^17 (A)Then Jehoiada ^(B)made a covenant between the Lord, the king, and the people, that they should be the Lord’s people, and also ^(C)between the king and the people. ¹⁸ And all the people of the land went to the ^(D)temple of Baal, and tore it down. They thoroughly ^(E)broke in pieces its altars and ^[a]images, and ^(F)killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. And ^(G)the priest appointed ^[b]officers over the house of the Lord. ¹⁹ Then he took the captains of hundreds, the bodyguards, the escorts, and all the people of the land; and they brought the king down from the house of the Lord, and went by way of the gate of the escorts to the king’s house. Then he sat on the throne of the kings. ²⁰ So all the people of the land rejoiced; and the city was quiet, for they had slain Athaliah with the sword in the king’s house. ²¹ Jehoash was ^(H)seven years old when he became king.

Jehoash Repairs the Temple^(I)

12 In the seventh year of Jehu, ^(J)Jehoash^[c] became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba. ² Jehoash did what was right in the sight of the Lord all the days in which ^(K)Jehoiada the priest instructed him. ³ But ^(L)the ^[d]high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.

⁴ And Jehoash said to the priests, ^(M)“All the money of the dedicated gifts that are brought into the house of the Lord—each man’s ^(N)census^[e] money, each man’s ^(O)assessment money—and all the money that ^[f]a man ^(P)purposes in his heart to bring into the house of the Lord, ⁵ let the priests take it themselves, each from his constituency; and let them repair the ^[g]damages of the temple, wherever any dilapidation is found.”

⁶ Now it was so, by the twenty-third year of King Jehoash, ^(Q)that the priests had not repaired the damages of the temple. ^7 (R)So King Jehoash called Jehoiada the priest and the other priests, and said to them, “Why have you not repaired the damages of the temple? Now therefore, do not take more money from your constituency, but deliver it for repairing the damages of the temple.” ⁸ And the priests agreed that they would neither receive more money from the people, nor repair the damages of the temple.

⁹ Then Jehoiada the priest took ^(S)a chest, bored a hole in its lid, and set it beside the altar, on the right side as one comes into the house of the Lord; and the priests who ^[h]kept the door put ^(T)there all the money brought into the house of the Lord. ¹⁰ So it was, whenever they saw that there was much money in the chest, that the king’s ^(U)scribe^[i] and the high priest came up and ^[j]put it in bags, and counted the money that was found in the house of the Lord. ¹¹ Then they gave the money, which had been apportioned, into the hands of those who did the work, who had the oversight of the house of the Lord; and they ^[k]paid it out to the carpenters and builders who worked on the house of the Lord, ¹² and to masons and stonecutters, and for buying timber and hewn stone, to ^(V)repair the damage of the house of the Lord, and for all that was paid out to repair the temple. ¹³ However ^(W)there were not made for the house of the Lord basins of silver, trimmers, sprinkling-bowls, trumpets, any articles of gold or articles of silver, from the money brought into the house of the Lord. ¹⁴ But they gave that to the workmen, and they repaired the house of the Lord with it. ¹⁵ Moreover ^(X)they did not require an account from the men into whose hand they delivered the money to be paid to workmen, for they dealt faithfully. ^16 (Y)The money from the trespass offerings and the money from the sin offerings was not brought into the house of the Lord. ^(Z)It belonged to the priests.

Hazael Threatens Jerusalem

^17 (AA)Hazael king of Syria went up and fought against Gath, and took it; then ^(AB)Hazael set his face to ^[l]go up to Jerusalem.

Treacherous Treatment of Slaves

⁸ This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people who were at Jerusalem to proclaim ^(A)liberty to them: ^9 (B)that every man should set free his male and female slave—a Hebrew man or woman—^(C)that no one should keep a Jewish brother in bondage. ¹⁰ Now when all the princes and all the people, who had entered into the covenant, heard that everyone should set free his male and female slaves, that no one should keep them in bondage anymore, they obeyed and let them go. ¹¹ But afterward they changed their minds and made the male and female slaves return, whom they had set free, and brought them into subjection as male and female slaves.

¹² Therefore the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, ¹³ “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘I made a ^(D)covenant with your fathers in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, saying, ¹⁴ “At the end of ^(E)seven years let every man set free his Hebrew brother, who ^[a]has been sold to him; and when he has served you six years, you shall let him go free from you.” But your fathers did not obey Me nor incline their ear. ¹⁵ Then you ^[b]recently turned and did what was right in My sight—every man proclaiming liberty to his neighbor; and you ^(F)made a covenant before Me ^(G)in the house which is called by My name. ¹⁶ Then you turned around and ^(H)profaned My name, and every one of you brought back his male and female slaves, whom you had set at liberty, at their pleasure, and brought them back into subjection, to be your male and female slaves.’

¹⁷ “Therefore thus says the Lord: ‘You have not obeyed Me in proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother and every one to his neighbor. ^(I)Behold, I proclaim liberty to you,’ says the Lord—^(J)‘to the sword, to pestilence, and to famine! And I will deliver you to ^(K)trouble among all the kingdoms of the earth. ¹⁸ And I will give the men who have transgressed My covenant, who have not performed the words of the covenant which they made before Me, when ^(L)they cut the calf in two and passed between the parts of it— ¹⁹ the princes of Judah, the princes of Jerusalem, the ^[c]eunuchs, the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf— ²⁰ I will ^(M)give them into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who seek their life. Their ^(N)dead bodies shall be for meat for the birds of the heaven and the beasts of the earth. ²¹ And I will give Zedekiah king of Judah and his princes into the hand of their enemies, into the hand of those who seek their life, and into the hand of the king of Babylon’s army ^(O)which has gone back from you. ^22 (P)Behold, I will command,’ says the Lord, ‘and cause them to return to this city. They will fight against it ^(Q)and take it and burn it with fire; and ^(R)I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without inhabitant.’ ”

²⁵ “Thus says the Lord: ‘If ^(A)My covenant is not with day and night, and if I have not ^(B)appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth, ^26 (C)then I will ^(D)cast away the descendants of Jacob and David My servant, so that I will not take any of his descendants to be rulers over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I will cause their captives to return, and will have mercy on them.’ ”