; .
2 Heb “in the eyes of.”
3 Heb “walked after.”
4 Heb “he did not turn aside from it.”
5 Heb “and the anger of the Lord burned against.”
6 Heb “he gave them into the hand of.”
7 Heb “all the days.”
8 Heb “appeased the face of the Lord.”
9 Heb “and the Lord heard.”
10 Heb “for he saw the oppression of Israel, for the king of Syria oppressed them.”
11 The identity of this unnamed “deliverer” is debated. For options see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (), .
12 Heb “and they went from under the hand of Syria.”
13 Heb “and the sons of Israel lived in their tents as before.”
14 Heb “they did not turn away from.”
15 Heb “house.”
16 Heb “in it he walked.” The singular verb (הָלַךְ, halakh) is probably due to an error of haplography and should be emended to the plural (הָלְכּוּ, halÿku). Note that a vav immediately follows (on the form וְגַם, végam).
17 Or “an image of Asherah”; , “the Asherah”; “the Asherah idol.” Asherah was a leading deity of the Canaanite pantheon, wife/sister of El and goddess of fertility. She was commonly worshiped at shrines in or near groves of evergreen trees, or, failing that, at places marked by wooden poles. These were to be burned or cut down (Deut 12:3; 16:21; Judg 6:25, 28, 30; 2 Kgs 18:4).
18 Heb “Indeed he did not leave to Jehoahaz people.” The identity of the subject is uncertain, but the king of Syria, mentioned later in the verse, is a likely candidate.
19 Heb “them,” i.e., the remainder of this troops.
20 Heb “and made them like dust for trampling.”
21 Heb “As for the rest of the events of Jehoahaz, and all which he did and his strength, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
22 Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
23 Heb “and they buried him.”
24 For location see ; ; ; ; .
25 Heb “in the eyes of.”
26 Heb “turn away from all.”
27 Heb “in it he walked.”
28 Jehoash and Joash are alternate forms of the same name.
29 Heb “As for the rest of the events of Joash, and all which he did and his strength, [and] how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
30 Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
31 Heb “sat on his throne.”
32 Heb “Now Elisha was ill with the illness by which he would die.”
33 Heb “went down to him.”
34 Though the noun is singular here, it may be collective, in which case it could be translated “chariots.”
35 By comparing Elisha to a one-man army, the king emphasizes the power of the prophetic word. See the note at .
36 Heb “and he took a bow and some arrows.”
37 Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
38 Heb “Cause your hand to ride on the bow.”
39 Heb “and he caused his hand to ride.”
40 Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
41 Heb “He opened [it].”
42 Heb “and he shot.”
43 Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
44 Heb “The arrow of victory of the Lord and the arrow of victory over Syria.”
45 Heb “you will strike down Syria in Aphek until destruction.”
46 Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
47 Heb “and he took [them].”
48 Heb “man of God.”
49 Heb “[It was necessary] to strike five or six times, then you would strike down Syria until destruction.” On the syntax of the infinitive construct, see §114.k.
50 Heb “and they buried him.”
51 Heb “entered.”
52 The reading בָּא שָׁנָה (ba’ shanah), “it came, year,” should probably be emended to בְּבָּא הַשָּׁנָה (béba’ hashanah), “at the coming [i.e., ‘beginning’] of the year.” See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (), .
53 Heb “and it so happened [that] they.”
54 Heb “and look, they saw.”
55 Heb “the man”; the adjective “dead” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
56 Heb “the man.”
57 Heb “he”; the referent (the dead man) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Otherwise the reader might think it was Elisha rather than the unnamed dead man who came back to life.
58 Heb “all the days of Jehoahaz.”
59 Or “showed them compassion.”
60 Heb “he turned to them.”
61 Heb “because of his covenant with.”
62 Heb “until now.”
63 Heb “from the hand of.”
1 The name Joahaz is an alternate form of Jehoahaz.
2 The referent here is Joash of Judah (see 12:21), not Joash of Israel, mentioned earlier in the verse.
3 For location see ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .
4 Heb “the name of his mother.”
5 Heb “he did what was proper in the eyes of the Lord.”
6 Heb “according to all which Joash his father had done, he did.”
7 Heb “when the kingdom was secure in his hand.”
8 Heb “he struck down his servants, the ones who had struck down the king, his father.”
9 Heb “as it is written in the scroll of the law of Moses which the Lord commanded, saying.”
10 Heb “on account of sons.”
11 Heb “on account of fathers.”
12 This law is recorded in Deut 24:16.
13 Or “struck down.”
14 Heb “let us look at each other [in the] face.” The expression refers here to meeting in battle. See v. 11.
15 Heb “the animal of the field.”
16 Judah is the thorn in the allegory. Amaziah’s success has deceived him into thinking he is on the same level as the major powers in the area (symbolized by the cedar). In reality he is not capable of withstanding an attack by a real military power such as Israel (symbolized by the wild animal).
17 Or “you have indeed defeated Edom.”
18 Heb “and your heart has lifted you up.”
19 Heb “be glorified.”
20 Heb “Why get involved in calamity and fall, you and Judah with you?”
21 Heb “did not listen.”
22 Heb “went up.”
23 Heb “looked at each other [in the] face.”
24 Heb “and Judah was struck down before Israel and they fled, each to his tent.”
25 The has the plural form of the verb, but the final vav (ו) is virtually dittographic. The word that immediately follows in the Hebrew text begins with a yod (י). The form should be emended to the singular, which is consistent in number with the verb (“he broke down”) that follows.
26 Heb “came to.”
27 Heb “four hundred cubits.” The standard cubit in the OT is assumed by most authorities to be about eighteen inches (45 cm) long.
28 Heb “the sons of the pledges.”
29 For location see ; ; ; ; .
30 Jehoash and Joash are alternate forms of the same name.