2 Kings 18:3-7

18:3 He did what the Lord approved, just as his ancestor David had done.¹ 18:4 He eliminated the high places, smashed the sacred pillars to bits, and cut down the Asherah pole.² He also demolished the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for up to that time³ the Israelites had been offering incense to it; it was called Nehushtan.⁴ 18:5 He trusted in the Lord God of Israel; in this regard there was none like him among the kings of Judah either before or after.⁵ 18:6 He was loyal to⁶ the Lord and did not abandon him.⁷ He obeyed the commandments which the Lord had given to⁸ Moses. 18:7 The Lord was with him; he succeeded in all his endeavors.⁹ He rebelled against the king of Assyria and refused to submit to him.¹⁰

¹tn Heb “he did what was proper in the eyes of the Lord, according to all which David his father had done.”

²tn The term is singular in the MT but plural in the LXX and other ancient versions. It is also possible to regard the singular as a collective singular, especially in the context of other plural items.

sn Asherah was a leading deity of the Canaanite pantheon, wife/sister of El and goddess of fertility. She was commonly worshiped at shrines in or near groves of evergreen trees, or, failing that, at places marked by wooden poles. These were to be burned or cut down (Deut 12:3; 16:21; Judg 6:25, 28, 30; 2 Kgs 18:4).

³tn Heb “until those days.”

⁴tn In Hebrew the name sounds like the phrase נְחַשׁ הַנְּחֹשֶׁת (nÿkhash hannÿkhoshet), “bronze serpent.”

⁵tn Heb “and after him there was none like him among all the kings of Judah, and those who were before him.”

⁶tn Heb “he hugged.”

⁷tn Heb “and did not turn aside from after him.”

⁸tn Heb “had commanded.”

⁹tn Heb “in all which he went out [to do], he was successful.”

¹⁰tn Heb “and did not serve him.”