2 Chronicles 7:3

7:3 When all the Israelites saw the fire come down and the Lord’s splendor over the temple, they got on their knees with their faces downward toward the pavement. They worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying,¹ “Certainly he is good; certainly his loyal love endures!”

2 Chronicles 33:6

33:6 He passed his sons through the fire² in the Valley of Ben-Hinnom and practiced divination, omen reading, and sorcery. He set up a ritual pit to conjure up underworld spirits and appointed magicians to supervise it.³ He did a great amount of evil in the sight of the Lord and angered him.⁴

2 Chronicles 34:21

34:21 “Go, seek an oracle from⁵ the Lord for me and those who remain in Israel and Judah. Find out about⁶ the words of this scroll that has been discovered. For the Lord’s fury has been ignited against us,⁷ because our ancestors⁸ have not obeyed the word of the Lord by doing all that this scroll instructs!”⁹

¹tn The word “saying” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

²tn Or “he sacrificed his sons in the fire.” This may refer to child sacrifice, though some interpret it as a less drastic cultic practice (NEB, NASV “made his sons pass through the fire”; NIV “sacrificed his sons in the fire”; NRSV “made his sons pass through fire”). For discussion see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 266-67.

³tn Heb “and he set up a ritual pit, along with a conjurer.” Hebrew אוֹב (’ov, “ritual pit”) refers to a pit used by a magician to conjure up underworld spirits. In 1 Sam 28:7 the witch of Endor is called a בַּעֲלַת אוֹב (ba’alat ’ov, “owner of a ritual pit”). See H. Hoffner, “Second Millennium Antecedents to the Hebrew ’OñBù,” JBL 86 (1967): 385-401.

⁴tn Heb “and he multiplied doing what is evil in the eyes of the Lord, angering him.”

⁵tn Or “inquire of.”

⁶tn Heb “concerning.”

⁷tn Heb “for great is the anger of the Lord which has been ignited against us.”

⁸tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 32, 33).

⁹tn Heb “by doing according to all that is written on this scroll.”