30The LORD said to Jehu, “Because you have acted well and done what was pleasing to Me, having carried out all that I desired upon the House of Ahab, four generations of your descendants shall occupy the throne of Israel.” 31But Jehu was not careful to follow the Teaching of the LORD, the God of Israel, with all his heart; he did not turn away from the sins that Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit.
32In those days the LORD began to reduce Israel; and Hazael harassed them throughout the territory of Israel 33cast of the Jordan, all the land of Gilead—the Gadites, the Reubenites, and the Manassites—from Aroer, by the Wadi Arnon, up to Gilead and Bashan.
34The other events of Jehu’s reign, and all his actions, and all his exploits, are recorded in the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 35Jehu slept with his fathers and he was buried in Samaria; he was succeeded as king by his son Jehoahaz. 36Jehu reigned over Israel for twenty-eight years in Samaria.
11 When Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah, learned that her son was dead, she promptly killed off all who were of royal stock. 2But Jehosheba, daughter of King Joram and sister of Ahaziah, secretly took Ahaziah’s son Joash away from among the princes who were being slain, and [put]a him and his nurse in a bedroom. And theyb kept him hidden from Athaliah so that he was not put to death. 3He stayed with her for six years, hidden in the House of the LORD,c while Athaliah reigned over the land.
4In the seventh year, Jehoiada sent for the chiefs of the hundreds of the Caritesd and of the guards, and had them come to him in the House of the LORD. He made a pact with them, exacting an oath from them in the House of the LORD, and he showed them the king’s son. 5He instructed them: “This is what you must do: One-third of those who are on duty for the week e-shall maintain guard-e over the royal palace; 6another third shall be [stationed] at the f-Sur Gate;-f and the other third shall be at the gate behind g-the guards; you shall keep guard over the House on every side.-g 7The two divisions of yours who are off duty this week shall keep guard over the House of the LORD for the protection of the king. 8You shall surround the king on every side, every man with his weapons at the ready; and whoever breaks through the ranks shall be killed. Stay close to the king in his comings and goings.”
9The chiefs of hundreds did just as Jehoiada ordered: Each took his men—those who were on duty that week and those who were off duty that week—and they presented themselves to Jehoiada the priest. 10The priest gave the chiefs of hundreds King David’s spearsh and quivers that were kept in the House of the LORD. 11The guards, each with his weapons at the ready, stationed themselves—from the south end of the House to the north end of the House, at the altar and the House—to guard the king on every side. 12[Jehoiada] then brought out the king’s son, and placed upon him the crown and the insignia.g They anointed him and proclaimed him king; they clapped their hands and shouted, “Long live the king!”
13When Athaliah heard the shouting of the guards [and] the people, she came out to the people in the House of the LORD. 14She looked about and saw the king standing by the pillar, as was the custom, the chiefs with their trumpets beside the king, and all the people of the land rejoicing and blowing trumpets. Athaliah rent her garments and cried out, “Treason, treason!” 15Then the priest Jehoiada gave the command to the army officers, the chiefs of hundreds, and said to them, “Take her out g-between the ranks-g and, if anyone follows her, put him to the sword.” For the priest thought: “Let her not be put to death in the House of the LORD.” 16They cleared a passageway for her and she entered the royal palace through the horses’ entrance: there she was put to death.
17And Jehoiada solemnized the covenant between the LORD, on the one hand, and the king and the people, on the other—as well as between the king and the people—that they should be the people of the LORD. 18Thereupon all the people of the land went to the temple of Baal. They tore it down and smashed its altars and images to bits, and they slew Mattan, the priest of Baal, in front of the altars. [Jehoiada] the priest then placed guards over the House of the LORD. 19He took the chiefs of hundreds, the Carites,d the guards, and all the people of the land, and they escorted the king from the House of the LORD into the royal palace by the gate of the guards. And he ascended the royal throne. 20All the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet. As for Athaliah, she had been put to the sword in the royal palace.
12 Jehoash was seven years old when he became king. 2Jehoash began his reign in the seventh year of Jehu, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years. His mother’s name was Zibiah of Beer-sheba. 3All his days Jehoash did what was pleasing to the LORD, as the priest Jehoiada instructed him. 4The shrines, however, were not removed; the people continued to sacrifice and offer at the shrines.
5Jehoash said to the priests, “All the money, current money, brought into the House of the LORD as sacred donations—a-any money a man may pay as the money equivalent of persons,-a or any other money that a man may be minded to bring to the House of the LORD—6let the priests receive it, each from his benefactor; they, in turn, shall make repairs on the House, wherever damage may be found.”
7But in the twenty-third year of King Jehoash, [it was found that] the priests had not made the repairs on the House. 8So King Jehoash summoned the priest Jehoiada and the other priests and said to them, “Why have you not kept the House in repair? Now do not accept money from your benefactors any more, but have it donated for the repair of the House.” 9The priests agreed that they would neither accept money from the people nor make repairs on the House.
10And the priest Jehoiada took a chest and bored a hole in its lid. He placed it at the right side of the altar as one entered the House of the LORD, and the priestly guards of the threshold deposited there all the money that was brought into the House of the LORD. 11Whenever they saw that there was much money in the chest, the royal scribe and the high priest would come up and put the money accumulated in the House of the LORD into bags, and they would count it. 12Then they would deliver the money b-that was weighed out-b to the overseers of the work, who were in charge of the House of the LORD. These, in turn, used to pay the carpenters and the laborers who worked on the House of the LORD, 13and the masons and the stonecutters. They also paid for wood and for quarried stone with which to make the repairs on the House of the LORD, and for every other expenditure that had to be made in repairing the House. 14However, no silver bowls and no snuffers, basins, or trumpets— no vessels of gold or silver—were made at the House of the LORD from the money brought into the House of the LORD; 15this was given only to the overseers of the work for the repair of the House of the LORD. 16No check was kept on the men to whom the money was delivered to pay the workers; for they dealt honestly.
17Money brought c-as a guilt offering or as a sin offering-c was not deposited in the House of the LORD; it went to the priests.
18At that time, King Hazael of Aram came up and attacked Gath and captured it; and Hazael proceeded to march on Jerusalem. 19Thereupon King Joash of Judah took all the objects that had been consecrated by his fathers, Kings Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah of Judah, and by himself, and all the gold that there was in the treasuries of the Temple of the LORD and in the royal palace, and he sent them to King Hazael of Aram, who then turned back from his march on Jerusalem.
20The other events of Joash’s reign, and all his actions, are recorded in the Annals of the Kings of Judah. 21His courtiers formed a conspiracy against Joash and assassinated him at Beth-millo b-that leads down to Silla.-b 22The courtiers who assassinated him were Jozacar son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer.
