In the two courtyards of the Lord’s temple he built altars for all the stars in the sky.

They made him angry with their pagan shrines, ¹  and made him jealous with their idols.

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

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

He followed in his father Asa’s footsteps and was careful to do what the Lord approved. ¹  (22:44) ²  However, the high places were not eliminated; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense on the high places.

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.

Now the people were offering sacrifices at the high places, ¹  because in those days a temple had not yet been built to honor the Lord. ² 

Solomon demonstrated his loyalty to the Lord by following ¹  the practices ²  of his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.

The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for it had the most prominent of the high places. ¹  Solomon would offer up ²  a thousand burnt sacrifices on the altar there.

He worshiped and bowed down to Baal, ¹  angering the Lord God of Israel just as his father had done. ² 

He smashed the sacred pillars to bits, cut down the Asherah pole, and filled those shrines ¹  with human bones.

Jeroboam ¹  appointed his own priests to serve at the worship centers ²  and to lead in the worship of the goat idols and calf idols he had made. ³ 

Nevertheless you have done some good things; ¹  you removed ²  the Asherah poles from the land and you were determined to follow the Lord.” ³ 

He built altars in the Lord’s temple, about which the Lord had said, “Jerusalem will be my permanent home.” ¹ 

Indeed, they ¹  will be ashamed of the sacred trees you ²  find so desirable; you will be embarrassed because of the sacred orchards ³  where you choose to worship.

and on the mountains and in the fields. ¹  I will give your wealth and all your treasures away as plunder. I will give it away as the price ²  for the sins you have committed throughout your land.

I will put an end in Moab to those who make offerings at her places of worship. ¹  I will put an end to those who sacrifice to other gods. I, the Lord, affirm it! ² 

I will place the corpses of the people of Israel in front of their idols, ¹  and I will scatter your bones around your altars.

Their heart is slipping; soon they will be punished for their guilt. The Lord ¹  will break their altars; he will completely destroy their fertility pillars.

Jeroboam inaugurated a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, ¹  like the festival celebrated in Judah. ²  On the altar in Bethel he offered sacrifices to the calves he had made. ³  In Bethel he also appointed priests for the high places he had made.