When the festival ended, the Israelites who attended went to all the towns of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh, and they smashed all the sacred pillars, cut down the Asherah poles, and removed the pagan shrines and altars. After this, the Israelites returned to their own towns and homes.

这事既都完毕，在那里的以色列众人就到犹大的城邑，打碎柱像，砍断木偶，又在犹大、便雅悯、以法莲、玛拿西遍地将邱坛和祭坛拆毁净尽。于是以色列众人各回各城，各归各地。

这一切事都完毕以后，在那里的以色列众人就到犹大的城镇，打碎柱像，砍断亚舍拉，又在犹大、便雅悯、以法莲、玛拿西遍地把丘坛和祭坛完全拆毁。于是以色列众人各回各城，各归自己产业的地去了。

这一切事都完毕以后，在那里的以色列众人就到犹大的城镇，打碎柱像，砍断亚舍拉，又在犹大、便雅悯、以法莲、玛拿西遍地把丘坛和祭坛完全拆毁。于是以色列众人各回各城，各归自己产业的地去了。

当一切都办妥后，所有在场的以色列人就前往犹大各城邑，打碎神柱，砍倒亚舍拉神像，又拆毁犹大、便雅悯、以法莲、玛拿西境内所有的丘坛和祭坛，然后各自返回自己的城邑和家园。

这一切都作完了，所有在那里的以色列人就都出去，到犹大的各城，打碎神柱，砍下亚舍拉；又在犹大、便雅悯、以法莲和玛拿西各地，把邱坛和祭坛完全拆毁。然后以色列众人都各回各城，各归自己的地业去了。

這事既都完畢，在那裏的以色列眾人就到猶大的城邑，打碎柱像，砍斷木偶，又在猶大、便雅憫、以法蓮、瑪拿西遍地將邱壇和祭壇拆毀淨盡。於是以色列眾人各回各城，各歸各地。

這一切事都完畢以後，在那裏的以色列眾人就到猶大的城鎮，打碎柱像，砍斷亞舍拉，又在猶大、便雅憫、以法蓮、瑪拿西遍地把丘壇和祭壇完全拆毀。於是以色列眾人各回各城，各歸自己產業的地去了。

這一切事都完畢以後，在那裏的以色列眾人就到猶大的城鎮，打碎柱像，砍斷亞舍拉，又在猶大、便雅憫、以法蓮、瑪拿西遍地把丘壇和祭壇完全拆毀。於是以色列眾人各回各城，各歸自己產業的地去了。

當一切都辦妥後，所有在場的以色列人就前往猶大各城邑，打碎神柱，砍倒亞舍拉神像，又拆毀猶大、便雅憫、以法蓮、瑪拿西境內所有的邱壇和祭壇，然後各自返回自己的城邑和家園。

這一切都作完了，所有在那裡的以色列人就都出去，到猶大的各城，打碎神柱，砍下亞舍拉；又在猶大、便雅憫、以法蓮和瑪拿西各地，把邱壇和祭壇完全拆毀。然後以色列眾人都各回各城，各歸自己的地業去了。

這一切事既已作完，所有在場的以色列眾人就都出去、到猶大各城市，把崇拜柱子打碎，將亞舍拉神木砍下；又從猶大、便雅憫、以法蓮、瑪拿西遍地、將邱壇和祭壇全都拆毁；於是以色列眾人都回本城，各歸自己的地業去。

此事既畢、在彼之以色列眾咸出、往猶大諸邑、碎其柱像、斫其木偶、毀其崇邱與壇、在猶大便雅憫以法蓮瑪拿西諸地、盡除滅之、以色列人乃返故邑、各歸其業、

祀事既畢、以色列眾往猶大、便雅憫、以法蓮、馬拿西諸邑、毀偶像、伐林木、廢崇坵、拆祭壇、滅之務盡、然後歸。

此事既畢、所有以色列眾、往猶大諸邑、毀偶像、斫諸亞舍拉、在猶大、便雅憫、以法蓮、瑪拿西遍地、廢崇邱、拆祭壇、滅之淨盡、然後以色列人眾各返故邑、各歸其業、

When all this had ended, the Israelites who were there went out to the towns of Judah, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. They destroyed the high places and the altars throughout Judah and Benjamin and in Ephraim and Manasseh. After they had destroyed all of them, the Israelites returned to their own towns and to their own property.

