Solomon worshiped ¹  the Sidonian goddess Astarte and the detestable Ammonite god Milcom. ² 

For you have brought these men here who are neither temple robbers ¹  nor blasphemers of our goddess. ² 

There is danger not only that this business of ours will come into disrepute, ¹  but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis ²  will be regarded as nothing, ³  and she whom all the province of Asia ⁴  and the world worship will suffer the loss of her greatness.” ⁵ 

I am taking the kingdom from him ¹  because they have ²  abandoned me and worshiped the Sidonian goddess Astarte, the Moabite god Chemosh, and the Ammonite god Milcom. They have not followed my instructions ³  by doing what I approve and obeying my rules and regulations, like Solomon’s father David did. ⁴ 

Their children are always thinking about ¹  their ²  altars and their sacred poles dedicated to the goddess Asherah, ³  set up beside the green trees on the high hills

They abandoned the Lord and worshiped Baal and the Ashtars. ¹ 

For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines ¹  of Artemis, ²  brought a great deal ³  of business ⁴  to the craftsmen.

The king ruined the high places east of Jerusalem, south of the Mount of Destruction, ¹  that King Solomon of Israel had built for the detestable Sidonian goddess Astarte, the detestable Moabite god Chemosh, and the horrible Ammonite god Milcom.

Rather you must destroy their altars, smash their images, and cut down their Asherah poles. ¹ 

The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight. ¹  They forgot the Lord their God and worshiped the Baals and the Asherahs. ² 

So the Israelites ¹  removed the Baals and images of Ashtoreth. They served only the Lord.

They set up sacred pillars and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree.

For the Lord is great and certainly worthy of praise, he is more awesome than ¹  all gods.

They set up their disgusting idols in the temple which I have claimed for my own ¹  and defiled it.

I will uproot your images of Asherah ¹  from your midst, and destroy your idols. ² 

He also removed Maacah his grandmother ¹  from her position as queen because she had made a loathsome Asherah pole. Asa cut down her Asherah pole and burned it in the Kidron Valley.

Now send out messengers ¹  and assemble all Israel before me at Mount Carmel, as well as the 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah whom Jezebel supports. ² 

They abandoned all the commandments of the Lord their God; they made two metal calves and an Asherah pole, bowed down to all the stars in the sky, ¹  and worshiped ²  Baal.

These are the ones who now take oaths ¹  in the name of the sinful idol goddess ²  of Samaria. They vow, ³  ‘As surely as your god ⁴  lives, O Dan,’ or ‘As surely as your beloved one ⁵  lives, O Beer Sheba!’ But they will fall down and not get up again.”

After the city secretary ¹  quieted the crowd, he said, “Men of Ephesus, what person ²  is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is the keeper ³  of the temple of the great Artemis ⁴  and of her image that fell from heaven? ⁵