¹⁷ Jehoiada then made a covenant^(A) between the Lord and the king and people that they would be the Lord’s people. He also made a covenant between the king and the people.^{(B) 18} All the people of the land went to the temple^(C) of Baal and tore it down. They smashed^(D) the altars and idols to pieces and killed Mattan the priest^(E) of Baal in front of the altars.

Then Jehoiada the priest posted guards at the temple of the Lord. ¹⁹ He took with him the commanders of hundreds, the Carites,^(F) the guards and all the people of the land, and together they brought the king down from the temple of the Lord and went into the palace, entering by way of the gate of the guards. The king then took his place on the royal throne. ²⁰ All the people of the land rejoiced,^(G) and the city was calm, because Athaliah had been slain with the sword at the palace.

²¹ Joash^[a] was seven years old when he began to reign.^[b]

Joash Repairs the Temple^(H)

12 ^[c]In the seventh year of Jehu, Joash^[d](I) became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years. His mother’s name was Zibiah; she was from Beersheba. ² Joash did what was right^(J) in the eyes of the Lord all the years Jehoiada the priest instructed him. ³ The high places,^(K) however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.

⁴ Joash said to the priests, “Collect^(L) all the money that is brought as sacred offerings^(M) to the temple of the Lord—the money collected in the census,^(N) the money received from personal vows and the money brought voluntarily^(O) to the temple. ⁵ Let every priest receive the money from one of the treasurers, then use it to repair^(P) whatever damage is found in the temple.”

⁶ But by the twenty-third year of King Joash the priests still had not repaired the temple. ⁷ Therefore King Joash summoned Jehoiada the priest and the other priests and asked them, “Why aren’t you repairing the damage done to the temple? Take no more money from your treasurers, but hand it over for repairing the temple.” ⁸ The priests agreed that they would not collect any more money from the people and that they would not repair the temple themselves.

⁹ Jehoiada the priest took a chest and bored a hole in its lid. He placed it beside the altar, on the right side as one enters the temple of the Lord. The priests who guarded the entrance^(Q) put into the chest all the money^(R) that was brought to the temple of the Lord. ¹⁰ Whenever they saw that there was a large amount of money in the chest, the royal secretary^(S) and the high priest came, counted the money that had been brought into the temple of the Lord and put it into bags. ¹¹ When the amount had been determined, they gave the money to the men appointed to supervise the work on the temple. With it they paid those who worked on the temple of the Lord—the carpenters and builders, ¹² the masons and stonecutters.^(T) They purchased timber and blocks of dressed stone for the repair of the temple of the Lord, and met all the other expenses of restoring the temple.

¹³ The money brought into the temple was not spent for making silver basins, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, trumpets or any other articles of gold^(U) or silver for the temple of the Lord; ¹⁴ it was paid to the workers, who used it to repair the temple. ¹⁵ They did not require an accounting from those to whom they gave the money to pay the workers, because they acted with complete honesty.^{(V) 16} The money from the guilt offerings^(W) and sin offerings^[e](X) was not brought into the temple of the Lord; it belonged^(Y) to the priests.

¹⁷ About this time Hazael^(Z) king of Aram went up and attacked Gath and captured it. Then he turned to attack Jerusalem.

Freedom for Slaves

⁸ The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people^(A) in Jerusalem to proclaim freedom^(B) for the slaves. ⁹ Everyone was to free their Hebrew slaves, both male and female; no one was to hold a fellow Hebrew in bondage.^{(C) 10} So all the officials and people who entered into this covenant agreed that they would free their male and female slaves and no longer hold them in bondage. They agreed, and set them free. ¹¹ But afterward they changed their minds^(D) and took back the slaves they had freed and enslaved them again.

¹² Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ¹³ “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I made a covenant with your ancestors^(E) when I brought them out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.^(F) I said, ¹⁴ ‘Every seventh year each of you must free any fellow Hebrews who have sold themselves to you. After they have served you six years, you must let them go free.’^[a](G) Your ancestors, however, did not listen to me or pay attention^(H) to me. ¹⁵ Recently you repented and did what is right in my sight: Each of you proclaimed freedom to your own people.^(I) You even made a covenant before me in the house that bears my Name.^{(J) 16} But now you have turned around^(K) and profaned^(L) my name; each of you has taken back the male and female slaves you had set free to go where they wished. You have forced them to become your slaves again.

¹⁷ “Therefore this is what the Lord says: You have not obeyed me; you have not proclaimed freedom to your own people. So I now proclaim ‘freedom’ for you,^(M) declares the Lord—‘freedom’ to fall by the sword, plague^(N) and famine.^(O) I will make you abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth.^{(P) 18} Those who have violated my covenant^(Q) and have not fulfilled the terms of the covenant they made before me, I will treat like the calf they cut in two and then walked between its pieces.^{(R) 19} The leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the court officials,^(S) the priests and all the people of the land who walked between the pieces of the calf, ²⁰ I will deliver^(T) into the hands of their enemies who want to kill them.^(U) Their dead bodies will become food for the birds and the wild animals.^(V)

²¹ “I will deliver Zedekiah^(W) king of Judah and his officials^(X) into the hands of their enemies^(Y) who want to kill them, to the army of the king of Babylon,^(Z) which has withdrawn^(AA) from you. ²² I am going to give the order, declares the Lord, and I will bring them back to this city. They will fight against it, take^(AB) it and burn^(AC) it down. And I will lay waste^(AD) the towns of Judah so no one can live there.”

²⁵ This is what the Lord says: ‘If I have not made my covenant with day and night^(A) and established the laws^(B) of heaven and earth,^{(C) 26} then I will reject^(D) the descendants of Jacob^(E) and David my servant and will not choose one of his sons to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. For I will restore their fortunes^[a](F) and have compassion^(G) on them.’”