3. Jehoiada chose two wives for Joash. And Joash had sons and daughters.
4. Later, Joash decided to repair the Temple of the Lord.
5. He called the priests and the Levites together. He said to them, “Go to the towns of Judah. Gather the money all the Israelites have to pay every year. Use it to repair the Temple of your God. Do this now.” But the Levites did not hurry.
6. So King Joash called Jehoiada the leading priest. Joash said to him, “Why haven’t you made the Levites bring in the tax money from Judah and Jerusalem? Moses the Lord’s servant and the people of Israel used that money for the Holy Tent.”
7. In the past the sons of wicked Athaliah had broken into the Temple of God. They had used its holy things for worshiping the Baal idols.
8. King Joash commanded that a box for contributions be made. It was to be put outside, at the gate of the Temple of the Lord.
9. Then the Levites made an announcement in Judah and Jerusalem. They told the people to bring the tax money to the Lord. Moses the servant of God had made the Israelites give it while they were in the desert.
10. All the officers and people were happy to give their money. They put it in the box until the box was full.
11. Then the Levites would take the box to the king’s officers. They would see that it was full of money. Then the king’s royal assistant and the leading priest’s officer would come and take out the money. Then they would take the box back to its place. They did this often and gathered much money.
12. King Joash and Jehoiada gave the money to the people who worked on the Temple of the Lord. And they hired stoneworkers and carpenters to repair the Temple of the Lord. They also hired people to work with iron and bronze to repair the Temple.