2 Chronicles 24:5

5 and he gathereth the priests and the Levites, and saith to them, `Go out to the cities of Judah, and gather from all Israel money to strengthen the house of your God sufficiently year by year, and ye, ye do haste to the matter;' and the Levites have not hasted.

2 Chronicles 24:5 Meaning and Commentary

2 Chronicles 24:5

And he gathered together the priests and Levites
To communicate his mind unto, and give them a charge and instructions:

and said unto them, go out unto the cities of Judah, and gather of all
Israel money to repair the house of your God from year to year;
what money he means is more fully explained in ( 2 Kings 12:4 ) ,

and see that ye haste the matter;
for he was very desirous of having this work accomplished, it being the place of the worship of God, and where he had been preserved in his infancy:

howbeit, the Levites hastened it not;
either through negligence in them to collect the money, or backwardness in the people to give, or through an avaricious disposition to keep it, and use it for themselves; so that it was delayed unto the twenty third year of his reign ( 2 Kings 12:6 ) .

2 Chronicles 24:5 In-Context

3 And Jehoiada taketh for him two wives, and he begetteth sons and daughters.
4 And it cometh to pass after this, it hath been with the heart of Joash to renew the house of Jehovah,
5 and he gathereth the priests and the Levites, and saith to them, `Go out to the cities of Judah, and gather from all Israel money to strengthen the house of your God sufficiently year by year, and ye, ye do haste to the matter;' and the Levites have not hasted.
6 And the king calleth for Jehoiada the head, and saith to him, `Wherefore hast thou not required of the Levites to bring in out of Judah and out of Jerusalem the tribute of Moses, servant of Jehovah, and of the assembly of Israel, for the tent of the testimony?
7 for sons of Athaliah, the wicked one, have broken up the house of God, and also, all the holy things of the house of Jehovah they have prepared for Baalim.'
Young's Literal Translation is in the public domain.