The Passover Feast came to an end. The people of Israel who were in Jerusalem went out to the towns of Judah. They smashed the sacred stones. They cut down the poles used to worship the female god named Asherah. They destroyed the high places and the altars. They did those things all through Judah and Benjamin. They also did them in Ephraim and Manasseh. They destroyed all the objects used to worship other gods. Then the Israelites returned to their own towns and property.

Now when all this was finished, all Israel who were present went out to the cities of Judah and broke in pieces the pillars and cut down the Asherim and broke down the high places and the altars throughout all Judah and Benjamin, and in Ephraim and Manasseh, until they had destroyed them all. Then all the people of Israel returned to their cities, every man to his possession.

When all this was completed, all Israel who had attended went out to the cities of Judah and broke up the sacred pillars, chopped down the Asherah poles, and tore down the high places and altars throughout Judah and Benjamin, as well as in Ephraim and Manasseh, to the last one. Then all the Israelites returned to their cities, each to his own possession.

Now when all this was finished, all Israel who were present went out to the cities of Judah, broke the memorial stones in pieces, cut down the Asherim and pulled down the high places and the altars throughout Judah and Benjamin, as well as in Ephraim and Manasseh, until they had destroyed them all. Then all the sons of Israel returned to their cities, each to his possession.

Now when all this was finished, all Israel who were present went out to the cities of Judah and broke the sacred pillars in pieces, cut down the wooden images, and threw down the high places and the altars— from all Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh— until they had utterly destroyed them all. Then all the children of Israel returned to their own cities, every man to his possession.

Now when all this was finished, all Israel that were present went out to the cities of Judah, and brake in pieces the pillars, and hewed down the Asherim, and brake down the high places and the altars out of all Judah and Benjamin, in Ephraim also and Manasseh, until they had destroyed them all. Then all the children of Israel returned, every man to his possession, into their own cities.

When all this was completed, all Israel who had attended went out to the cities of Judah and broke up the sacred pillars, chopped down the Asherah poles, and tore down the high places and altars throughout Judah and Benjamin, as well as in Ephraim and Manasseh, to the last one. Then all the Israelites returned to their cities, each to his own possession.

Now when all this was finished, all Israel that were present went out to the cities of Judah, and brake the images in pieces, and cut down the groves, and threw down the high places and the altars out of all Judah and Benjamin, in Ephraim also and Manasseh, until they had utterly destroyed them all. Then all the children of Israel returned, every man to his possession, into their own cities.

When all this was over, the Israelites who were in the cities of Judah went out and smashed the sacred pillars, cut down the Asherah poles, and demolished all the high places and altars throughout Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh. Then all the Israelites returned to their own homes in their cities.

Now when all this was finished, all Israel who were present went out to the cities of Judah, and broke the pillars in pieces, cut down the Asherah poles, and broke down the high places and the altars out of all Judah and Benjamin, also in Ephraim and Manasseh, until they had destroyed them all. Then all the children of Israel returned, every man to his possession, into their own cities.

He removed the pagan shrines, smashed the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke up the bronze serpent that Moses had made, because the people of Israel had been offering sacrifices to it. The bronze serpent was called Nehushtan.

Don’t you realize that Hezekiah is the very person who destroyed all the Lord’s shrines and altars? He commanded Judah and Jerusalem to worship only at the altar at the Temple and to offer sacrifices on it alone.

“ Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die.”

During the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, Josiah began to seek the God of his ancestor David. Then in the twelfth year he began to purify Judah and Jerusalem, destroying all the pagan shrines, the Asherah poles, and the carved idols and cast images.He ordered that the altars of Baal be demolished and that the incense altars which stood above them be broken down. He also made sure that the Asherah poles, the carved idols, and the cast images were smashed and scattered over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them.He burned the bones of the pagan priests on their own altars, and so he purified Judah and Jerusalem.He did the same thing in the towns of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, even as far as Naphtali, and in the regions all around them.He destroyed the pagan altars and the Asherah poles, and he crushed the idols into dust. He cut down all the incense altars throughout the land of Israel. Finally, he returned to Jerusalem.

