1. Joash began to rule in Jehu’s seventh year as king of Israel, and he ruled for 40 years in Jerusalem. His mother was Zibiah from Beersheba.
2. Joash did what the Lord considered right, as long as the priest Jehoiada instructed him.
3. But the illegal places of worship weren’t torn down. The people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense at these worship sites.
4. Joash told the priests, “⌊Collect⌋ all the holy contributions that are brought into the Lord’s temple—the money each person is currently required to bring and all the money brought voluntarily to the Lord’s temple.
5. Each of the priests should receive it from the donors and use it to make repairs on the temple where they are needed.”
6. But by Joash’s twenty-third year as king, the priests still had not repaired the temple.
7. So King Joash called for Jehoiada and the other priests and asked them, “Why aren’t you repairing the damage in the temple? Don’t take any more money from the donors ⌊for your own use⌋. Instead, use it to make repairs on the temple.”