He removed the high places, shattered the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles.(A) He broke into pieces the bronze snake that Moses made,(B) for until then the Israelites were burning incense to it. It was called Nehushtan.[a]

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Footnotes

  1. 18:4 = A Bronze Thing

He removed(A) the high places,(B) smashed the sacred stones(C) and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake(D) Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan.[a])

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 18:4 Nehushtan sounds like the Hebrew for both bronze and snake.

Removal of Idolatry

31 When all this was completed, all Israel who had attended went out to the cities of Judah and broke up the sacred pillars, chopped down the Asherah poles, and tore down the high places and altars(A) throughout Judah and Benjamin, as well as in Ephraim and Manasseh, to the last one.[a] Then all the Israelites returned to their cities, each to his own possession.

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Footnotes

  1. 31:1 Lit Manasseh, until finishing

31 When all this had ended, the Israelites who were there went out to the towns of Judah, smashed the sacred stones and cut down(A) the Asherah poles. They destroyed the high places and the altars throughout Judah and Benjamin and in Ephraim and Manasseh. After they had destroyed all of them, the Israelites returned to their own towns and to their own property.

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