2nd Kings — 12

Yuash Repairs the Temple

1 Yuash began to rule over Yahudah in the seventh year of King Yahu’s reign in Yashar'AL. He reigned in Yahushalam forty years. His mother was Zibyahu from Baarshaba. 

2 All his life Yuash did what was pleasing in the sight of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH because Yahuiada the Kuhan instructed him. 

3 Yet even so, he did not destroy the pagan shrines, and the people still offered sacrifices and burned incense there.

4 One day King Yuash said to the Kuhanym, “Collect all the money brought as a sacred offering to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH’s Temple, whether it is a regular assessment, a payment of vows, or a voluntary gift. 

5 Let the Kuhanym take some of that money to pay for whatever repairs are needed at the Temple.”

6 But by the twenty-third year of Yuash’s reign, the Kuhanym still had not repaired the Temple. 

7 So King Yuash called for Yahuiada and the other Kuhanym and asked them, “Why haven’t you repaired the Temple? Do not use any more money for your own needs. From now on, it must all be spent on Temple repairs.” 

8 So the Kuhanym agreed not to accept any more money from the people, and they also agreed to let others take responsibility for repairing the Temple.

9 Then Yahuiada the Kuhan bored a hole in the lid of a large chest and set it on the right-hand side of the altar at the entrance of the Temple of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH. The Kuhanym guarding the entrance put all of the people’s contributions into the chest. 

10 Whenever the chest became full, the court secretary and the high Kuhan counted the money that had been brought to  𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH’s Temple and put it into bags. 

11 Then they gave the money to the construction supervisors, who used it to pay the people working on 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH’s Temple, the carpenters, the builders, 

12 the masons, and the stonecutters. They also used the money to buy the timber and the finished stone needed for repairing  𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH’s Temple, and they paid any other expenses related to the Temple’s restoration.

13 The money brought to the Temple was not used for making silver bowls, lamp snuffers, basins, trumpets, or other articles of gold or silver for the Temple of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH. 

14 It was paid to the workmen, who used it for the Temple repairs. 

15 No accounting of this money was required from the construction supervisors, because they were honest and trustworthy men. 

16 However, the money that was contributed for guilt offerings and sin offerings was not brought into 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH’s Temple. It was given to the Kuhanym for their own use.

The End of Yuash’s Reign

17 About this time King Hazaal of Aram went to war against Gath and captured it. Then he turned to attack Yahushalam. 

18 King Yuash collected all the sacred objects that Yahushaphat, Yahuram, and Ahazyahu, the previous kings of Yahudah, had dedicated, along with what he himself had dedicated, he sent them all to Hazaal, along with all the gold in the treasuries of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH’s Temple and the royal palace. So Hazaal called off his attack on Yahushalam.

19 The rest of the events in Yuash’s reign and everything he did are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Yahudah.

20 Yuash’s officers plotted against him and assassinated him at Bath-millu on the road to Silla. 

21 The assassins were Yuzachar son of Shima'ath and Yahuzabad son of Shumer, both trusted advisers. Yuash was buried with his ancestors in the City of Daud. Then his son Amazyahu became the next king.