Manasseh Reigns in Judah
1 Manassehwastwelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem.
2 But he did evil in the sight of theLord, according to theabominations of the nations whom theLordhad cast out before the children of Israel.
3 For he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father hadbroken down; he raised up altars for the Baals, andmade wooden images; and he worshipedall the host of heaven and served them.
4 He also built altars in the house of theLord, of which theLordhad said,“In Jerusalem shall My name be forever.”
5 And he built altars for all the host of heavenin the two courts of the house of theLord.
6 Also he caused his sons to pass through the fire in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom; he practicedsoothsaying, used witchcraft and sorcery, andconsulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of theLord, to provoke Him to anger.
7 He even set a carved image, the idol which he had made, in the house of God, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son,“In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever;
8 and I will not again remove the foot of Israel from the land which I have appointed for your fathers—only if they are careful to do all that I have commanded them, according to the whole law and the statutes and the ordinances by the hand of Moses.”
9 So Manasseh seduced Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to do more evil than the nations whom theLordhad destroyed before the children of Israel.
Manasseh Restored After Repentance
10 And theLordspoke to Manasseh and his people, but they would not listen.
11 Therefore theLordbrought upon them the captains of the army of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh with hooks,bound him with bronzefetters,and carried him off to Babylon.
12 Now when he was in affliction, he implored theLordhis God, andhumbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers,
13 and prayed to Him; and Hereceived his entreaty, heard his supplication, and brought him back to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manassehknew that theLordwasGod.
14 After this he built a wall outside the City of David on the west side ofGihon, in the valley, as far as the entrance of the Fish Gate; anditenclosed Ophel, and he raised it to a very great height. Then he put military captains in all the fortified cities of Judah.
15 He took awaythe foreign gods and the idol from the house of theLord, and all the altars that he had built in the mount of the house of theLordand in Jerusalem; and he castthemout of the city.
16 He also repaired the altar of theLord, sacrificed peace offerings andthank offerings on it, and commanded Judah to serve theLordGod of Israel.
17 Nevertheless the people still sacrificed on the high places,butonly to theLordtheir God.
Death of Manasseh
18 Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, his prayer to his God, and the words ofthe seers who spoke to him in the name of theLordGod of Israel, indeed theyarewrittenin the book of the kings of Israel.
19 Also his prayer andhowGodreceived his entreaty, and all his sin and trespass, and the sites where he built high places and set up wooden images and carved images, before he was humbled, indeed theyarewritten among the sayings of Hozai.
20 So Manasseh rested with his fathers, and they buried him in his own house. Then his son Amon reigned in his place.
Amon’s Reign and Death
21 Amonwastwenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem.
22 But he did evil in the sight of theLord, as his father Manasseh had done; for Amon sacrificed to all the carved images which his father Manasseh had made, and served them.
23 And he did not humble himself before theLord,as his father Manasseh had humbled himself; but Amon trespassed more and more.
24 Then his servants conspired against him, andkilled him in his own house.
25 But the people of the land executed all those who had conspired against King Amon. Then the people of the land made his son Josiah king in his place.