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Remember, only the priests and Levites on duty may enter the Temple of the Lord , for they are set apart as holy. The rest of the people must obey the Lord 's instructions and stay outside.

So the Levites and all the people of Judah did everything as Jehoiada the priest ordered. The commanders took charge of the men reporting for duty that Sabbath, as well as those who were going off duty. Jehoiada the priest did not let anyone go home after their shift ended.

Then Jehoiada the priest ordered the commanders who were in charge of the troops, "Take her to the soldiers in front of the Temple, and kill anyone who tries to rescue her." For the priest had said, "She must not be killed in the Temple of the Lord ."

He also stationed gatekeepers at the gates of the Lord 's Temple to keep out those who for any reason were ceremonially unclean.

Jehoiada chose two wives for Joash, and he had sons and daughters.

So the king called for Jehoiada the high priest and asked him, "Why haven't you demanded that the Levites go out and collect the Temple taxes from the towns of Judah and from Jerusalem? Moses, the servant of the Lord , levied this tax on the community of Israel in order to maintain the Tabernacle of the Covenant."

The king and Jehoiada gave the money to the construction supervisors, who hired masons and carpenters to restore the Temple of the Lord . They also hired metalworkers, who made articles of iron and bronze for the Lord 's Temple.

When all the repairs were finished, they brought the remaining money to the king and Jehoiada. It was used to make various articles for the Temple of the Lord —articles for worship services and for burnt offerings, including ladles and other articles made of gold and silver. And the burnt offerings were sacrificed continually in the Temple of the Lord during the lifetime of Jehoiada the priest.

He was buried among the kings in the City of David, because he had done so much good in Israel for God and his Temple.

That was how King Joash repaid Jehoiada for his loyalty—by killing his son. Zechariah's last words as he died were, "May the Lord see what they are doing and avenge my death!"

The Arameans withdrew, leaving Joash severely wounded. But his own officials plotted to kill him for murdering the son of Jehoiada the priest. They assassinated him as he lay in bed. Then he was buried in the City of David, but not in the royal cemetery.

However, he did not kill the children of the assassins, for he obeyed the command of the Lord as written by Moses in the Book of the Law: "Parents must not be put to death for the sins of their children, nor children for the sins of their parents. Those deserving to die must be put to death for their own crimes."

Then Amaziah organized the army, assigning generals and captains for all Judah and Benjamin. He took a census and found that he had an army of 300,000 select troops, twenty years old and older, all trained in the use of spear and shield.

But a man of God came to him and said, "Your Majesty, do not hire troops from Israel, for the Lord is not with Israel. He will not help those people of Ephraim!

If you let them go with your troops into battle, you will be defeated by the enemy no matter how well you fight. God will overthrow you, for he has the power to help you or to trip you up."

But Amaziah refused to listen, for God was determined to destroy him for turning to the gods of Edom.

Judah was routed by the army of Israel, and its army scattered and fled for home.

King Amaziah of Judah lived for fifteen years after the death of King Jehoash of Israel.

The Meunites paid annual tribute to him, and his fame spread even to Egypt, for he had become very powerful.

He also constructed forts in the wilderness and dug many water cisterns, because he kept great herds of livestock in the foothills of Judah and on the plains. He was also a man who loved the soil. He had many workers who cared for his farms and vineyards, both on the hillsides and in the fertile valleys.