Forbidden Forms of Worship

²¹ “You shall not plant any tree as a sacred pole^[a] beside the altar that you make for the Lord your God,^(A)

³ For he rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had pulled down and erected altars to the Baals, made sacred poles,^[a] worshiped all the host of heaven, and served them.^(A)

¹⁶ They rejected all the commandments of the Lord their God and made for themselves cast images of two calves; they made a sacred pole,^[a] worshiped all the host of heaven, and served Baal.^(A)

³ For he rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he erected altars for Baal, made a sacred pole,^[a] as King Ahab of Israel had done, worshiped all the host of heaven and served them.^(A)

¹³ Rather, you shall tear down their altars, break their pillars, and cut down their sacred poles,^[a](A)

³³ Ahab also made a sacred pole.^[a] Ahab did more to provoke the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than had all the kings of Israel who were before him.^(A)

¹⁵ “The Lord will strike Israel as a reed is shaken in the water; he will root up Israel out of this good land that he gave to their ancestors and scatter them beyond the Euphrates, because they have made their sacred poles,^[a] provoking the Lord to anger.^(A)

Othniel

⁷ The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, forgetting the Lord their God and serving the Baals and the Asherahs.^(A)

⁵ But this is how you must deal with them: break down their altars, smash their pillars, cut down their sacred poles,^[a] and burn their idols with fire.^(A)