2 Kings 21

¹ Manasseh was twelve years old when he came to the throne and he reigned for fifty-five years inJerusalem. His mother's name was Hephzibah.

² He did what is displeasing to Yahweh, copying the disgusting practices of the nations whom Yahwehhad dispossessed for the Israelites.

³ He rebuilt the high places which his father Hezekiah had destroyed, he set up altars to Baal and madea sacred pole as Ahab king of Israel had done, he worshipped the whole array of heaven and served it.

⁴ He built altars in the Temple of Yahweh of which Yahweh had said, 'Jerusalem is where I shal put myname.'

⁵ He built altars to the whole array of heaven in the two courts of the Temple of Yahweh.

⁶ He caused his son to pass through the fire of sacrifice, he also practised soothsaying and divinationand set up mediums and spirit guides. He did very many more things displeasing to Yahweh, thus provoking hisanger.

⁷ He had an image of Asherah carved and placed it inside the Temple of which Yahweh had said toDavid and his son Solomon, 'In this Temple and in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen out of al the tribes ofIsrael, I shal put my Name for ever.

⁸ Nor shal I ever again set Israel's footsteps wandering outside the country which I gave to theirancestors, provided they are careful to observe all I have commanded them as laid down in the whole Law whichmy servant Moses prescribed for them.'

⁹ But they would not listen, and Manasseh misled them into doing worse things than the nations whomYahweh had destroyed for the Israelites.

¹⁰ Then Yahweh spoke through his servants the prophets as fol ows,

¹¹ 'Since Manasseh king of Judah has done these shameful deeds, doing more wicked deeds thananything which the Amorites did before him, and has led Judah too into sin with his idols,

¹² Yahweh, God of Israel, says this, "Look, I shall bring such disaster on Jerusalem and Judah as wilmake the ears of al who hear of it tingle.

¹³ Over Jerusalem I shal stretch the same measuring line as over Samaria, the same plumb-rule as forthe House of Ahab; I shall scour Jerusalem as someone scours a dish and, having scoured it, turns it upsidedown.

¹⁴ I shal cast away the remnant of my heritage, delivering them into the clutches of their enemies andmaking them the prey and booty of al their enemies,

¹⁵ because they have done what is displeasing to me and have provoked my anger from the day theirancestors came out of Egypt until now." '

¹⁶ Manasseh shed innocent blood, too, in such great quantity that he flooded Jerusalem from one end tothe other, besides the sins into which he led Judah by doing what is displeasing to Yahweh.

¹⁷ The rest of the history of Manasseh, his entire career, the sins he committed, is this not recorded inthe Book of the Annals of the Kings of Judah?

¹⁸ Then Manasseh fel asleep with his ancestors and was buried in the garden of his palace, the Gardenof Uzza; his son Amon succeeded him.

¹⁹ Amon was twenty-two years old when he came to the throne, and he reigned for two years inJerusalem. His mother's name was Meshul emeth daughter of Haruz, of Jotbah.

²⁰ He did what is displeasing to Yahweh, as Manasseh his father had done.

²¹ In every respect he followed the example of his father, serving the idols which his father had served,and worshipping them.

²² He abandoned Yahweh, God of his ancestors; he did not fol ow the way of Yahweh.

²³ Amon's retinue plotted against the king and kil ed him in his own palace.

²⁴ The people of the country, however, slaughtered all those who had plotted against King Amon andproclaimed his son Josiah as his successor.

²⁵ The rest of the history of Amon, his entire career, is this not recorded in the Book of the Annals of theKings of Judah?

²⁶ He was buried in his father's tomb in the Garden of Uzza; his son Josiah succeeded him.