as well as masons and stonecutters. They bought wood and chiseled stone to repair the damage to the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s temple and also paid for all the other expenses.<n id="1" />

I will not make Israel again leave the land I gave to their ancestors,<n id="1" /> provided that they carefully obey all I commanded them, the whole law my servant Moses ordered them to obey.&#8221;

He eliminated<n id="1" /> the pagan priests whom the kings of Judah had appointed to offer sacrifices<n id="2" /> on the high places in the cities of Judah and in the area right around Jerusalem. (They offered sacrifices<n id="3" /> to Baal, the sun god, the moon god, the constellations, and all the stars in the sky.)

<p class="bodytext">The king ordered Hilkiah the high priest, the high-ranking priests,<n id="1" /> and the guards<n id="2" /> to bring out of the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s temple all the items that were used in the worship of<n id="3" /> Baal, Asherah, and all the stars of the sky.<n id="4" /> The king<n id="5" /> burned them outside of Jerusalem in the terraces<n id="6" /> of Kidron, and carried their ashes to Bethel.<n id="7" />