2 Kings 12: Joash repairs Yahweh's house
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What happens?
Jehoash reigns forty years in Jerusalem. Jehoiada the priest instructs him, and he does what is right in Yahweh's eyes, though the high places are not taken away. He tells the priests to take the money brought into Yahweh's house and repair the damage to it, but by his twenty-third year they have not done it. So the priests stop taking the money, and Jehoiada sets a chest with a hole in its lid beside the altar; the king's scribe and the high priest count the money, and it is paid out for the work; no accounting is asked of the men who pay the workmen, because they deal faithfully. When Hazael king of Syria takes Gath and turns toward Jerusalem, Jehoash sends him all the holy things and the gold of the treasuries, and Hazael goes away. Joash's own servants plot against him and kill him at Beth Millo, and his son Amaziah becomes king.
Who is speaking?
The narrator tells the story. No verse is in gold: God speaks no words in this chapter. King Jehoash speaks to the priests in verses 4 and 5, and to Jehoiada and the priests in verse 7. God's own words are printed in gold, and those verses are marked God speaks
1Jehoash began to reign in the seventh year of Jehu, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba.
In plain English: Jehoash became king in the seventh year of Jehu, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zibiah of Beersheba.
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2Jehoash did that which was right in Yahweh’s eyes all his days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him.
In plain English: Jehoash did what was right in Yahweh's eyes all his days in which (or: all his days, because) Jehoiada the priest instructed (or: taught) him.
The Hebrew words: "In which" is asher, a small word the dictionary gives as "who, which, what, that", and also "when, where, how, because". "Instructed" is yarah, which the dictionary gives as "to point out (as if by aiming the finger), to teach".
What changes: Read as "all his days in which Jehoiada instructed him", Jehoash did right for as long as Jehoiada taught him. Read as "all his days, because Jehoiada instructed him", he did right all his life, because Jehoiada had taught him. The text here does not say more. says "all the days of Jehoiada the priest", and tells what happened "after the death of Jehoiada".
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3However, the high places were not taken away. The people still sacrificed and burned incense in the high places.
In plain English: But the high places were not taken away. The people still sacrificed and burned incense at the high places.
Good to know: "High places" is bamah, explained in the note on .
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4Jehoash said to the priests, “All the money of the holy things that is brought into Yahweh’s house, in current money, the money of the people for whom each man is evaluated, and all the money that it comes into any man’s heart to bring into Yahweh’s house,
In plain English: Jehoash said to the priests, "All the money of the holy gifts that is brought into Yahweh's house: the money that passes (this Bible: current money; see the note), the money each person is valued at (this Bible: the money of the people for whom each man is evaluated), and all the money that it comes into anyone's heart to bring into Yahweh's house,
The Hebrew words: "Current money" is word for word "money that passes". "Passes" is avar, which the dictionary gives as "to cross over". In the same word is used of "everyone who passes over to those who are counted", who gives half a shekel. "Evaluated" is from erek, "an estimate", the word for the value set on a person in a vow in .
What changes: Read as this Bible has it, "current money" is money in common use. Read the other way, it is the money paid by each one who is counted, as in Exodus 30. The old Greek translation in this collection (Brenton) has "the money of valuation". Either way, the king tells the priests to use all of it to repair the house.
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5let the priests take it to them, each man from his donor; and they shall repair the damage to the house, wherever any damage is found.”
In plain English: let the priests take it for themselves, each from someone he knows (this Bible: from his donor). And they are to repair the damage (literally: the breach) of the house, wherever any damage is found."
The Hebrew word: "Donor" is makkar, which the dictionary gives as "an acquaintance", someone a person knows. It is in only 2 verses of the Bible: here, and verse 7, where this Bible says "treasurers".
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6But it was so, that in the twenty-third year of King Jehoash the priests had not repaired the damage to the house.
In plain English: But in the twenty-third year of King Jehoash, the priests still had not repaired the damage to the house.
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7Then King Jehoash called for Jehoiada the priest, and for the other priests, and said to them, “Why aren’t you repairing the damage to the house? Now therefore take no more money from your treasurers, but deliver it for repair of the damage to the house.”
In plain English: So King Jehoash called Jehoiada the priest and the other priests, and said to them, "Why are you not repairing the damage to the house? Now take no more money from those you know (this Bible: from your treasurers), but hand it over for the damage to the house."
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8The priests consented that they should take no more money from the people, and not repair the damage to the house.
In plain English: The priests agreed that they would take no more money from the people, and that they would not repair the damage to the house.
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9But Jehoiada the priest took a chest and bored a hole in its lid, and set it beside the altar, on the right side as one comes into Yahweh’s house; and the priests who kept the threshold put all the money that was brought into Yahweh’s house into it.
