2 Kings 23:4-14
World English Bible
4 The king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the keepers of the threshold, to bring out of Yahweh’s temple all the vessels that were made for Baal, for the Asherah, and for all the army of the sky, and he burned them outside of Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron, and carried their ashes to Bethel. 5 He got rid of the idolatrous priests, whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah, and in the places around Jerusalem; those also who burned incense to Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all the army of the sky. 6 He brought out the Asherah from Yahweh’s house, outside of Jerusalem, to the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron, and beat it to dust, and cast its dust on the graves of the common people. 7 He broke down the houses of the male shrine prostitutes that were in Yahweh’s house, where the women wove hangings for the Asherah. 8 He brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had burned incense, from Geba to Beersheba; and he broke down the high places of the gates that were at the entrance of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were on a man’s left hand at the gate of the city. 9 Nevertheless the priests of the high places didn’t come up to Yahweh’s altar in Jerusalem, but they ate unleavened bread among their brothers. 10 He defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the children of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech. 11 He took away the horses that the kings of Judah had given to the sun, at the entrance of Yahweh’s house, by the room of Nathan Melech the officer, who was in the court; and he burned the chariots of the sun with fire. 12 The king broke down the altars that were on the roof of the upper room of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars which Manasseh had made in the two courts of Yahweh’s house, and beat them down from there, and cast their dust into the brook Kidron. 13 The king defiled the high places that were before Jerusalem, which were on the right hand of the mountain of corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Milcom the abomination of the children of Ammon. 14 He broke in pieces the pillars, cut down the Asherah poles, and filled their places with men’s bones.
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2 Kings 23:4-14
Christian Standard Bible
Josiah’s Reforms
4 Then the king commanded the high priest Hilkiah(A) and the priests of the second rank(B) and the doorkeepers to bring out of the Lord’s sanctuary all the articles made for Baal, Asherah, and all the stars in the sky.(C) He burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron and carried their ashes to Bethel.(D) 5 Then he did away with the idolatrous priests the kings of Judah had appointed to burn incense at the high places(E) in the cities of Judah and in the areas surrounding Jerusalem. They had burned incense to Baal, and to the sun, moon, constellations, and all the stars in the sky.(F) 6 He brought out the Asherah pole(G) from the Lord’s temple to the Kidron Valley outside Jerusalem. He burned it at the Kidron Valley,(H) beat it to dust,(I) and threw its dust on the graves of the common people.[a](J) 7 He also tore down the houses of the male cult prostitutes(K) that were in the Lord’s temple, in which the women were weaving tapestries[b] for Asherah.(L)
8 Then Josiah brought all the priests from the cities of Judah, and he defiled the high places(M) from Geba(N) to Beer-sheba,(O) where the priests had burned incense. He tore down the high places of the city gates at the entrance of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city (on the left at the city gate). 9 The priests of the high places, however, did not come up to the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem; instead, they ate unleavened bread with their fellow priests.(P)
10 He defiled Topheth,(Q) which is in Ben Hinnom Valley,(R) so that no one could sacrifice his son or daughter in the fire[c](S) to Molech.(T) 11 He did away with the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun. They had been at the entrance of the Lord’s temple in the precincts by the chamber of Nathan-melech, the eunuch. He also burned the chariots of the sun.(U)
12 The king tore down the altars that the kings of Judah had made on the roof(V) of Ahaz’s upper chamber.(W) He also tore down the altars that Manasseh had made(X) in the two courtyards of the Lord’s temple. Then he smashed them[d] there and threw their dust into the Kidron Valley. 13 The king also defiled the high places that were across from Jerusalem, to the south of the Mount of Destruction, which King Solomon of Israel had built for Ashtoreth, the abhorrent idol of the Sidonians; for Chemosh, the abhorrent idol of Moab; and for Milcom, the detestable idol of the Ammonites.(Y) 14 He broke the sacred pillars into pieces,(Z) cut down the Asherah poles,(AA) then filled their places with human bones.
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