At dawn the next morning the angels became insistent.“ Hurry,” they said to Lot.“ Take your wife and your two daughters who are here. Get out right now, or you will be swept away in the destruction of the city!”

He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, but not to the same extent as the kings of Israel who ruled before him.

And the king went up to the Temple of the Lord with all the people of Judah and Jerusalem, along with the priests and the prophets— all the people from the least to the greatest. There the king read to them the entire Book of the Covenant that had been found in the Lord’s Temple.The king took his place of authority beside the pillar and renewed the covenant in the Lord’s presence. He pledged to obey the Lord by keeping all his commands, laws, and decrees with all his heart and soul. In this way, he confirmed all the terms of the covenant that were written in the scroll, and all the people pledged themselves to the covenant.Then the king instructed Hilkiah the high priest and the priests of the second rank and the Temple gatekeepers to remove from the Lord’s Temple all the articles that were used to worship Baal, Asherah, and all the powers of the heavens. The king had all these things burned outside Jerusalem on the terraces of the Kidron Valley, and he carried the ashes away to Bethel.He did away with the idolatrous priests, who had been appointed by the previous kings of Judah, for they had offered sacrifices at the pagan shrines throughout Judah and even in the vicinity of Jerusalem. They had also offered sacrifices to Baal, and to the sun, the moon, the constellations, and to all the powers of the heavens.The king removed the Asherah pole from the Lord’s Temple and took it outside Jerusalem to the Kidron Valley, where he burned it. Then he ground the ashes of the pole to dust and threw the dust over the graves of the people.He also tore down the living quarters of the male and female shrine prostitutes that were inside the Temple of the Lord, where the women wove coverings for the Asherah pole.Josiah brought to Jerusalem all the priests who were living in other towns of Judah. He also defiled the pagan shrines, where they had offered sacrifices— all the way from Geba to Beersheba. He destroyed the shrines at the entrance to the gate of Joshua, the governor of Jerusalem. This gate was located to the left of the city gate as one enters the city.The priests who had served at the pagan shrines were not allowed to serve at the Lord’s altar in Jerusalem, but they were allowed to eat unleavened bread with the other priests.Then the king defiled the altar of Topheth in the valley of Ben Hinnom, so no one could ever again use it to sacrifice a son or daughter in the fire as an offering to Molech.He removed from the entrance of the Lord’s Temple the horse statues that the former kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun. They were near the quarters of Nathan melech the eunuch, an officer of the court. The king also burned the chariots dedicated to the sun.Josiah tore down the altars that the kings of Judah had built on the palace roof above the upper room of Ahaz. The king destroyed the altars that Manasseh had built in the two courtyards of the Lord’s Temple. He smashed them to bits and scattered the pieces in the Kidron Valley.The king also desecrated the pagan shrines east of Jerusalem, to the south of the Mount of Corruption, where King Solomon of Israel had built shrines for Ashtoreth, the detestable goddess of the Sidonians; and for Chemosh, the detestable god of the Moabites; and for Molech, the vile god of the Ammonites.He smashed the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah poles. Then he desecrated these places by scattering human bones over them.The king also tore down the altar at Bethel— the pagan shrine that Jeroboam son of Nebat had made when he caused Israel to sin. He burned down the shrine and ground it to dust, and he burned the Asherah pole.Then Josiah turned around and noticed several tombs in the side of the hill. He ordered that the bones be brought out, and he burned them on the altar at Bethel to desecrate it.( This happened just as the Lord had promised through the man of God when Jeroboam stood beside the altar at the festival.) Then Josiah turned and looked up at the tomb of the man of God who had predicted these things.“ What is that monument over there?” Josiah asked. And the people of the town told him,“ It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and predicted the very things that you have just done to the altar at Bethel!”Josiah replied,“ Leave it alone. Don’t disturb his bones.” So they did not burn his bones or those of the old prophet from Samaria.Then Josiah demolished all the buildings at the pagan shrines in the towns of Samaria, just as he had done at Bethel. They had been built by the various kings of Israel and had made the Lord very angry.He executed the priests of the pagan shrines on their own altars, and he burned human bones on the altars to desecrate them. Finally, he returned to Jerusalem.

You must not worship the gods of these nations or serve them in any way or imitate their evil practices. Instead, you must utterly destroy them and smash their sacred pillars.