In plain English: 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 comes into Yahweh's house. The priests who kept the threshold put into it all the money that was brought into Yahweh's house.
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10When they saw that there was much money in the chest, the king’s scribe and the high priest came up, and they put it in bags and counted the money that was found in Yahweh’s house.
In plain English: When they saw that there was much money in the chest, the king's scribe and the high priest (literally: the great priest) came up. They tied it up in bags (this Bible: put it in bags) and counted the money that was found in Yahweh's house.
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11They gave the money that was weighed out into the hands of those who did the work, who had the oversight of Yahweh’s house; and they paid it out to the carpenters and the builders who worked on Yahweh’s house,
In plain English: They gave the money that was weighed out into the hands of those who did the work, who were in charge of Yahweh's house. They paid it out to the carpenters (literally: craftsmen of wood) and the builders who worked on Yahweh's house,
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12and to the masons and the stone cutters, and for buying timber and cut stone to repair the damage to Yahweh’s house, and for all that was laid out for the house to repair it.
In plain English: and to the masons and the stone cutters, and for buying timber and cut stone to repair the damage to Yahweh's house, and for everything that was spent on the house to repair it.
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13But there were not made for Yahweh’s house cups of silver, snuffers, basins, trumpets, any vessels of gold or vessels of silver, of the money that was brought into Yahweh’s house;
In plain English: But no silver cups, snuffers, basins, trumpets, or any vessels of gold or vessels of silver were made for Yahweh's house from the money that was brought into Yahweh's house,
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14for they gave that to those who did the work, and repaired Yahweh’s house with it.
In plain English: because they gave it to those who did the work, and with it they repaired Yahweh's house.
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15Moreover they didn’t demand an accounting from the men into whose hand they delivered the money to give to those who did the work; for they dealt faithfully.
In plain English: They did not ask for an accounting from the men into whose hands they gave the money to pay those who did the work, because they dealt faithfully (literally: in faithfulness).
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16The money for the trespass offerings and the money for the sin offerings was not brought into Yahweh’s house. It was the priests’.
In plain English: The money from the guilt offerings (this Bible: trespass offerings) and the money from the sin offerings was not brought into Yahweh's house. It belonged to the priests.
Good to know: "Trespass offering" is asham, explained in the note on . says the one who has done wrong "shall add a fifth part to it, and give it to the priest".
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17Then Hazael king of Syria went up and fought against Gath, and took it; and Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem.
In plain English: Then Hazael king of Syria (Hebrew: Aram) went up and fought against Gath, and captured it. Then Hazael set his face to go up against Jerusalem.
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18Jehoash king of Judah took all the holy things that Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own holy things, and all the gold that was found in the treasures of Yahweh’s house, and of the king’s house, and sent it to Hazael king of Syria; and he went away from Jerusalem.
In plain English: Jehoash king of Judah took all the holy things that his fathers (or: ancestors) Jehoshaphat, Jehoram and Ahaziah, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own holy things, and all the gold that was found in the treasuries of Yahweh's house and of the king's house, and sent it to Hazael king of Syria. And he went away from Jerusalem.
Good to know: In Asa king of Judah also sent the silver and gold of the treasuries of Yahweh's house and the king's house to Ben Hadad king of Syria. and tell of the Syrians coming another way: their army "came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the princes of the people". The text does not explain how the two accounts fit together.
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19Now the rest of the acts of Joash, and all that he did, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
In plain English: The rest of what Joash did, and all his deeds, are they not written in the book of the chronicles (literally: the matters of the days) of the kings of Judah?
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20His servants arose and made a conspiracy, and struck Joash at the house of Millo, on the way that goes down to Silla.
In plain English: His servants rose up and made a plot, and struck down Joash at Beth Millo (or: the house of the Millo), on the road that goes down to Silla.
Good to know: "Millo" is explained in the note on : the dictionary gives it as "a rampart (as filled in), i.e. the citadel". The text here does not say why his servants killed him. says they conspired against him "for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest".
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21For Jozacar the son of Shimeath, and Jehozabad the son of Shomer, his servants, struck him, and he died; and they buried him with his fathers in David’s city; and Amaziah his son reigned in his place.
In plain English: Jozacar (Hebrew here: Jozabad; see the note) the son of Shimeath and Jehozabad the son of Shomer, his servants, struck him, and he died. They buried him with his fathers (or: ancestors) in the City of David, and his son Amaziah became king in his place.
Good to know: The Hebrew text in this collection spells the first name Jozabad; this Bible prints Jozacar, and the old Greek translation in this collection (Brenton) has "Jezirchar". names them "Zabad the son of Shimeath the Ammonitess and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith the Moabitess". The text does not explain the difference in names.
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