2 Kings 12; 2 Kings 13; 2 Kings 14

1 In the seventh year of Jehu, Joash became king; he reigned 40 years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zibiah, who was from Beer-sheba.

2 Throughout the time Jehoiada the priest instructed him, Joash did what was right in the Lord's sight.

3 Yet the high places were not taken away; the people continued sacrificing and burning incense on the high places.

4 Then Joash said to the priests, "All the dedicated money brought to the Lord's temple, census money, money from vows, and all money voluntarily given for the Lord's temple,

5 each priest is to take from his assessor and repair whatever damage to the temple is found.

6 But by the twenty-third year [of the reign] of King Joash, the priests had not repaired the damage to the temple.

7 So King Joash called Jehoiada the 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."

8 So the priests agreed they would not take money from the people and they would not repair the temple's damage.

9 Then Jehoiada the priest took a chest, bored 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.

10 Whenever they saw there was a large amount of money in the chest, the king's secretary and the high priest would go to the Lord's temple and count the money found there and tie it up in bags.

11 Then 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,

12 the masons, and the stonecutters-and [would use it] to buy timber and quarried stone to repair the damage to the Lord's temple and for all spending for temple repairs.

13 However, no silver bowls, wick trimmers, sprinkling basins, trumpets, or any articles of gold or silver were made for the Lord's temple from the money brought into the 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 money to pay those doing the work, since they worked with integrity.

16 The money from the restitution offering and the sin offering was not brought to the Lord's temple since it belonged to the priests.

17 At that time Hazael king of Aram marched up and fought against Gath and captured it. Then he planned to attack Jerusalem.

18 So 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. Then Hazael withdrew from Jerusalem.

19 The rest of the events of Joash's [reign], along with all his accomplishments, are written about in the Historical Record of Judah's Kings.

20 Joash's servants conspired against him and killed him at Beth-millo [on the road that] goes down to Silla.

21 His servants Jozabad son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer struck him down, and he died. Then they buried him with his fathers in the city of David, and his son Amaziah became king in his place.

1 In the twenty-third year of Judah's King Joash son of Ahaziah, Jehoahaz son of Jehu became king over Israel in Samaria; [he reigned] 17 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.

3 So the Lord's anger burned against Israel, and He surrendered them to the power of Hazael king of Aram and his son Ben-hadad 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.

5 Therefore, the Lord gave Israel a deliverer, and they escaped from the power of the Arameans. Then the people of Israel dwelt in their tents as before,

6 but they didn't turn away from the sins that the house of Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit. Jehoahaz walked in them, and the Asherah pole also remained standing in Samaria.

7 Jehoahaz 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, making them like dust at threshing.

8 The rest of the events of Jehoahaz's [reign], along with all his accomplishments and his might, are written about in the Historical Record of Israel's Kings.

9 Jehoahaz rested with his fathers, and he was buried in Samaria. His son Jehoash became king in his place.

10 In the thirty-seventh year of Judah's King Joash, Jehoash son of Jehoahaz became king over Israel in Samaria; [he reigned] 16 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 walked in them.

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, are written about in the Historical Record of Israel's Kings.

13 Jehoash rested with his fathers, and Jeroboam sat on his throne. Jehoash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.

14 When 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!"

15 Elisha responded, "Take a bow and arrows." So he got a bow and arrows.

16 Then 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.

17 Elisha said, "Open the east window." So he opened it. Elisha said, "Shoot!" So he shot. Then Elisha said, "The Lord's arrow of victory, yes, the arrow of victory over Aram. You are to strike down the Arameans in Aphek until you have put an end to them."

18 Then Elisha said, "Take the arrows!" So he took them, and he said to the king of Israel, "Strike the ground!" So he struck the ground three times and stopped.

19 The man of God 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 only strike down Aram three times."

20 Then Elisha died and was buried. Now marauding bands of Moabites 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 marauding band, so they threw the man into Elisha's tomb. When he touched Elisha's bones, the man revived and stood up!

22 Hazael king of Aram oppressed Israel throughout the reign of Jehoahaz,

23 but the Lord was gracious to them and had compassion on them and turned toward them because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He was not willing to destroy them. Even now He has not banished them from His presence.

24 King Hazael of Aram died, and his son Ben-hadad 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.

1 In the second year of Israel's King Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, Amaziah son of Joash became king of Judah.

2 He was 25 years old when he became king; he reigned 29 years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jehoaddan and was from Jerusalem.

3 He did what was right in the Lord's sight, but not like his ancestor David. He did everything his father Joash had done.

4 Yet, the high places were not taken away, and the people continued sacrificing and burning incense on the high places.

5 As soon as the kingdom was firmly in his grasp, Amaziah killed his servants who had murdered his father the king.

6 However, 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."

7 Amaziah killed 10,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt. He took Sela in battle and called it Joktheel, [which is its name] to this very day.

8 Amaziah then sent messengers to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, "Come, let us meet face to face."

9 King Jehoash of Israel sent [word] to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, "The thistle that was in Lebanon once sent [a message] to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, 'Give your daughter to my son as a wife.' Then a wild animal that was in Lebanon passed by and trampled the thistle.

10 You have indeed defeated Edom, and you have become overconfident. Enjoy your glory and stay at home. Why should you stir up such trouble that you fall-you and Judah with you?"

11 But Amaziah would not listen, so King Jehoash of Israel advanced. He and King Amaziah of Judah faced off at Beth-shemesh that belongs to Judah.

12 Judah was routed before Israel, and [Judah's men] fled, each to his own tent.

13 King Jehoash of Israel captured Judah's King Amaziah son of Joash, son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh. Then Jehoash went to Jerusalem and broke down 200 yards of Jerusalem's wall from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate.

14 He took all the gold and silver and all the utensils found in the Lord's temple and in the treasuries of the king's palace, and the hostages. Then he returned to Samaria.

15 The 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 about in the Historical Record of Israel's Kings.

16 Jehoash rested with his fathers, and he was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. His son Jeroboam became king in his place.

17 Judah's King Amaziah son of Joash lived 15 years after the death of Israel's King Jehoash son of Jehoahaz.

18 The rest of the events of Amaziah's [reign] are written about in the Historical Record of Judah's Kings.

19 A conspiracy was formed against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. However, [men] were sent after him to Lachish, and they put him to death there.

20 They carried him back on horses, and he was buried in Jerusalem with his fathers in the city of David.

21 Then all the people of Judah took Azariah, who was 16 years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah.

22 He rebuilt Elathand restored it to Judah after [Amaziah] the king rested with his fathers.

23 In the fifteenth year of Judah's King Amaziah son of Joash, Jeroboam son of Jehoash became king of Israel in Samaria; he reigned 41 years.

24 He did what was evil in the Lord's sight. He did not turn away from all the sins Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.

25 It was he who restored Israel's border from Lebo-hamath as far as the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word the Lord, the God of Israel, had spoken through His servant, the prophet Jonah son of Amittai from Gath-hepher.

26 For the Lord saw that the affliction of Israel was very bitter. There was no one to help Israel, neither bond nor free.

27 However, the Lord had not said He would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, so He delivered them by the hand of Jeroboam son of Jehoash.

28 The rest of the events of Jeroboam's [reign]-along with all his accomplishments and the power he had to wage war and how he recovered for Israel Damascus and Hamath, which had belonged to Judah-are written about in the Historical Record of Israel's Kings.

29 Jeroboam rested with his fathers, the kings of Israel. His son Zechariah became king in his place.