New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
2 Kings 12
1
Joash became king of Judah. It was in the seventh year of Jehu's rule. Joash ruled in Jerusalem for 40 years. His mother's name was Zibiah. She was from Beersheba.
People
2
Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. He lived that way as long as the priest Jehoiada was teaching him.
3
But the high places weren't removed. The people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.
Reference
4
Joash spoke to the priests. He said, "Collect all of the money the people bring as sacred offerings to the Lord's temple. That includes the money that is collected when the men who are able to serve in the army are counted. It includes the money that is received from people who make a special promise to the Lord. It also includes the money people bring to the temple just because they want to.
Reference
5
"Let each priest receive the money from one of the people who are in charge of the temple's treasures. Let all of that money be used to repair the temple where it needs it."
Reference
Parallel theme
Isaiah 58:12
6
It was now the 23rd year of King Joash. And the priests still hadn't repaired the temple.
7
So the king sent for the priest Jehoiada and the other priests. He asked them, "Why aren't you repairing the temple where it needs it? Don't take any more money from the people who are in charge of the treasures. Instead, hand it over so the temple can be repaired."
8
The priests agreed that they wouldn't collect any more money from the people. They also agreed that they wouldn't repair the temple themselves.
9
The priest Jehoiada got a chest. He drilled a hole in its lid. He placed the chest beside the altar for burnt offerings. The chest was on the right side as people enter the Lord's temple. Some priests guarded the entrance. They put into the chest all of the money the people brought to the temple.
Reference
10
From time to time there was a large amount of money in the chest. When that happened, the royal secretary and the high priest came. They counted the money the people had brought to the temple. Then they put it into bags.
Reference
11
After they added it all up, they used it to repair the temple. They gave it to the men who had been put in charge of the work. Those men used it to pay the workers. They paid the builders and those who worked with wood.
12
They paid those who cut stones and those who laid them. They bought lumber and blocks of stone. So they used the money to repair the Lord's temple. They also paid all of the other costs to make the temple like new again.
13
The money the people brought to the Lord's temple wasn't used to make silver bowls. It wasn't used for wick cutters, sprinkling bowls or trumpets. And it wasn't used for any other articles made out of gold or silver.
Reference
Creation
2 Chronicles 24:14
14
Instead, it was paid to the workers. They used it to repair the temple.
15
The royal secretary and the high priest didn't require a report from those who were in charge of the work. That's because they were completely honest. They always paid the workers.
Reference
Faith
2 Kings 22:7
16
Money was received from those who brought guilt offerings and sin offerings. But it wasn't taken to the Lord's temple. It belonged to the priests.
Reference
17
About that time Hazael, the king of Aram, went up and attacked Gath. Then he captured it. After that, he turned back to attack Jerusalem.
18
But Joash, the king of Judah, didn't want to go to war. So he got all of the sacred objects. They had been set apart to the Lord by the kings who had ruled over Judah before him. They were Jehoshaphat, Jehoram and Ahaziah. Joash got the gifts he himself had set apart. He got all of the gold that was among the temple treasures. He also got all of the gold from the royal palace. He sent all of those things to Hazael, the king of Aram. Then Hazael pulled his army back from Jerusalem.
Reference
Kingdom
1 Kings 15:18
19
The other events of the rule of Joash are written down. Everything he did is written down. All of those things are written in the official records of the kings of Judah.
Summary of 2 Kings 12
This chapter focuses on the reign of Joash and his efforts to restore the temple in Jerusalem. The chapter highlights the importance of faithful leadership, responsible stewardship, and the need for proper worship. It also reveals how a good beginning can still end in tragedy when faithfulness does not continue.
Joash becomes king of Judah at only seven years old after being protected from Athaliah's attempt to destroy the royal family. During the early years of his reign, he follows God because he receives guidance from Jehoiada the priest. Under Jehoiada's influence, Joash recognizes the need to repair the temple, which had been neglected during the period when Baal worship influenced Judah's leadership.
Joash instructs the priests to collect money for the restoration project. However, after many years, the repairs have not been completed. The king establishes a new system of accountability by placing a collection chest near the temple entrance. The money is counted by trusted officials and given directly to the workers. This new approach allows the restoration work to proceed effectively, and skilled craftsmen repair the temple using the donated funds.
The chapter then shifts from temple restoration to military pressure. Hazael, king of Aram, threatens Jerusalem. Instead of fighting, Joash gives Hazael the treasures from the temple and royal palace, causing him to withdraw. Although this action saves the city, it also shows Judah's vulnerability.
The chapter ends with Joash being assassinated by his own servants. Despite his early faithfulness and important work restoring the temple, his reign ends violently. His son Amaziah succeeds him as king.
Overall, this chapter teaches that honoring God requires both spiritual devotion and practical responsibility. Joash's restoration of the temple demonstrates wise leadership, but his later years show that past faithfulness does not replace the need for continued commitment to God.
Joash becomes king of Judah at only seven years old after being protected from Athaliah's attempt to destroy the royal family. During the early years of his reign, he follows God because he receives guidance from Jehoiada the priest. Under Jehoiada's influence, Joash recognizes the need to repair the temple, which had been neglected during the period when Baal worship influenced Judah's leadership.
Joash instructs the priests to collect money for the restoration project. However, after many years, the repairs have not been completed. The king establishes a new system of accountability by placing a collection chest near the temple entrance. The money is counted by trusted officials and given directly to the workers. This new approach allows the restoration work to proceed effectively, and skilled craftsmen repair the temple using the donated funds.
The chapter then shifts from temple restoration to military pressure. Hazael, king of Aram, threatens Jerusalem. Instead of fighting, Joash gives Hazael the treasures from the temple and royal palace, causing him to withdraw. Although this action saves the city, it also shows Judah's vulnerability.
The chapter ends with Joash being assassinated by his own servants. Despite his early faithfulness and important work restoring the temple, his reign ends violently. His son Amaziah succeeds him as king.
Overall, this chapter teaches that honoring God requires both spiritual devotion and practical responsibility. Joash's restoration of the temple demonstrates wise leadership, but his later years show that past faithfulness does not replace the need for continued commitment to God.