¹⁴ Josiah smashed^(A) the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles and covered the sites with human bones.^(B)

³ In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God^(A) of his father David. In his twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of high places, Asherah poles and idols.

⁷ he tore down the altars and the Asherah poles and crushed the idols to powder^(A) and cut to pieces all the incense altars throughout Israel. Then he went back to Jerusalem.