³ Next, the king stood by the pillar^[a](A) and made a covenant^(B) in the presence of the Lord to follow the Lord and to keep His commands, His decrees, and His statutes with all his mind and with all his heart,^(C) and 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

⁴ Then the king commanded Hilkiah^(E) the high priest and the priests of the second rank^(F) and the doorkeepers to bring out of the Lord’s temple all the articles made for Baal, Asherah, and the whole heavenly host.^(G) He burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron and carried their ashes to Bethel.^{(H) 5} 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 the whole heavenly host.^(J)