Jehoash Inscription
Much mystery surrounds this artifact. Purportedly it was discovered by Palestinians during renovations and excavations on Jerusalem's Temple Mount ca. 2000 and sold on the black market to a private collector, whose identity remains hidden. If authentic, this inscription recorded King Jehoash's repairs to Jerusalem's Temple in the 9th century BCE, and would be one of the most important archaeological discoveries ever. However, most scholars believe it is a forgery. The text translates:
[I am Yeho'ash son of A-] haziah k[ing of ... Ju-] dah and I did [the work] just as the will[ing]- ness of the heart of each man in the land and in the desert and in all the cities of Judah was complete to give the silver of the holy things amply, to acquire hewn stones and cypresses and copper of Edom, to do the work in faithfulness. And I performed the repair of the House and the walls round about and the ledge and the lattices and the staircases and the recesses and the doors. And may this day become an observance that the work may be successful. May Yahweh ordain His people with a blessing.
(Translation by Freedman, Dolansky Overton, and Miano)