¹⁵ He even tore down the altar at Bethel^(A) and the high place^(B) that had been made by Jeroboam son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin. He burned the high place, crushed it to dust, and burned the Asherah.^{(C) 16} As Josiah turned, he saw the tombs there on the mountain. He sent someone to take the bones out of the tombs, and he burned them on the altar.^(D) He defiled it according to the word of the Lord proclaimed by the man of God^[a] who proclaimed these things.^{(E) 17} Then he said, “What is this monument I see?”

The men of the city told him, “It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and proclaimed these things that you have done to the altar at Bethel.”^(F)

¹⁸ So he said, “Let him rest. Don’t let anyone disturb his bones.” So they left his bones undisturbed with the bones of the prophet who came from Samaria.^(G)

¹⁹ Josiah also removed all the shrines of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to anger the Lord.^(H) Josiah did the same things to them that he had done at Bethel. ²⁰ He slaughtered on the altars all the priests of those high places,^(I) and he burned human bones on the altars.^(J) Then he returned to Jerusalem.