2 Chronicles 33

NEW AMERICAN BIBLE	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem.	1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he had begun to reign, and he reigned for fifty-five years in Jerusalem.
2 He did evil in the sight of the LORD, following the abominable practices of the nations whom the LORD had cleared out of the way of the Israelites.	2 But he did evil before the Lord, in accord with all the abominations of the nations which the Lord overturned before the sons of Israel.
3 He rebuilt the high places which his father Hezekiah had torn down, erected altars for the Baals, made sacred poles, and prostrated himself before the whole host of heaven and worshiped them.	3 And turning away, he repaired the high places, which had been demolished by his father, Hezekiah. And he constructed altars to the Baals, and made sacred groves. And he adored the entire army of heaven, and he served them.
4 He even built altars in the temple of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, "In Jerusalem shall my name be forever":	4 Also, he built altars in the house of the Lord, about which the Lord had said, “My name shall be in Jerusalem forever.”
5 he built altars to the whole host of heaven in the two courts of the LORD'S house.	5 But he built these for the entire army of heaven, in the two courts of the house of the Lord.
6 It was he, too, who immolated his sons by fire in the Valley of Ben-hinnom. He practiced augury, divination and magic, and appointed necromancers and diviners of spirits, so that he provoked the LORD with the great evil that he did in his sight.	6 And he caused his sons to pass through fire in the Valley of the son of Hinnom. He observed dreams, followed divinations, served the occult arts, had with him magicians and enchanters, and worked many evils before the Lord, so that he provoked him.
7 He placed an idol that he had carved in the house of God, of which God had said to David and his son Solomon: "In this house and in Jerusalem which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel I shall place my name forever.	7 Also, he set up a graven image and molten statue in the house of God, about which God said to David, and to his son Solomon: “In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel, I will place my name forever.
8 I will not again allow Israel's feet to leave the land which I assigned to your fathers, provided they are careful to observe all that I commanded them, keeping the whole law and the statutes and the ordinances given by Moses."	8 And I will not cause the foot of Israel to be moved from the land which I delivered to their fathers. Yet this is so, only if they will take care to do what I have instructed them, by the hand of Moses, with the entire law and the ceremonies and the judgments.”
9 Manasseh misled Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem into doing even greater evil than the nations which the LORD had destroyed at the coming of the Israelites.	9 And so Manasseh seduced Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that they did evil, more so than all the nations which the Lord had overturned before the face of the sons of Israel.
10 The LORD spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention.	10 And the Lord spoke to him and to his people, but they were not willing to pay attention.
11 Therefore the LORD brought against them the army commanders of the Assyrian king; they took Manasseh with hooks, shackled him with chains, and transported him to Babylon.	11 Therefore, he led over them the leaders of the army of the king of the Assyrians. And they captured Manasseh, and they led him, bound with chains and fetters, to Babylon.
12 In this distress, he began to appease the LORD, his God. He humbled himself abjectly before the God of his fathers	12 And after this, being in great anguish, he prayed to the Lord his God. And he did penance greatly before the God of his fathers.
13 and prayed to him. The LORD let himself be won over: he heard his prayer and restored him to his kingdom in Jerusalem. Then Manasseh understood that the LORD is indeed God.	13 And he petitioned and begged him intently. And he heeded his prayer, and led him back to Jerusalem, into his kingdom. And Manasseh realized that the Lord himself was God.
14 Afterward he built an outer wall for the City of David to the west of Gihon in the valley, extending to the Fish Gate and encircling Ophel; he built it very high. He stationed army officers in all the fortified cities of Judah.	14 After these things, he built a wall outside the City of David, to the west of Gihon, at the steep valley, from the entrance to the fish gate, circling around as far as Ophel. And he raised it up greatly. And he appointed leaders of the army in all the fortified cities of Judah.
15 He removed the foreign gods and the idol from the LORD'S house and all the altars he had built on the mount of the LORD'S house and in Jerusalem, and he cast them outside the city.	15 And he took away the foreign gods, and the idol from the house of the Lord, and also the altars which he had made on the mount of the house of the Lord and in Jerusalem. And he cast all these things outside the city.
16 He restored the altar of the LORD, and sacrificed on it peace offerings and thank offerings, and commanded Judah to serve the LORD, the God of Israel.	16 Then he repaired the altar of the Lord, and he immolated upon it victims, and peace offerings, with praise. And he instructed Judah to serve the Lord, the God of Israel.
17 Though the people continued to sacrifice on the high places, they now did so to the LORD, their God.	17 Yet still the people were immolating on the high places, to the Lord their God.
18 The rest of the acts of Manasseh, his prayer to his God, and the words of the seers who spoke to him in the name of the LORD, the God of Israel, can be found written in the chronicles of the kings of Israel.	18 But the rest of the deeds of Manasseh, and his prayer to his God, and also the words of the seers who were speaking to him in the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, are contained in the words of the kings of Israel.
19 His prayer and how his supplication was heard, all his sins and his infidelity, the sites where he built high places and erected sacred poles and carved images before he humbled himself, all can be found written down in the history of his seers.	19 Also, his prayer and its heeding, and all his sins and contempt, and the sites on which he built high places and made sacred groves and statues, before he repented, have been written in the words of Hozai.
20 Manasseh rested with his ancestors and was buried in his own palace. His son Amon succeeded him as king.	20 Then Manasseh slept with his fathers, and they buried him in his own house. And his son, Amon, reigned in his place.
21 Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem.	21 Amon was twenty-two years old when he had begun to reign, and he reigned for two years in Jerusalem.
22 He did evil in the sight of the LORD, just as his father Manasseh had done. Amon offered sacrifice to all the idols which his father Manasseh had made, and worshiped them.	22 And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, just as his father Manasseh had done. And he immolated to all the idols that Manasseh had fabricated, and he served them.
23 Moreover, he did not humble himself before the LORD as his father Manasseh had done; on the contrary, Amon only increased his guilt.	23 But he did not turn his face to the Lord, as his father Manasseh had turned himself. And he sinned much more grievously.
24 His servants conspired against him and put him to death in his own house.	24 And when his servants had conspired against him, they killed him in his own house.
25 But the people of the land slew all those who had conspired against King Amon, and then they, the people of the land, made his son Josiah king in his stead.	25 But the rest of the multitude of the people, having slain those who had struck down Amon, appointed his son, Josiah, as king in his place.