24:1 Joash was seven years old when he began to reign. He reigned for forty years in Jerusalem. 1 His mother was Zibiah, who was from Beer Sheba. 24:2 Joash did what the Lord approved 2 throughout the lifetime 3 of Jehoiada the priest. 24:3 Jehoiada chose two wives for him who gave him sons and daughters.
24:4 Joash was determined to repair the Lord’s temple. 4 24:5 He assembled the priests and Levites and ordered them, “Go out to the cities of Judah and collect the annual quota of silver from all Israel for repairs on the temple of your God. Be quick about it!” But the Levites delayed.
24:6 So the king summoned Jehoiada the chief priest, 5 and said to him, “Why have you not made 6 the Levites collect 7 from Judah and Jerusalem the tax authorized by Moses the Lord’s servant and by the assembly of Israel at the tent containing the tablets of the law?” 8 24:7 (Wicked Athaliah and her sons had broken into God’s temple and used all the holy items of the Lord’s temple in their worship of the Baals.) 24:8 The king ordered a chest to be made and placed outside the gate of the Lord’s temple. 9 24:9 An edict was sent throughout Judah and Jerusalem requiring the people to bring to the Lord the tax that Moses, God’s servant, imposed on Israel in the wilderness. 10
1 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
2 tn Heb “and Joash did what was proper in the eyes of the
3 tn Heb “all the days of.”
4 tn Heb “and it was, later, there was with the heart of Joash to repair the house of the
5 tn Heb “Jehoiada the head”; the word “priest” not in the Hebrew text but is implied.
6 tn Heb “sought.”
7 tn Heb “bring.”
8 tn Heb “the tent of testimony.”
9 tn Heb “and the king said [it] and they made a chest and placed it in the gate of the house of the
10 tn Heb “and they gave voice in Judah and Jerusalem to bring to the