And Abraham replied, “Now behold, I have ventured to speak to the Lord, although I am only dust and ashes.

And you shall make its pails for removing its ashes, and its shovels, its basins, its forks, and its firepans; you shall make all its utensils of bronze.

He shall also remove its craw with its feathers and throw it beside the altar eastward, to the place of the fatty ashes.

that is, all the rest of the bull, he is to bring out to a clean place outside the camp where the fatty ashes are poured out, and burn it on wood with fire; where the fatty ashes are poured out it shall be burned.

The priest is to put on his linen robe, and he shall put on linen undergarments next to his body; and he shall take up the fatty ashes to which the fire reduces the burnt offering on the altar and place them beside the altar.

Then he shall take off his garments and put on other garments, and carry the fatty ashes outside the camp to a clean place.

Then they shall clean away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth over it.

Now a man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer and put them outside the camp in a clean place, and the congregation of the sons of Israel shall keep them for water to remove impurity; it is purification from sin.

And the one who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes and will be unclean until evening; and it shall be a permanent statute for the sons of Israel and for the stranger who resides among them.

Then for the unclean person they shall take some of the ashes of the burnt purification from sin and running water shall be added to them in a container.

Tamar took ashes and put them on her head, and tore her long-sleeved garment which was on her; and she put her hand on her head and went on her way, crying out as she went.

Then he gave a sign on the same day, saying, “This is the sign which the Lord has spoken: ‘Behold, the altar shall be torn to pieces and the ashes which are on it shall be poured out.’”

The altar also was torn to pieces and the ashes were poured out from the altar, in accordance with the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the Lord.

Reforms under Josiah

Then the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, the priests of the second order, and the doorkeepers to bring out of the temple of the Lord all the utensils that had been made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the heavenly lights; and he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron Valley, and carried their ashes to Bethel.

Esther Learns of Haman’s Plot

When Mordecai learned of everything that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city and wailed loudly and bitterly.

In each and every province where the command and decree of the king came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping, and mourning rites; and many had sackcloth and ashes spread out as a bed.

And Job took a piece of pottery to scrape himself while he was sitting in the ashes.

Job Says His Friends’ Proverbs Are Ashes

“Behold, my eye has seen all this, My ear has heard and understood it.

Your memorable sayings are proverbs of ashes, Your defenses are defenses of clay.

He has thrown me into the mire, And I have become like dust and ashes.

Therefore I retract, And I repent, sitting on dust and ashes.”

For I have eaten ashes like bread, And mixed my drink with weeping

He showers snow like wool; He scatters the frost like ashes.

He feeds on ashes; a deceived heart has misled him. And he cannot save himself, nor say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”

Is it a fast like this that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself? Is it for bowing one’s head like a reed And for spreading out sackcloth and ashes as a bed? Will you call this a fast, even an acceptable day to the Lord?