1Joash began to rule when he was seven years old. He ruled for forty years in Jerusalem. His mother was Zibiah from Beersheba. 2Joash did what was right in the sight of Jehovah, as long as the priest Jehoiada lived. 3Jehoiada procured two wives for Joash and he had sons and daughters. 4Joash wanted to renovate Jehovah’s Temple. 5He gathered the priests and the Levites and said to them: »Go to the cities of Judah, and collect money throughout Israel to repair the Temple of your God every year. Do it immediately!« But the Levites did not do it immediately. 6The king called for the chief priest Jehoiada and asked him: »Why have you not required the Levites to bring the contributions from Judah and Jerusalem? Jehovah’s servant Moses and the assembly required Israel to give contributions for the use of the Tent of Testimony of God’s promise.« 7The sons of that wicked woman Athaliah had broken into God’s Temple and used all the holy things of Jehovah’s Temple to worship other gods, the Baals. 8The king issued an order. They made a box and placed it outside the gate of Jehovah’s Temple. 9They issued a proclamation in Judah and Jerusalem that the contributions should be brought to Jehovah. Moses required Israel to make contributions while they were in the desert. 10All the officials and all the people were filled with joy. They brought money and dropped it into the box until it was full. 11When the Levites brought the box to the king’s officers and they saw a lot of money. The king’s scribe and the chief priest’s officer would empty the box and put it back in its place. They would do this every day. They collected a lot of money. 12The king and Jehoiada gave the money to the foremen who were working on Jehovah’s Temple. They hired masons and carpenters to renovate Jehovah’s Temple. They also hired men who worked with iron and bronze to repair Jehovah’s Temple. 13The men worked and the project progressed under the foremen’s guidance. They restored God’s Temple to its proper condition and reinforced it. 14When the repairs were finished, the remaining gold and silver was given to the king and Jehoiada. They used it to have bowls and other utensils made for the Temple. As long as Jehoiada was alive, sacrifices were offered regularly at the Temple. 15He died at the very old age of one hundred thirty years. 16He was buried in the royal tombs in Jerusalem. This was because he had done so much good for the people of Israel, for God, and for the Temple. 17After the death of Jehoiada the priest, the leaders of Judah went to Joash and talked him into doing what they wanted. 18The people of Judah stopped worshiping in the Temple of Jehovah God. They started worshiping idols and the symbols of the goddess Asherah. These sinful things made Jehovah God angry with the people of Judah and Jerusalem, 19However he still sent prophets who warned them to turn back to him. The people refused to listen. 20God’s Spirit spoke to Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. Zechariah told everyone that God was saying: »Why are you disobeying me and my Laws? This will only bring punishment! You have deserted me, so now I will desert you.« 21They plotted against Zechariah. Then they followed the king’s order and stoned him to death in the courtyard of Jehovah’s Temple. 22King Joash forgot that Zechariah’s father had always been a loyal friend. So when the people of Judah plotted to kill Zechariah, Joash joined them and gave orders for them to stone him to death in the courtyard of the Temple. As Zechariah was dying, he said: »I pray that Jehovah will see this and punish all of you.« 23The Aramean army attacked Joash at year’s end. They came to Judah and Jerusalem and destroyed all the people’s leaders. The Arameans sent all the loot they took from Judah and Jerusalem to the king of Damascus. 24The Aramean army came with a small number of men. Jehovah handed Joash’s large army over to them because Joash’s soldiers had abandoned Jehovah the God of their ancestors. So the Arameans carried out Jehovah’s judgment on Joash. 25The Arameans withdrew. They left him suffering from many wounds. His own officials plotted against him for murdering the son of the priest Jehoiada. They killed Joash in his bed and buried him in the City of David. But they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings. 26These were the men who conspired against him: Zabad, son of an Ammonite woman named Shimeath, and Jehozabad, son of a Moabite woman named Shimrith. 27The record about his sons, the many divine revelations against him, and the rebuilding of God’s Temple is in the notes made in the Book of the Kings. His son Amaziah succeeded him as king.