King Hezekiah now sent word to all Israel and Judah, and he wrote letters of invitation to the people of Ephraim and Manasseh. He asked everyone to come to the Temple of the Lord at Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover of the Lord, the God of Israel.The king, his officials, and all the community of Jerusalem decided to celebrate Passover a month later than usual.They were unable to celebrate it at the prescribed time because not enough priests could be purified by then, and the people had not yet assembled at Jerusalem.This plan for keeping the Passover seemed right to the king and all the people.So they sent a proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba in the south to Dan in the north, inviting everyone to come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover of the Lord, the God of Israel. The people had not been celebrating it in great numbers as required in the Law.At the king’s command, runners were sent throughout Israel and Judah. They carried letters that said:“ O people of Israel, return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, so that he will return to the few of us who have survived the conquest of the Assyrian kings.Do not be like your ancestors and relatives who abandoned the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and became an object of derision, as you yourselves can see.Do not be stubborn, as they were, but submit yourselves to the Lord. Come to his Temple, which he has set apart as holy forever. Worship the Lord your God so that his fierce anger will turn away from you.“ For if you return to the Lord, your relatives and your children will be treated mercifully by their captors, and they will be able to return to this land. For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful. If you return to him, he will not continue to turn his face from you.”The runners went from town to town throughout Ephraim and Manasseh and as far as the territory of Zebulun. But most of the people just laughed at the runners and made fun of them.However, some people from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and went to Jerusalem.At the same time, God’s hand was on the people in the land of Judah, giving them all one heart to obey the orders of the king and his officials, who were following the word of the Lord.So a huge crowd assembled at Jerusalem in midspring to celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread.They set to work and removed the pagan altars from Jerusalem. They took away all the incense altars and threw them into the Kidron Valley.On the fourteenth day of the second month, one month later than usual, the people slaughtered the Passover lamb. This shamed the priests and Levites, so they purified themselves and brought burnt offerings to the Temple of the Lord.Then they took their places at the Temple as prescribed in the Law of Moses, the man of God. The Levites brought the sacrificial blood to the priests, who then sprinkled it on the altar.Since many of the people had not purified themselves, the Levites had to slaughter their Passover lamb for them, to set them apart for the Lord.Most of those who came from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun had not purified themselves. But King Hezekiah prayed for them, and they were allowed to eat the Passover meal anyway, even though this was contrary to the requirements of the Law. For Hezekiah said,“ May the Lord, who is good, pardon thosewho decide to follow the Lord, the God of their ancestors, even though they are not properly cleansed for the ceremony.”And the Lord listened to Hezekiah’s prayer and healed the people.So the people of Israel who were present in Jerusalem joyously celebrated the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days. Each day the Levites and priests sang to the Lord, accompanied by loud instruments.Hezekiah encouraged all the Levites regarding the skill they displayed as they served the Lord. The celebration continued for seven days. Peace offerings were sacrificed, and the people gave thanks to the Lord, the God of their ancestors.The entire assembly then decided to continue the festival another seven days, so they celebrated joyfully for another week.King Hezekiah gave the people 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep and goats for offerings, and the officials donated 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep and goats. Meanwhile, many more priests purified themselves.The entire assembly of Judah rejoiced, including the priests, the Levites, all who came from the land of Israel, the foreigners who came to the festival, and all those who lived in Judah.There was great joy in the city, for Jerusalem had not seen a celebration like this one since the days of Solomon, King David’s son.Then the priests and Levites stood and blessed the people, and God heard their prayer from his holy dwelling in heaven.

He removed the foreign altars and the pagan shrines. He smashed the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah poles.

Immediately the fire of the Lord flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones, and the dust. It even licked up all the water in the trench!And when all the people saw it, they fell face down on the ground and cried out,“ The Lord— he is God! Yes, the Lord is God!”Then Elijah commanded,“ Seize all the prophets of Baal. Don’t let a single one escape!” So the people seized them all, and Elijah took them down to the Kishon Valley and killed them there.

And all the people went over to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They demolished the altars and smashed the idols, and they killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars.

This is what you must do. You must break down their pagan altars and shatter their sacred pillars. Cut down their Asherah poles and burn their idols.