^13 (A)Josiah desecrated the altars that King Solomon had built east of Jerusalem, south of the Mount of Olives,^[a] for the worship of disgusting idols—Astarte the goddess of Sidon, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Molech the god of Ammon. ¹⁴ King Josiah broke the stone pillars to pieces, cut down the symbols of the goddess Asherah, and the ground where they had stood he covered with human bones.

^15 (B)Josiah also tore down the place of worship in Bethel, which had been built by King Jeroboam son of Nebat, who led Israel into sin. Josiah pulled down the altar, broke its stones into pieces,^[b] and pounded them to dust; he also burned the image of Asherah.