3
Y'hoyada chose two wives for him, and he became the father of sons and daughters.
4
Some time later, Yo'ash decided to restore the house of ADONAI.
5
He gathered the cohanim and L'vi'im and said to them, "Go out to the cities of Y'hudah, and collect money each year from all Isra'el to repair the house of your God. See that you do this promptly." But when the L'vi'im procrastinated,
6
the king summoned Y'hoyada the chief and said to him, "Why haven't you demanded that the L'vi'im bring in from Y'hudah and Yerushalayim the tax prescribed by Moshe the servant of ADONAI and by the community of Isra'el, for the tent of the testimony?"
7
For the sons of that wicked 'Atalyahu had broken up the house of God, and they had given all the consecrated things belonging to the house of ADONAI to the ba'alim.
8
Then, at the king's order, they made a box and placed it outside the entrance to the house of ADONAI.
9
They proclaimed throughout Y'hudah and Yerushalayim that the tax Moshe the servant of God had imposed on Isra'el in the desert should be brought in for ADONAI.
10
All the leaders and all the people were glad to bring in their contributions and put them in the box, until it was full.
11
When the box was brought to the king's officials by the L'vi'im, and when they saw how much money there was, the king's secretary and the chief cohen's official came and emptied the box; then they took it and returned it to its place. They did this daily, and they collected money in abundance.
12
The king and Y'hoyada gave it to those in charge of taking care of the house of ADONAI. They, in turn, hired stone-workers and carpenters to restore the house of ADONAI, also iron- and bronze-workers to repair the house of ADONAI.
13
The workers got on with their tasks, so that the restoration progressed well, until they had returned the house of God to its earlier condition and strengthened it.