2 Chronicles 24:1-14

New Catholic Bible

Chapter 24

Temple Repairs.^{[a] 1} Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned for forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah; she was from Beer-sheba. ² Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord as long as Jehoiada was alive. ³ Jehoiada selected two wives for him, and he became the father of several sons and daughters.

⁴ Sometime later, Joash decided to restore the temple of the Lord. ⁵ After he assembled the priests and the Levites, he said to them: “Go forth to all the towns of Judah and without any delay collect the money that is due each year so that we may make the annual repairs that are necessary. See to it that you act quickly.” However, the Levites did not hasten to proceed immediately.

⁶ Therefore, the king summoned Jehoiada, the chief priest, and asked him: “Why have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah and Jerusalem the tax levied by Moses, the servant of the Lord, and by the assembly of Israel for the tent of the testimony?” ⁷ For the wicked Athaliah and her sons had broken into the house of God and had even given to the Baals the sacred revenues of the temple of the Lord.

⁸ Therefore, the king ordered that a chest be made and placed outside the gate of the house of the Lord. ⁹ Then a proclamation was made throughout Judah and Jerusalem to bring to the Lord the tax which Moses, the servant of God, had imposed on Israel in the desert. ¹⁰ As a result, the officials and all the people rejoiced, and they willingly brought their contributions, depositing them in the chest until it was filled.

¹¹ Whenever the chest was brought to the royal officials by the Levites, and it was evident that it contained a large amount of money, the king’s secretary and the representative of the chief priest would come to empty it and then return the chest to its designated place. They did this day after day and collected money in great abundance. ¹² Then the king and Jehoiada gave the money to those who were responsible for carrying out the work of the house of the Lord, and they also hired masons and carpenters to restore the house of the Lord, while workers skilled in iron and bronze devoted themselves to making all the necessary repairs.

¹³ The laborers concentrated on their labor, and the repairs progressed steadily at their hands. They restored the house of God to its original state and strengthened it. ¹⁴ After they had completed their work, they brought the rest of the money to the king and Jehoiada, and it was used to make vessels for the house of the Lord, vessels for the services and for burnt offerings, and basins and other gold and silver utensils. They continually offered burnt offerings in the Lord’s temple throughout the lifetime of Jehoiada.