⁴ for they will turn your children away from following me to serve other gods,^(A) and the Lord’s anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy^(B) you. ⁵ This is what you are to do to them: Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles^[a](C) and burn their idols in the fire.^{(D) 6} For you are a people holy^(E) to the Lord your God.^(F) The Lord your God has chosen^(G) you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.^(H)

²⁵ The images of their gods you are to burn^(A) in the fire. Do not covet^(B) the silver and gold on them, and do not take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared^(C) by it, for it is detestable^(D) to the Lord your God. ²⁶ Do not bring a detestable thing into your house or you, like it, will be set apart for destruction.^(E) Regard it as vile and utterly detest it, for it is set apart for destruction.

¹⁵ She said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Tell the man who sent you to me, ¹⁶ ‘This is what the Lord says: I am going to bring disaster^(A) on this place and its people, according to everything written in the book^(B) the king of Judah has read. ¹⁷ Because they have forsaken^(C) me and burned incense to other gods and aroused my anger by all the idols their hands have made,^[a] my anger will burn against this place and will not be quenched.’ ¹⁸ Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire^(D) of the Lord, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says concerning the words you heard: ¹⁹ Because your heart was responsive and you humbled^(E) yourself before the Lord when you heard what I have spoken against this place and its people—that they would become a curse^[b](F) and be laid waste^(G)—and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I also have heard you, declares the Lord. ²⁰ Therefore I will gather you to your ancestors, and you will be buried in peace.^(H) Your eyes^(I) will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place.’”

So they took her answer back to the king.

¹⁹ A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas.^{[a] 20} In this way the word of the Lord^(A) spread widely and grew in power.^(B)