But suppose you say to me,‘ We are depending on the Lord our God.’ Didn’t Hezekiah remove your god’s high places and altars? Didn’t Hezekiah say to the people of Judah and Jerusalem,‘ You must worship at the altar in Jerusalem’?

你若对我说：我们倚靠耶和华我们的神。希西家岂不是将神的邱坛和祭坛废去，且对犹大和耶路撒冷的人说：你们当在这坛前敬拜吗？

你若对我说：我们倚靠耶和华—我们的上帝，希西家岂不是将上帝的丘坛和祭坛废去，且吩咐犹大和耶路撒冷的人说：你们只当在这一个坛前敬拜吗？

你若对我说：我们倚靠耶和华—我们的神，希西家岂不是将神的丘坛和祭坛废去，且吩咐犹大和耶路撒冷的人说：你们只当在这一个坛前敬拜吗？

也许你说，‘我们倚靠我们的上帝耶和华。’希西迦不是拆毁了祂的庙宇和祭坛，又吩咐犹大和耶路撒冷的人只能在这座祭坛前敬拜吗？

你若对我说：我们倚靠耶和华我们的神，这神所有的邱坛和祭坛岂不是都给希西家废去了，他还对犹大和耶路撒冷的人说：你们只要在这祭坛面前敬拜吗？

你也许会对我说‘我们依靠耶和华我们的神’，但希西加除掉了这神的高所和祭坛，却还对犹大和耶路撒冷的人说‘你们当在这祭坛前敬拜！’难道耶和华不就是这神吗？

你若對我說：我們倚靠耶和華－我們的神。希西家豈不是將神的邱壇和祭壇廢去，且對猶大和耶路撒冷的人說：你們當在這壇前敬拜嗎？

你若對我說：我們倚靠耶和華－我們的上帝，希西家豈不是將上帝的丘壇和祭壇廢去，且吩咐猶大和耶路撒冷的人說：你們只當在這一個壇前敬拜嗎？

你若對我說：我們倚靠耶和華－我們的神，希西家豈不是將神的丘壇和祭壇廢去，且吩咐猶大和耶路撒冷的人說：你們只當在這一個壇前敬拜嗎？

也許你說，『我們倚靠我們的上帝耶和華。』希西迦不是拆毀了祂的廟宇和祭壇，又吩咐猶大和耶路撒冷的人只能在這座祭壇前敬拜嗎？

你若對我說：我們倚靠耶和華我們的神，這神所有的邱壇和祭壇豈不是都給希西家廢去了，他還對猶大和耶路撒冷的人說：你們只要在這祭壇面前敬拜嗎？

你們若對我說：『我們是倚靠永恆主我們的上帝的』，那麼這永恆主豈不是那一位、希西家曾將他的邱壇和祭壇廢去，並且對猶大和耶路撒冷的人說：「你們要在這祭壇前敬拜」的麼？

你也許會對我說『我們依靠耶和華我們的神』，但希西加除掉了這神的高所和祭壇，卻還對猶大和耶路撒冷的人說『你們當在這祭壇前敬拜！』難道耶和華不就是這神嗎？

若告我曰、我恃我之上帝耶和華、希西家非廢其崇邱與壇、命猶大及耶路撒冷人、於此一壇崇拜乎、

抑爾言恃爾上帝耶和華、何希西家廢其崇邱、去其祭壇、命猶大及耶路撒冷之民、惟在一臺崇拜乎、

爾或告我曰、我儕恃主我之天主、乃希西家曾廢其邱壇與祭臺、命猶大人及耶路撒冷居民曰、但當在一一原文作此祭臺前崇拜、

But if you say to me,“ We are depending on the Lord our God”— isn’t he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem,“ You must worship before this altar”?

But if you say to me,“ We trust in the Lord our God,” is it not he whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and to Jerusalem,“ You shall worship before this altar”?

“ But perhaps you will say to me,‘ We are trusting in the Lord our God!’ But isn’t he the one who was insulted by Hezekiah? Didn’t Hezekiah tear down his shrines and altars and make everyone in Judah and Jerusalem worship only at the altar here in Jerusalem?

Suppose you say to me,‘ We rely on the LORD our God.’ Isn’t he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem,‘ You are to worship at this altar’?

But if you say to me,‘ We trust in the Lord our God,’ is it not He whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away and has said to Judah and to Jerusalem,‘ You shall worship before this altar’?

