2 Reis 12

I Jehus syvende Regeringsår blev Joas Konge, og han herskede fyrretyveÅr i Jerusalem. Hans Moder hed Zibja og var fra Be'ersjeba.

Joas gjorde hele sit Liv, hvad der var ret i HERRENs Øjne, idet Præsten Jojada vejledede ham.

Hun forsvandt Offerhøjene ikke, men Folket blev ved med at ofre og tænde Offerild på Højene.

Men i Kong Joas's tre og tyvende Regeringsår havde Præsterne endnu ikke istandsat de brøstfældige Steder på Templet.

Og Præsterne gik ind på ikke mere at modtage Penge af Folket, mod at de blev fri for at istandsætte de brøstfældige Steder på Templet.

Præsten Jojada tog så en Kiste, borede Hul i Låget og satte den ved Stenstøtten til højre for Indgangen til HERRENs Hus, og der lagde Præsterne, der holdt Vagt ved Dørtærskelen, alle de Penge, der indkom i HERRENs Hus.

Og når de så, at der var mange Penge i Kisten, kom Kongens Skriver og Ypperstepræsten op og bandt Pengene, som fandtes i HERRENs Hus, sammen og talte dem.

Derpå gav man de afvejede Penge til dem, der stod for Arbejdet, dem, der havde Tilsyn med HERRENs Hus, og de udbetalte dem til Tømrerne og Bygningsmændene, der arbejdede på HERRENs Hus,

til Murerne og Stenhuggerne, eller brugte dem til Indkøb af Træ og tilhugne Sten til Istandsættelse af de brøstfældige Steder på HERRENs Hus og til at dække alle Udgifter ved Templets Istandsættelse.

Derimod blev der for de Penge, der indkom i HERRENs Hus, hverken lavet Sølvfade eller Knive, Skåle, Trompeter eller nogen som helst anden Ting af Sølv eller Guld til HERRENs Hus;

men Pengene blev givet til dem, der stod for Arbejdet, og de brugte dem til Istandsættelsen af HERRENs Hus.

Og man holdt ikke Regnskab med de Mænd, hvem Pengene overlodes til Udbetaling til Arbejderne, men de handlede på Tro og Love.

Men Skyldoffer- og Syndofferpengene blev ikke bragt til HERRENs Hus; de tilfaldt Præsterne.

På den Tid drog Kong Hazael af Aram op og belejrede og indtog Gat. Da han truede med at drage mod Jerusalem,

tog Kong Joas af Juda alle de Helliggaver, som hans Fædre, Judas Konger Josafat, Joram og Ahazja havde helliget, sine egne Helliggaver og alt det Guld, der fandtes i Skatkamrene i HERRENs Hus og Kongens Palads, og sendte det til Kong Hazael af Aram. Så opgav han Angrebet på Jerusalem og drog bort.

Hvad der ellers er at fortælle om Joas, alt, hvad han udførte, står optegnet i Judas Kongers Krønike.

Men Joas's Hoffolk rejste sig og stiftede en Sammensværgelse og dræbte ham, engang han gik ned til Millos Hus.

Det var hans Hoffolk Jozakar, Sjimats Søn, og Jozabad, Sjomers Søn, der slog ham ibjel. Og man jordede ham hos hans Fædre i Davidsbyen; og hans Søn Amazjablev Konge i hans Sted.

In the seventh year of Jehu Jehoash began to reign; and forty years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother's name {was} Zibiah of Beersheba.

And Jehoash did {that which was} right in the sight of the LORD all his days wherein Jehoiada the priest instructed him.

But the high places were not taken away: the people still sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places.

And Jehoash said to the priests, All the money of the dedicated things that is brought into the house of the LORD, {even} the money of every one that passeth {the account}, the money that every man is set at, {and} all the money that cometh into any man's heart to bring into the house of the LORD, {dedicated things: or, holy things: Heb. holinesses} {that every...: Heb. of the souls of his estimation} {cometh...: Heb. ascendeth upon the heart of a man}

Let the priests take {it} to them, every man of his acquaintance: and let them repair the breaches of the house, wheresoever any breach shall be found.

But it was {so, that} in the three and twentieth year of king Jehoash the priests had not repaired the breaches of the house. {three...: Heb. twentieth year and third year}

Then king Jehoash called for Jehoiada the priest, and the {other} priests, and said unto them, Why repair ye not the breaches of the house? now therefore receive no {more} money of your acquaintance, but deliver it for the breaches of the house.

And the priests consented to receive no {more} money of the people, neither to repair the breaches of the house.

But Jehoiada the priest took a chest, and bored a hole in the lid of it, and set it beside the altar, on the right side as one cometh into the house of the LORD: and the priests that kept the door put therein all the money {that was} brought into the house of the LORD. {door: Heb. threshold}

And it was {so}, when they saw that {there was} much money in the chest, that the king's scribe and the high priest came up, and they put up in bags, and told the money that was found in the house of the LORD. {scribe: or, secretary} {put...: Heb. bound up}

And they gave the money, being told, into the hands of them that did the work, that had the oversight of the house of the LORD: and they laid it out to the carpenters and builders, that wrought upon the house of the LORD, {laid...: Heb. brought it forth}

And to masons, and hewers of stone, and to buy timber and hewed stone to repair the breaches of the house of the LORD, and for all that was laid out for the house to repair {it}. {was...: Heb. went forth}

Howbeit there were not made for the house of the LORD bowls of silver, snuffers, basons, trumpets, any vessels of gold, or vessels of silver, of the money {that was} brought into the house of the LORD:

But they gave that to the workmen, and repaired therewith the house of the LORD.

Moreover they reckoned not with the men, into whose hand they delivered the money to be bestowed on workmen: for they dealt faithfully.

The trespass money and sin money was not brought into the house of the LORD: it was the priests'.

Then Hazael king of Syria went up, and fought against Gath, and took it: and Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem.

And Jehoash king of Judah took all the hallowed things that Jehoshaphat, and Jehoram, and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own hallowed things, and all the gold {that was} found in the treasures of the house of the LORD, and in the king's house, and sent {it} to Hazael king of Syria: and he went away from Jerusalem. {went...: Heb. went up}

And the rest of the acts of Joash, and all that he did, {are} they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

And his servants arose, and made a conspiracy, and slew Joash in the house of Millo, which goeth down to Silla. {the house...: or, Bethmillo}

For Jozachar the son of Shimeath, and Jehozabad the son of Shomer, his servants, smote him, and he died; and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David: and Amaziah his son reigned in his stead.