He also tore down the tower of Penuel and executed the city’s men.p>

<p class="poetry">O God, break the teeth in their mouths!p> <p class="poetry">Smash the jawbones of the lions, O <sc>Lordsc>!p>

That very day Gideon&#8217;s father named him Jerub-Baal,<n id="1" /> because he had said, &#8220;Let Baal fight with him, for it was his altar that was pulled down.&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">When the men of the city got up the next morning, they saw<n id="1" /> the Baal altar pulled down, the nearby Asherah pole cut down, and the second bull sacrificed on the newly built altar.

The men of the city said to Joash, &#8220;Bring out your son, so we can execute him!<n id="1" /> He pulled down the Baal altar and cut down the nearby Asherah pole.&#8221;

But Joash said to all those who confronted him,<n id="1" /> &#8220;Must you fight Baal&#8217;s battles?<n id="2" /> Must you rescue him? Whoever takes up his cause<n id="3" /> will die by morning!<n id="4" /> If he really is a god, let him fight his own battles!<n id="5" /> After all, it was his altar that was pulled down.&#8221;<n id="6" />

The king tore down the altars the kings of Judah had set up on the roof of Ahaz&#8217;s upper room, as well as the altars Manasseh had set up in the two courtyards of the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s temple. He crushed them up<n id="1" /> and threw the dust in the Kidron Valley.

<p class="bodytext">He also tore down the altar in Bethel<n id="1" /> at the high place made by Jeroboam son of Nebat, who encouraged Israel to sin.<n id="2" /> He burned all the combustible items at that high place and crushed them to dust; including the Asherah pole.<n id="3" />

He rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he set up altars for the Baals and made Asherah poles. He bowed down to all the stars in the sky<n id="1" /> and worshiped<n id="2" /> them.