"You shall not plantfor yourself an Asherahof anykind of treebesidethe altarof the LORDyour God,whichyou shall makefor yourself.
"For the LORDwill strikeIsrael,as a reedis shakenin the water;and He will uprootIsraelfrom thisgoodlandwhichHe gaveto their fathers,and will scatterthem beyondthe [Euphrates] River,becausethey have madetheir Asherim,provokingthe LORDto anger.
Ahabalso madethe Asherah.Thus Ahabdidmoreto provokethe LORDGodof Israelthanallthe kingsof Israelwhowere beforehim.
They forsookallthe commandmentsof the LORDtheir Godand madefor themselves moltenimages,[even] twocalves,and madean Asherahand worshipedallthe hostof heavenand servedBaal.
For he rebuiltthe highplaceswhichHezekiahhis fatherhad destroyed;and he erectedaltarsfor Baaland madean Asherah,as Ahabkingof Israelhad done,and worshipedallthe hostof heavenand servedthem.
Then he setthe carvedimageof Asherahthat he had made,in the houseof whichthe LORDsaidto Davidand to his sonSolomon,"In thishouseand in Jerusalem,whichI have chosenfrom allthe tribesof Israel,I will putMy nameforever.
For he rebuiltthe highplaceswhichHezekiahhis fatherhad brokendown;he also erectedaltarsfor the Baalsand madeAsherim,and worshipedallthe hostof heavenand servedthem.
"But [rather], you are to teardowntheir altarsand smashtheir [sacred] pillarsand cutdowntheir Asherim--
You shall not makefor yourselves idols,norshall you setup for yourselves an imageor a [sacred] pillar,norshall you placea figuredstonein your landto bowdownto it; for I am the LORDyour God.
"But thusyou shall doto them: you shall teardowntheir altars,and smashtheir [sacred] pillars,and hewdowntheir Asherim,and burntheir gravenimageswith fire.
The sonsof Israeldidwhatwas evilin the sightof the LORD,and forgotthe LORDtheir Godand servedthe Baalsand the Asheroth.
