The Message Bible MSG
New Living Translation NLT
1 In the seventh year of Jehu, Joash began his kingly rule. He was king for forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Gazelle. She was from Beersheba.
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Joash began to rule over Judah in the seventh year of King Jehu’s reign in Israel. He reigned in Jerusalem forty years. His mother was Zibiah from Beersheba.
2 Taught and trained by Jehoiada the priest, Joash did what pleased God for as long as he lived.
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All his life Joash did what was pleasing in the LORD ’s sight because Jehoiada the priest instructed him.
3 (Even so, he didn't get rid of the sacred fertility shrines - people still frequented them, sacrificing and burning incense.)
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Yet even so, he did not destroy the pagan shrines, and the people still offered sacrifices and burned incense there.
4 Joash instructed the priests: "Take the money that is brought into The Temple of God for holy offerings - both mandatory offerings and freewill offerings -
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One day King Joash said to the priests, “Collect all the money brought as a sacred offering to the LORD ’s Temple, whether it is a regular assessment, a payment of vows, or a voluntary gift.
5 and, keeping a careful accounting, use them to renovate The Temple wherever it has fallen into disrepair."
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Let the priests take some of that money to pay for whatever repairs are needed at the Temple.”
6 But by the twenty-third year of Joash's rule, the priests hadn't done one thing - The Temple was as dilapidated as ever.
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But by the twenty-third year of Joash’s reign, the priests still had not repaired the Temple.
7 King Joash called Jehoiada the priest and the company of priests and said, "Why haven't you renovated this sorry-looking Temple? You are forbidden to take any more money for Temple repairs - from now on, hand over everything you get."
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So King Joash called for Jehoiada and the other priests and asked them, “Why haven’t you repaired the Temple? Don’t use any more money for your own needs. From now on, it must all be spent on Temple repairs.”
8 The priests agreed not to take any more money or to be involved in The Temple renovation.
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So the priests agreed not to accept any more money from the people, and they also agreed to let others take responsibility for repairing the Temple.
9 Then Jehoiada took a single chest and bored a hole in the lid and placed it to the right of the main entrance into The Temple of God. All the offerings that were brought to The Temple of God were placed in the chest by the priests who guarded the entrance.
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Then Jehoiada the priest bored a hole in the lid of a large chest and set it on the right-hand side of the altar at the entrance of the Temple of the LORD . The priests guarding the entrance put all of the people’s contributions into the chest.
10 When they saw that a large sum of money had accumulated in the chest, the king's secretary and the chief priest would empty the chest and count the offerings.
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Whenever the chest became full, the court secretary and the high priest counted the money that had been brought to the LORD ’s Temple and put it into bags.
11 They would give the money accounted for to the managers of The Temple project; they in turn would pay the carpenters, construction workers,
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Then they gave the money to the construction supervisors, who used it to pay the people working on the LORD ’s Temple—the carpenters, the builders,
12 masons, stoneworkers, and the buyers of timber and quarried stone for the repair and renovation of The Temple of God - any expenses connected with fixing up The Temple.
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the masons, and the stonecutters. They also used the money to buy the timber and the finished stone needed for repairing the LORD ’s Temple, and they paid any other expenses related to the Temple’s restoration.
13 But none of the money brought into The Temple of God was used for liturgical "extras" (silver chalices, candle snuffers, trumpets, various gold and silver vessels, etc.).
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The money brought to the Temple was not used for making silver bowls, lamp snuffers, basins, trumpets, or other articles of gold or silver for the Temple of the LORD .
14 It was given to the workmen to pay for their repairing God's Temple.
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It was paid to the workmen, who used it for the Temple repairs.
15 And no one even had to check on the men who handled the money given for the project - they were honest men.
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No accounting of this money was required from the construction supervisors, because they were honest and trustworthy men.
16 Offerings designated for Compensation Offerings and Absolution Offerings didn't go into the building project - those went directly to the priests.
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However, the money that was contributed for guilt offerings and sin offerings was not brought into the LORD ’s Temple. It was given to the priests for their own use.
17 Around this time Hazael king of Aram ventured out and attacked Gath, and he captured it. Then he decided to try for Jerusalem.
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About this time King Hazael of Aram went to war against Gath and captured it. Then he turned to attack Jerusalem.
18 Joash king of Judah countered by gathering up all the sacred memorials - gifts dedicated for holy use by his ancestors, the kings of Judah, Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah, along with the holy memorials he himself had received, plus all the gold that he could find in the temple and palace storerooms - and sent it to Hazael king of Aram. Appeased, Hazael went on his way and didn't bother Jerusalem.
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King Joash collected all the sacred objects that Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah, the previous kings of Judah, had dedicated, along with what he himself had dedicated. He sent them all to Hazael, along with all the gold in the treasuries of the LORD ’s Temple and the royal palace. So Hazael called off his attack on Jerusalem.
19 The rest of the life and times of Joash and all that he did are written in The Chronicles of the Kings of Judah.
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The rest of the events in Joash’s reign and everything he did are recorded in
20 At the last his palace staff formed a conspiracy and assassinated Joash as he was strolling along the ramp of the fortified outside city wall.
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Joash’s officers plotted against him and assassinated him at Beth-millo on the road to Silla.
21 Jozabad son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer were the assassins. And so Joash died and was buried in the family plot in the City of David. His son Amaziah was king after him.
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The assassins were Jozacar son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer—both trusted advisers. Joash was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. Then his son Amaziah became the next king.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by
Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.