בֶּן־שֶׁבַע שָׁנִים יְהוֹאָשׁ בְּמָלְכוֹ

Yeho’ash was seven years old when he became king of Judah.

בִּשְׁנַת־שֶׁבַע לְיֵהוּא מָלַךְ יְהוֹאָשׁ וְאַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה מָלַךְ בִּירוּשָׁלִָם וְשֵׁם אִמּוֹ צִבְיָה מִבְּאֵר שָׁבַע

In the seventh year of Yehu, Yeho’ash became king. Yehu had killed Yeho’ash’s father when he ascended to power, seven years earlier. For most of those years, Yeho’ash’s grandmother Atalya had reigned. He reigned forty years in Jerusalem, and his mother’s name was Tzivya of Beersheba.

וַיַּעַשׂ יְהוֹאָשׁ הַיָּשָׁר בְּעֵינֵי ה' כָּל־יָמָיו אֲשֶׁר הוֹרָהוּ יְהוֹיָדָע הַכֹּהֵן

Yeho’ash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all his days, as Yehoyada the priest instructed him. As long as Yehoyada guided him, Yeho’ash heeded his instructions; however, later, he deviated slightly from the proper path.

רַק הַבָּמוֹת לֹא־סָרוּ עוֹד הָעָם מְזַבְּחִים וּמְקַטְּרִים בַּבָּמוֹת

However, the shrines were not removed; the people were still sacrificing and burning offerings at the shrines. Even when the Temple stood, offering sacrifices to God on private altars was still popular, despite the fact that this practice was severely prohibited by Torah law.

וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוֹאָשׁ אֶל־הַכֹּהֲנִים כֹּל כֶּסֶף הַקֳּדָשִׁים אֲשֶׁר יוּבָא בֵית־ה' כֶּסֶף עוֹבֵר אִישׁ כֶּסֶף נַפְשׁוֹת עֶרְכּוֹ כָּל־כֶּסֶף אֲשֶׁר יַעֲלֶה עַל לֶב־אִישׁ לְהָבִיא בֵּית ה'

After some time, Yeho’ash said to the priests: All the consecrated silver that is brought to the House of the Lord, the silver half-shekel levied yearly from each man, the silver of the valuation of persons, the sum vowed by individuals to the Temple in accordance with their fixed valuation, and all silver that it would enter the heart of any man to bring as a voluntary gift to the House of the Lord,

יִקְחוּ לָהֶם הַכֹּהֲנִים אִישׁ מֵאֵת מַכָּרוֹ וְהֵם יְחַזְּקוּ אֶת־בֶּדֶק הַבַּיִת לְכֹל אֲשֶׁר־יִמָּצֵא שָׁם בָּדֶק

shall be taken from them by the priests, each from his acquaintance, and they shall maintain the repair of the House, wherever any need for repair will be found. Rather than imposing a special tax for the Temple renovations, the priests in charge of the Temple would receive the donation money, and they would bear responsibility for its maintenance.

וַיְהִי בִּשְׁנַת עֶשְׂרִים וְשָׁלֹשׁ שָׁנָה לַמֶּלֶךְ יְהוֹאָשׁ לֹא־חִזְּקוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים אֶת־בֶּדֶק הַבָּיִת

It was in the twenty-third year of King Yeho’ash; the priests did not maintain the repair of the House. The priests had received gifts, but as there was no centralized method of collection and no one was supervising the maintenance, the renovations had not been performed properly.

וַיִּקְרָא הַמֶּלֶךְ יְהוֹאָשׁ לִיהוֹיָדָע הַכֹּהֵן וְלַכֹּהֲנִים וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵהֶם מַדּוּעַ אֵינְכֶם מְחַזְּקִים אֶת־בֶּדֶק הַבָּיִת וְעַתָּה אַל־תִּקְחוּ־כֶסֶף מֵאֵת מַכָּרֵיכֶם כִּי לְבֶדֶק הַבַּיִת תִּתְּנֻהוּ

King Yeho’ash summoned Yehoyada the priest and the priests, and he said to them: Why are you not maintaining the repair of the House? Now, do not take silver from your acquaintances, in the usual manner; rather, you shall give it for the repair of the House.

וַיֵּאֹתוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים לְבִלְתִּי קְחַת כֶּסֶף מֵאֵת הָעָם וּלְבִלְתִּי חַזֵּק אֶת־בֶּדֶק הַבָּיִת

The priests agreed not to take silver from the people and not to maintain the repair of the House themselves. Rather, the money would be brought directly to the Temple treasury for its maintenance.

וַיִּקַּח יְהוֹיָדָע הַכֹּהֵן אֲרוֹן אֶחָד וַיִּקֹּב חֹר בְּדַלְתּוֹ וַיִּתֵּן אֹתוֹ אֵצֶל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ מִיָּמִין בְּבוֹא־אִישׁ בֵּית ה' וְנָתְנוּ־שָׁמָּה הַכֹּהֲנִים שֹׁמְרֵי הַסַּף אֶת־כָּל־הַכֶּסֶף הַמּוּבָא בֵית־ה'

Yehoyada the priest took a chest, bored a hole in its lid, and placed it near the altar on the right as one comes into the House of the Lord; the priests who were the doorkeepers put there all the silver that was brought to the House of the Lord. This chest was for the Temple funds. From then on, anyone who wished to donate funds to the Temple could place it directly into the chest.

וַיְהִי כִּרְאוֹתָם כִּי־רַב הַכֶּסֶף בָּאָרוֹן וַיַּעַל סֹפֵר הַמֶּלֶךְ וְהַכֹּהֵן הַגָּדוֹל וַיָּצֻרוּ וַיִּמְנוּ אֶת־הַכֶּסֶף הַנִּמְצָא בֵית־ה'

It was upon their seeing that the silver in the chest was abundant that the king’s scribe, who was responsible for writing official documents, and the High Priest came up together and collected the coins from the chest and counted the silver that was found in the House of the Lord.

וְנָתְנוּ אֶת־הַכֶּסֶף הַמְתֻכָּן עַל־יְדֵ עֹשֵׂי הַמְּלָאכָה הַמֻּפְקָדִים בֵּית ה' וַיּוֹצִיאֻהוּ לְחָרָשֵׁי הָעֵץ וְלַבֹּנִים הָעֹשִׂים בֵּית ה'

They gave the silver that was tallied into the hands of the workmen who were appointed over the maintenance in the House of the Lord; they disbursed it to the carpenters and the builders who were working on the repairs in the House of the Lord,

וְלַגֹּדְרִים וּלְחֹצְבֵי הָאֶבֶן וְלִקְנוֹת עֵצִים וְאַבְנֵי מַחְצֵב לְחַזֵּק אֶת־בֶּדֶק בֵּית־ה' וּלְכֹל אֲשֶׁר־יֵצֵא עַל־הַבַּיִת לְחָזְקָה

and to the masons, who built the fences and walls, and to the hewers of stone, and to purchase timber and quarried stone to maintain the repair of the House of the Lord, and for any necessary outlay for the House to maintain it.

אַךְ לֹא יֵעָשֶׂה בֵּית ה' סִפּוֹת כֶּסֶף מְזַמְּרוֹת מִזְרָקוֹת חֲצֹצְרוֹת כָּל־כְּלִי זָהָב וּכְלִי־כָסֶף מִן־הַכֶּסֶף הַמּוּבָא בֵית־ה'

But, for the moment, cups of silver, musical instruments, bowls for receiving the blood of offerings and sprinkling it upon the altar, trumpets, all vessels of gold or vessels of silver would not be crafted for the House of the Lord from the silver that was brought to the House of the Lord,

כִּי־לְעֹשֵׂי הַמְּלָאכָה יִתְּנֻהוּ וְחִזְּקוּ־בוֹ אֶת־בֵּית ה'

as they would give it to the workmen, and they maintained with it the House of the Lord. They used the money solely for renovating the Temple itself. If any funds were left over, perhaps they were used for the preparation of such vessels.

וְלֹא יְחַשְּׁבוּ אֶת הָאֲנָשִׁים אֲשֶׁר יִתְּנוּ אֶת־הַכֶּסֶף עַל־יָדָם לָתֵת לְעֹשֵׂי הַמְּלָאכָה כִּי בֶאֱמֻנָה הֵם עֹשִׂים

They did not require an accounting from the men by whose hand they gave the silver to give to the workmen, as they acted with trustworthiness. The group of treasurers that oversaw the funds of the House of God were trusted, and there was no need to demand an accounting from them.

