4 The king ordered Hilkiah the high priest, the priests of the second rank, and the gatekeepers to bring out of the temple of the Lord all the objects made for Baal, Asherah, and all the host of heaven. He burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron and scattered their ashes on the graves of the people.
5 He also removed the idolatrous priests appointed by the kings of Judah, those who burned incense at the high places in the cities of Judah and in the areas around Jerusalem. He removed those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun and the moon, the constellations, and all the host of heaven.
6 He brought out the Asherah pole from the house of the Lord to the Kidron Valley outside Jerusalem, burned it in the Kidron Valley, ground it to ashes, and threw the ashes on the graves of the common people.
7 He tore down the houses of the male cult prostitutes that were in the temple of the Lord, where the women wove coverings for Asherah.
8 He brought all the priests from the cities of Judah and defiled the high places where the priests had burned incense, from Geba to Beersheba. He also destroyed the high places at the gates—the one at the entrance of the Gate of Joshua, the governor of the city, which was on the left of the city gate.