Next, the king stood by the pillar[a](A) and made a covenant(B) in the Lord’s presence to follow the Lord and to keep his commands, his decrees, and his statutes with all his heart and with all his soul(C) in order to carry out the words of this covenant that were written in this book; all the people agreed to[b] the covenant.(D)

Josiah’s Reforms

Then the king commanded the high priest Hilkiah(E) and the priests of the second rank(F) 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.(G) He burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron and carried their ashes to Bethel.(H) Then he did away with the idolatrous priests the kings of Judah had appointed to burn incense at the high places(I) 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.(J)

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Footnotes

  1. 23:3 2Ch 34:31 reads platform
  2. 23:3 Lit people took a stand in

The king stood by the pillar(A) and renewed the covenant(B) in the presence of the Lord—to follow(C) the Lord and keep his commands, statutes and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, thus confirming the words of the covenant written in this book. Then all the people pledged themselves to the covenant.

The king ordered Hilkiah the high priest, the priests next in rank and the doorkeepers(D) to remove(E) from the temple of the Lord all the articles made for Baal and Asherah and all the starry hosts. He burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron Valley and took the ashes to Bethel. He did away with the idolatrous priests appointed by the kings of Judah to burn incense on the high places of the towns of Judah and on those around Jerusalem—those who burned incense(F) to Baal, to the sun and moon, to the constellations and to all the starry hosts.(G)

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And the king stood by a pillar, and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord, and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all their heart and all their soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people stood to the covenant.

And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the keepers of the door, to bring forth out of the temple of the Lord all the vessels that were made for Baal, and for the grove, and for all the host of heaven: and he burned them without Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried the ashes of them unto Bethel.

And he put down 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 round about Jerusalem; them also that burned incense unto Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all the host of heaven.

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