Joash Repairs the Temple
In Hebrew texts 12:1-21 is numbered 12:2-22 1In the seventh year of Jehu, Joash12:1 Hebrew Jehoash, a variant of Joash; also in verses 2, 4, 6, 7 and 18 became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years. His mother’s name was Zibiah; she was from Beersheba. 2Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years Jehoiada the priest instructed him. 3The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.
4Joash said to the priests, “Collect all the money that is brought as sacred offerings to the temple of the Lord—the money collected in the census, the money received from personal vows and the money brought voluntarily to the temple. 5Let every priest receive the money from one of the treasurers, then use it to repair whatever damage is found in the temple.”
6But by the twenty-third year of King Joash the priests still had not repaired the temple. 7Therefore King Joash summoned Jehoiada the priest and the other priests and asked them, “Why aren’t you repairing the damage done to the temple? Take no more money from your treasurers, but hand it over for repairing the temple.” 8The priests agreed that they would not collect any more money from the people and that they would not repair the temple themselves.
9Jehoiada the priest took a chest and bored a hole in its lid. He placed it beside the altar, on the right side as one enters the temple of the Lord. The priests who guarded the entrance put into the chest all the money that was brought to the temple of the Lord. 10Whenever they saw that there was a large amount of money in the chest, the royal secretary and the high priest came, counted the money that had been brought into the temple of the Lord and put it into bags. 11When the amount had been determined, they gave the money to the men appointed to supervise the work on the temple. With it they paid those who worked on the temple of the Lord—the carpenters and builders, 12the masons and stonecutters. They purchased timber and blocks of dressed stone for the repair of the temple of the Lord, and met all the other expenses of restoring the temple.
13The money brought into the temple was not spent for making silver basins, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, trumpets or any other articles of gold or silver for the temple of the Lord; 14it was paid to the workers, who used it to repair the temple. 15They did not require an accounting from those to whom they gave the money to pay the workers, because they acted with complete honesty. 16The money from the guilt offerings and sin offerings12:16 Or purification offerings was not brought into the temple of the Lord; it belonged to the priests.
17About this time Hazael king of Aram went up and attacked Gath and captured it. Then he turned to attack Jerusalem. 18But Joash king of Judah took all the sacred objects dedicated by his predecessors—Jehoshaphat, Jehoram and Ahaziah, the kings of Judah—and the gifts he himself had dedicated and all the gold found in the treasuries of the temple of the Lord and of the royal palace, and he sent them to Hazael king of Aram, who then withdrew from Jerusalem.
19As for the other events of the reign of Joash, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? 20His officials conspired against him and assassinated him at Beth Millo, on the road down to Silla. 21The officials who murdered him were Jozabad son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer. He died and was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. And Amaziah his son succeeded him as king.
约阿施做犹大王
1以色列王耶户执政第七年，约阿施登基，在耶路撒冷执政四十年。他母亲叫西比亚，是别示巴人。 2在耶何耶大祭司的教导下，约阿施一生做耶和华视为正的事。 3但他没有拆除丘坛，人们仍在那里献祭烧香。
4约阿施对祭司们说：“你们要收集那些奉献到耶和华殿的圣银，就是人口普查时收取的银子、个人还愿的银子和自愿奉献的银子。 5每位祭司要从奉献的人手中收取银子，用来修缮殿的破损之处。” 6可是，直到约阿施王执政第二十三年，祭司仍未动工。 7约阿施召来耶何耶大祭司及其他祭司，对他们说：“你们为什么还不修殿呢？不要再向奉献的人收银子了，要把所收的银子交出来修殿。” 8祭司们答应不再向民众收钱，但也不动工修殿。
9耶何耶大祭司在耶和华殿的入口右边的祭坛旁放了一个箱子，箱盖上开了个洞。守门的祭司将奉献到耶和华殿的所有银子放进箱子里。 10箱子里的银子多了，王的书记和大祭司就把这些耶和华殿里的银子点好，装在袋子里。 11他们将称好的银子交给修耶和华殿的督工。督工把报酬转交给在殿里工作的木匠、建筑工人、 12泥水匠和石匠，购买修耶和华殿用的木料和凿好的石头，并支付其他修殿费用。 13献到耶和华殿里的银子没有用于制造殿里的银碗、灯剪、盆、号及其他金银器皿， 14而是给工人，用于修耶和华的殿。 15经手银子的督工们办事忠诚可靠，不需要跟他们清算账目。 16赎过祭和赎罪祭的银子没有带到耶和华的殿里，而是归给祭司。
17那时，亚兰王哈薛攻陷了迦特，准备进攻耶路撒冷。 18犹大王约阿施把先王约沙法、约兰、亚哈谢和他自己奉献的圣物，以及耶和华殿里和王宫库房里的所有金子都送给了亚兰王哈薛，哈薛便从耶路撒冷退兵。
19约阿施其他的事及一切所为都记在《犹大列王史》上。 20约阿施的臣仆谋反，在去悉拉途中的米罗宫杀了他。 21杀他的是示米押的儿子约撒甲和朔默的儿子约萨拔。约阿施葬在大卫城他的祖坟里。他儿子亚玛谢继位。
