Isaiah 17:8Easy To Read VersionThe people will not trust the great things they have made. They will not go to the special gardens {\cf2\super [178]} and altars {\cf2\super [179]} \{they made for false gods\}. See the chapter |
The Passover {\cf2\super [377]} celebration was finished. The people of Israel that were in Jerusalem for Passover went out to the towns of Judah. Then they smashed the stone idols that were in those towns. Those stone idols were used to worship false gods. Those people also cut down the Asherah Poles. {\cf2\super [378]} And they destroyed the high places {\cf2\super [379]} and the altars {\cf2\super [380]} all through the areas of Judah and Benjamin. The people did the same things in the area of Ephraim and Manasseh. The people did these things until they destroyed all the things used for worshiping the false gods. Then all the Israelites went back home to their own towns.
The people broke down the altars for the Baal gods. They did this in front of Josiah. Then Josiah cut down the incense {\cf2\super [423]} altars that stood high above the people. He broke the idols that were carved and the idols that were made from molds. He beat those idols into powder. Then Josiah sprinkled the powder on the graves of the people that had offered sacrifices {\cf2\super [424]} to the Baal gods.
At that time, all the fort cities will be empty. Those cities will be like the mountains and the forests {\cf2\super [180]} in the land before the people of Israel came. \{In the past,\} all the people ran away because the people of Israel were coming. \{In the future,\} the country will be empty again.
Then that man uses the tree to burn in his fire. The man cuts the tree into small pieces of wood. And he uses the wood to cook and keep him warm. The man starts a fire with some of the wood and bakes his bread. But the man still uses part of that wood to make a god—and the man worships that god! That god is a statue that the man made—but the man bows down before the statue!