כֶּסֶף אָשָׁם וְכֶסֶף חַטָּאוֹת לֹא יוּבָא בֵּית ה' לַכֹּהֲנִים יִהְיוּ

However, the silver of guilt offerings and the silver of sin offerings, the money brought by the people for purchasing the various types of guilt offerings and sin offerings, would not be brought to the House of the Lord, as it was not designated for Temple maintenance; rather, it was designated for sacrificial offerings. Therefore, it, this money, was for the priests. If people set aside money for the purchase of a guilt offering or a sin offering, and some of the coins were left over, that remainder was not used for the Temple maintenance, but for buying burnt offerings, the hides of which were given to the priests.

אָז יַעֲלֶה חֲזָאֵל מֶלֶךְ אֲרָם וַיִּלָּחֶם עַל־גַּת וַיִּלְכְּדָהּ וַיָּשֶׂם חֲזָאֵל פָּנָיו לַעֲלוֹת עַל־יְרוּשָׁלִָם

Hazael king of Aram, after he had struck a harsh blow against the Kingdom of Israel (see 10:32–33), went up and made war against Gat and captured it; Hazael then set his sights to go up against Jerusalem in battle.

וַיִּקַּח יְהוֹאָשׁ מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָה אֵת כָּל־הַקֳּדָשִׁים אֲשֶׁר־הִקְדִּישׁוּ יְהוֹשָׁפָט וִיהוֹרָם וַאֲחַזְיָהוּ אֲבֹתָיו מַלְכֵי יְהוּדָה וְאֶת־קֳדָשָׁיו וְאֵת כָּל־הַזָּהָב הַנִּמְצָא בְּאֹצְרוֹת בֵּית־ה' וּבֵית הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיִּשְׁלַח לַחֲזָאֵל מֶלֶךְ אֲרָם וַיַּעַל מֵעַל יְרוּשָׁלִָם

Yeho’ash king of Judah took all the sacred items that Yehoshafat, Yehoram, and Ahazyahu, his fathers, the kings of Judah, had consecrated, and his own sacred items, and all the gold that was found in the treasuries of the House of the Lord and the palace of the king. He sent it to Hazael king of Aram as payment so that he would not attack, and indeed, he, Hazael, withdrew from Jerusalem.

וְיֶתֶר דִּבְרֵי יוֹאָשׁ וְכָל־אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה הֲלוֹא־הֵם כְּתוּבִים עַל־סֵפֶר דִּבְרֵי הַיָּמִים לְמַלְכֵי יְהוּדָה

The rest of the matters of Yo’ash, and everything that he did, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

וַיָּקֻמוּ עֲבָדָיו וַיִּקְשְׁרוּ־קָשֶׁר וַיַּכּוּ אֶת־יוֹאָשׁ בֵּית מִלֹּא הַיֹּרֵד סִלָּא

His servants rose and plotted a conspiracy, and smote Yo’ash at Beit Milo, the house [bayit] of a person called Milo, on the descent to Sila. According to some commentaries, Beit Milo was a place name. In order to distinguish it from another Beit Milo located in the region of Shekhem, the verse notes that this place is on the road that goes down to Sila. Some suggest that Sila is a well-known rock [sela] located close to Jerusalem, perhaps the rock of Eitam or the rock of Rimon.

וְיוֹזָכָר בֶּן־שִׁמְעָת וִיהוֹזָבָד בֶּן־שֹׁמֵר עֲבָדָיו הִכֻּהוּ וַיָּמֹת וַיִּקְבְּרוּ אֹתוֹ עִם־אֲבֹתָיו בְּעִיר דָּוִד וַיִּמְלֹךְ אֲמַצְיָה בְנוֹ תַּחְתָּיו

Yozakhar son of Shimat and Yehozavad son of Shomer, his servants, were the rebels who smote him, Yo’ash, and he died. They buried him with his fathers, the other kings of the Davidic dynasty, in the City of David. Amatzya his son reigned over Judah in his place.