“ But if you say to me,‘ We trust in the Lord our God,’ is it not He whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and said to Judah and Jerusalem,‘ You shall worship before this altar’?”’

But if thou say unto me, We trust in Jehovah our God: is not that he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and hath said to Judah and to Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar?

Suppose you say to me,‘ We trust in the Lord our God.’ Isn’t He the One whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem,‘ You are to worship at this altar’?

But if thou say to me, We trust in the LORD our God:[ is it] not he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and said to Judah and to Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar?

Perhaps you will tell me,‘ We are trusting in the LORD our God.’ But Hezekiah is the one who eliminated his high places and altars and then told the people of Judah and Jerusalem,‘ You must worship at this altar.’

But if you tell me,‘ We trust in Yahweh our God,’ isn’t that he whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and has said to Judah and to Jerusalem,‘ You shall worship before this altar?’”

Hezekiah removed the high places. He smashed the sacred stones. He cut down the poles used to worship the female god named Asherah. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made. Up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. They called it Nehushtan.Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like Hezekiah among all the kings of Judah. There was no king like him either before him or after him.

They removed the altars in Jerusalem. They cleared away the altars for burning incense. They threw all the altars into the Kidron Valley.

Our people of long ago put their trust in you. They trusted in you, and you saved them.They cried out to you and were saved. They trusted in you, and you didn’t let them down.

The person who has the Spirit can judge all things. But no human being can judge those who have the Spirit. It is written,

You will soon drive the nations out of it. Completely destroy all the places where they worship their gods. Destroy them on the high mountains, on the hills and under every green tree.Break down their altars. Smash their sacred stones. Burn up the poles they use to worship the female god named Asherah. Cut down the statues of their gods. Wipe out the names of their gods from those places.You must not worship the Lord your God the way those nations worship their gods.Instead, go to the special place he will choose from among all your tribes. He will put his Name there. That’s where you must go.Take your burnt offerings and sacrifices to that place. Bring your special gifts and a tenth of everything you produce. Take with you what you have promised to give. Bring any other offerings you choose to give. And bring the male animals among your livestock that were born first to their mothers.

Didn’t Hezekiah himself remove your god’s high places and altars? Didn’t Hezekiah say to the people of Judah and Jerusalem,“ You must worship at one altar. You must burn sacrifices on it”?

But suppose you say to me,‘ We are depending on the Lord our God.’ Didn’t Hezekiah remove your god’s high places and altars? Didn’t Hezekiah say to the people of Judah and Jerusalem,‘ You must worship at the altar in Jerusalem’?

At that time Hanani the prophet came to Asa, the king of Judah. He said to him,“ You trusted the king of Aram. You didn’t trust in the Lord your God. So the army of the king of Aram has escaped from you.The people of Cush and Libya had a strong army. They had large numbers of chariots and horsemen. But you trusted in the Lord. So he handed them over to you.The Lord looks out over the whole earth. He gives strength to those who commit their lives completely to him. You have done a foolish thing. From now on you will be at war.”

My spirit, why are you so sad? Why are you so upset deep down inside me? Put your hope in God. Once again I will have reason to praise him. He is my Savior and my God.

The Passover Feast came to an end. The people of Israel who were in Jerusalem went out to the towns of Judah. They smashed the sacred stones. They cut down the poles used to worship the female god named Asherah. They destroyed the high places and the altars. They did those things all through Judah and Benjamin. They also did them in Ephraim and Manasseh. They destroyed all the objects used to worship other gods. Then the Israelites returned to their own towns and property.

God helped his people fight against the Hagrites and all who were helping them. He handed over all those enemies to his people. That’s because they cried out to him during the battle. He answered their prayers, because they trusted in him.

“ Be strong. Be brave. Don’t be afraid. Don’t lose hope. The king of Assyria has a huge army with him. But there’s a greater power with us than there is with him.The only thing he has is human strength. But the Lord our God is with us. He will help us. He’ll fight our battles.” The people had great faith in what Hezekiah, the king of Judah, said.

My body suffers deadly pain as my enemies make fun of me. All day long they say to me,“ Where is your God?”My spirit, why are you so sad? Why are you so upset deep down inside me? Put your hope in God. Once again I will have reason to praise him. He is my Savior and my God.

Be careful not to sacrifice your burnt offerings anywhere you want to.Offer them only at the place the Lord will choose in one of your tribes. There you must obey everything I command you.