Thereforethrough thisJacob'siniquitywill be forgiven;And thiswill be the fullpriceof the pardoningof his sin:When he makesallthe altarstoneslike pulverizedchalkstones;[When] Asherimand incensealtarswill not stand.
"THISIS MY COVENANTWITH THEM, WHENI TAKE AWAYTHEIR SINS."
"Behold,I have refinedyou, but not as silver;I have testedyou in the furnaceof affliction.
"Someof those who haveinsightwill fall,in order to refine,purgeand makethem pureuntilthe endtime;because[it is] still[to come] at the appointedtime.
He will not haveregardfor the altars,the workof his hands,Norwill he lookto that whichhis fingershave made,Even the Asherimand incensestands.
FOR THOSE WHOMTHE LORDLOVESHE DISCIPLINES,AND HE SCOURGESEVERYSONWHOMHE RECEIVES."
But when we are judged,we are disciplinedby the Lordsothat we will not be condemnedalongwith the world.
"It will comeabout in that day,"declaresthe LORDof hosts,"that I will cutoffthe namesof the idolsfrom the land,and they will nolongerbe remembered;and I will alsoremovethe prophetsand the uncleanspiritfrom the land.
O Ephraim,whatmorehave I to do with idols?It is I who answerand lookafter you. I am like a luxuriantcypress;From Me comesyour fruit.
and I will purgefrom you the rebelsand those who transgressagainst Me; I will bringthem out of the landwherethey sojourn,but they will not enterthe landof Israel.Thus you will knowthat I am the LORD.
"When they comethere,they will removeallits detestablethingsand allits abominationsfrom it.
Whenthe Lordhas washedawaythe filthof the daughtersof Zionand purgedthe bloodshedof Jerusalemfrom her midst,by the spiritof judgmentand the spiritof burning,
Surelyyou will be ashamedof the oakswhichyou have desired,And you will be embarrassedat the gardenswhichyou have chosen.
Stripesthat woundscouraway evil,And strokes[reach] the innermostparts.
It is goodfor me that I was afflicted,That I may learnYour statutes.
BeforeI was afflictedI wentastray,But nowI keepYour word.
Then they burnedthe houseof Godand brokedownthe wallof Jerusalem,and burnedallits fortifiedbuildingswith fireand destroyedallits valuablearticles.
They toredownthe altarsof the Baalsin his presence,and the incensealtarsthat were highabovethem he choppeddown;also the Asherim,the carvedimagesand the moltenimageshe brokein piecesand groundto powderand scattered[it] on the gravesof those who had sacrificedto them.
He also removedthe highplacesand the incensealtarsfrom allthe citiesof Judah.And the kingdomwas undisturbedunderhim.
He burnedthe houseof the LORD,the king'shouse,and allthe housesof Jerusalem;even everygreathousehe burnedwith fire.
"But [rather], you are to teardowntheir altarsand smashtheir [sacred] pillarsand cutdowntheir Asherim--
I then will destroyyour highplaces,and cutdownyour incensealtars,and heapyour remainson the remainsof your idols,for My soulshall abhoryou.
"You shall teardowntheir altarsand smashtheir [sacred] pillarsand burntheir Asherimwith fire,and you shall cutdownthe engravedimagesof their godsand obliteratetheir namefrom that place.
They broughtout the [sacred] pillarsof the houseof Baaland burnedthem.
"So your altarswill becomedesolateand your incensealtarswill be smashed;and I will make your slainfallin frontof your idols.
He brokein piecesthe [sacred] pillarsand cutdownthe Asherimand filledtheir placeswith humanbones.
And you will defileyour gravenimagesoverlaidwith silver,and your moltenimagesplatedwith gold.You will scatterthem as an impurething,[and] sayto them, "Be gone!"
"Speakkindlyto Jerusalem;And callout to her, that her warfarehas ended,That her iniquityhas been removed,That she has receivedof the LORD'ShandDoublefor allher sins."
"I will also cutoffthe citiesof your landAnd teardownallyour fortifications.
