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1 Yoash was seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned arba'im shanah in Yerushalayim. Shem immo also was Tzivyah of Be'er-Sheva.
2 And Yoash did that which was yashar in the eyes of Hashem kol yemei Yehoyada HaKohen. 3 And Yehoyada took for him nashim shtayim; and he fathered banim and banot.
4 And it came to pass after this, that Yoash was minded to renovate the Bais Hashem. 5 And he called together the Kohanim and the Levi'im, and said to them, Go out unto the towns of Yehudah, and collect from Kol Yisroel kesef to repair the Bais Eloheichem annually, and see that ye hasten the matter. Howbeit the Levi'im hastened it not. 6 And HaMelech called for Yehoyada HaRosh, and said unto him, Why hast thou not required of the Levi'im to bring in from Yehudah and from Yerushalayim the mas'at (the tax of) Moshe Eved Hashem and the Kahal L'Yisroel L'Ohel HaEdut? 7 For the sons of that wicked woman Atalyah had broken in the Beis HaElohim; all the Kadshei Beis Hashem did they bestow upon Ba'alim.
8 And at the commandment of HaMelech they made aron echad and set it outside at the Sha'ar Beis Hashem. 9 And they made a proclamation in Yehudah and in Yerushalayim, to bring in to Hashem the mas'at Moshe Eved HaElohim laid upon Yisroel in the midbar. 10 And all the sarim and kol HaAm rejoiced, and brought in, and dropped into the aron, until it was full. 11 Now it came to pass, that at what time the aron was brought unto the Pekuddat HaMelech by the yad of the Levi'im, and when they saw that there was much kesef, the Sofer HaMelech and the official, the Pakid Kohen HaRosh came and emptied the aron, and took it, and carried it to its place again. Thus they did yom b'yom, and collected kesef in abundance. 12 And HaMelech and Yehoyada gave it to such as did the work of the Avodas Beis Hashem, and hired masons and carpenters to renovate the Beis Hashem, and also such as wrought barzel and nechoshet to repair the Beis Hashem. 13 So the workmen wrought, and the work in the yad of them was furthered, and they restored the Beis HaElohim to its original form and reinforced it. 14 And when they had finished it, they brought the rest of the kesef before HaMelech and Yehoyada, whereof were made vessels for the Beis Hashem, even keli sharet, and for the olot, and ladles, and vessels of zahav and kesef. And they offered olot in the Beis Hashem continually all the days of Yehoyada.
15 But Yehoyada was old, and was full of yamim when he died: 130 years old was he in his mot. 16 And they buried him in Ir Dovid among the Melachim, because he had done tovah in Yisroel, both toward HaElohim, and His Beis.
17 Now after the mot Yehoyada came the sarim of Yehudah, and paid homage to HaMelech. Then HaMelech paid heed unto them. 18 And they forsook the Beis Hashem Elohei Avoteihem, and served HaAsherim and the atzabim; and ketzef (wrath) came upon Yehudah and Yerushalayim because of their trespass. 19 Yet He sent Nevi'im to them, to bring them back unto Hashem; and they testified against them; but they would not give ear.
20 And the Ruach Elohim came upon Zecharyah ben Yehoyada HaKohen, which stood before HaAm and he said unto them, Thus saith HaElohim, Why transgress ye the mitzvot Hashem, that ye cannot prosper? Because ye have forsook Hashem, He hath also forsaken you. 21 And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the order of HaMelech in the khatzer of the Beis Hashem.
22 Thus Yoash HaMelech remembered not the chesed which Yehoyada Aviv had done to him, but slaughtered bno. And when he died, he said, May Hashem look upon it, and may He call to account.
23 And it came to pass at the end of the year, that the army of Aram came up against him, they invaded Yehudah and Yerushalayim, destroyed all the sarim of the people from among HaAm, sent all their plunder unto Melech Darmesek (Damascus). 24 For the army of Aram came with a small company of men, and Hashem delivered a very great army into their yad, because they had forsaken Hashem Elohei Avoteihem. So they executed shefatim against Yoash. 25 And when they withdrew from him, (for they left him with machaluyim rabbim ),* his own avadim conspired against him on account of the dahm of the Bnei Yehoyada HaKohen, and slaughtered him on his bed, and he died; and they buried him in Ir Dovid, but they buried him not in the Kivrot HaMelachim. 26 And these are they that conspired against him: Zavad ben Shim'at an Ammonit, and Yehozavad ben Shimrit the Moavit.
27 Now concerning his banim, and the rav hamassa concerning him, and the repairing of the Beis HaElohim, hinei, they are written in the Midrash Sefer HaMelachim. And Amatzyah bno reigned in his place.
* 24:25 many wounds