The prophet Hananiah then took the yoke off the prophet Jeremiah’s neck and broke it.

All the people of the land went and demolished ¹  the temple of Baal. They smashed its altars and idols ²  to bits. ³  They killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altar. Jehoiada the priest ⁴  then placed guards at the Lord’s temple.

¹ The Lord said to Moses, “Cut out ²  two tablets of stone like the first, and I will write ³  on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you smashed.

Anything their carcass may fall on will become unclean. An oven or small stove must be smashed to pieces; they are unclean, and they will stay unclean ¹  to you.

I will write on the tablets the same words ¹  that were on the first tablets you broke, and you must put them into the ark.”

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

“Babylon, ¹  you are my war club, ²  my weapon for battle. I used you to smash nations. ³  I used you to destroy kingdoms.

Your altars will be ruined and your incense altars will be broken. I will throw down your slain in front of your idols. ¹ 

You were watching as ¹  a stone was cut out, ²  but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its iron and clay feet, breaking them in pieces.

The king tore down the altars the kings of Judah had set up on the roof of Ahaz’s upper room, as well as the altars Manasseh had set up in the two courtyards of the Lord’s temple. He crushed them up ¹  and threw the dust in the Kidron Valley.

Tell them the Lord who rules over all says, ¹  ‘I will do just as Jeremiah has done. ²  I will smash this nation and this city as though it were a potter’s vessel which is broken beyond repair. ³  The dead will be buried here in Topheth until there is no more room to bury them.’ ⁴ 

Her left ¹  hand reached for the tent peg, her right hand for the workmen’s hammer. She “hammered” ²  Sisera, she shattered his skull, ³  she smashed his head, ⁴  she drove the tent peg through his temple. ⁵ 

The bows of warriors are shattered, but those who stumble find their strength reinforced.

He eliminated the high places, smashed the sacred pillars to bits, and cut down the Asherah pole. ¹  He also demolished the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for up to that time ²  the Israelites had been offering incense to it; it was called Nehushtan. ³ 

The Lord’s shout breaks ¹  the cedars, the Lord shatters ²  the cedars of Lebanon. ³ 

With an east wind you shatter ¹  the large ships. ² 

He destroyed their vines and fig trees, and broke the trees throughout their territory.

to the one who struck down great kings, for his loyal love endures,

Can you people who are like iron and bronze break that iron fist from the north? ¹ 

“You must not bow down to their gods; you must not serve them or do according to their practices. Instead you must completely overthrow them and smash their standing stones ¹  to pieces. ²