2 Kings 12:1-16
Repairing the Temple
1In the seventh year of Jehu, Joash became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years. His mother’s name was Zibiah; she was from Beersheba.
2And Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the days he was instructed by Jehoiada the priest.
3Nevertheless, the high places were not removed; the people continued sacrificing and burning incense there.
4Then Joash said to the priests, “Collect all the money brought as sacred gifts into the house of the LORD—the census money, the money from vows, and the money brought voluntarily into the house of the LORD.
5Let every priest receive it from his constituency, and let it be used to repair any damage found in the temple.”
6By the twenty-third year of the reign of Joash, however, the priests had not yet repaired the damage to the temple.
7So King Joash called Jehoiada and the other priests and said, “Why have you not repaired the damage to the temple? Now, therefore, take no more money from your constituency, but hand it over for the repair of the temple.”
8So the priests agreed that they would not receive money from the people and that they would not repair the temple themselves.
9Then Jehoiada the priest took a chest, bored a hole in its lid, and set it beside the altar on the right side as one enters the house of the LORD. There the priests who guarded the threshold put all the money brought into the house of the LORD.
10Whenever they saw that there was a large amount of money in the chest, the royal scribe and the high priest would go up, count the money brought into the house of the LORD, and tie it up in bags.
11Then they would put the counted money into the hands of those who supervised the work on the house of the LORD, who in turn would pay those doing the work—the carpenters, builders,
12masons, and stonecutters. They also purchased timber and dressed stone to repair the damage to the house of the LORD, and they paid the other expenses of the temple repairs.
13However, the money brought into the house of the LORD was not used for making silver basins, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, trumpets, or any articles of gold or silver for the house of the LORD.
14Instead, it was paid to those doing the work, and with it they repaired the house of the LORD.
15No accounting was required from the men who received the money to pay the workmen, because they acted with integrity.
16The money from the guilt offerings and sin offerings was not brought into the house of the LORD; it belonged to the priests.
Berean Standard Bible
Joash reigns forty years in Jerusalem and does what is right in the sight of the LORD all his days while Jehoiada instructs him. Yet the high places are not removed, and the people continue sacrificing and burning incense there. The opening evaluation gives praise and a limitation together.
Joash tells the priests to use the money brought into the temple to repair every place that needs repair. By the twenty-third year of his reign, the priests still have not repaired the temple. The king calls Jehoiada and the priests and asks why the work has not been done.
The priests agree not to receive money for the repairs, and they also agree not to repair the temple themselves. Jehoiada makes a chest with a hole in its lid and places it beside the altar. The priests put the money they receive into it, and the king's secretary and high priest count it together.
The money is given to the workers, who use it to repair the temple. No accounting is required from the men entrusted with the repairs because they act faithfully. The process becomes more direct and transparent after the earlier arrangement fails.
How We Know
The passage belongs to a sustained historical and covenant record. The events in 2 Kings 12:1-16 belong to the royal history also preserved in 2 Chronicles and interpreted by the prophets. Where the account names Assyria, Babylon, kings, cities, or temple practice, those details sit within the wider history of the ancient Near East; the parallel biblical records help us test the sequence while retaining the passage's covenant meaning.
Questions
1 How long does Joash reign?
AnswerJoash reigns over Judah in Jerusalem for forty years before his son Amaziah succeeds him.
2 What instruction does Joash give the priests?
AnswerHe tells them to use the temple money to repair every place in the temple that needs work.
3 Why is a chest placed beside the altar?
AnswerThe chest collects the money brought into the temple so it can be counted and used for repairs.
4 Who receives the repair money?
AnswerThe money is given directly to the workers who repair the temple and restore its damaged areas.
What This Means for Us
Joash wants the temple repaired, but good intentions do not make a stalled process work. The leaders change the arrangement, add shared counting, and put resources in the hands of people doing the task.
When a worthy project remains unfinished, ask whether the structure is helping or obstructing the work. Use clear stewardship, trustworthy people, and transparent handling of shared resources instead of assuming enthusiasm will solve every problem.
Prayer
Lord, make us faithful stewards of work and resources entrusted to us. Give our families honest processes, courage to change what is failing, and respect for the people whose patient labor repairs what others have neglected. Amen.