1 M anasseh was twelve years old when he became king. And he ruled for fifty-five years in Jerusalem.

Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem.

2 H e did what was bad in the eyes of the Lord. He did the hated things of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the sons of Israel.

But he did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel.

3 F or he built again the high places which his father Hezekiah had broken down. He built altars for the false gods of Baal and made objects of worship for the false goddess Asherah. He worshiped all the stars of heaven and served them.

For he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down; he raised up altars for the Baals, and made wooden images; and he worshiped all the host of heaven and served them.

4 A nd he built altars in the Lord’s house, of which the Lord had said, “My name will be in Jerusalem forever.”

He also built altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “In Jerusalem shall My name be forever.”

5 H e built altars for all the stars of heaven in the two open spaces of the house of the Lord.

And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord.

6 A nd he burned his sons as a gift in the valley of Ben-hinnom. He did witchcraft and asked the demon world about the future. He asked the demon world to do very special things, and he talked with people who spoke with the spirits of the dead. He did what was very bad in the eyes of the Lord, and made Him angry.

Also he caused his sons to pass through the fire in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom; he practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft and sorcery, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger.

7 M anasseh made an object to look like a false god, and put it in God’s house, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, “In this house, and in Jerusalem which I have chosen from all the families of Israel, I will put My name forever.

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 A nd I will never again take Israel out of the land which I have chosen for your fathers, if only they will obey all that I have told them in the Laws given through Moses.”

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 M anasseh led Judah and the people of Jerusalem to do more sinful things than the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the sons of Israel. Manasseh Turns from His Sin

So Manasseh seduced Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to do more evil than the nations whom the Lord had destroyed before the children of Israel. Manasseh Restored After Repentance

10 T he Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they would not listen.

And the Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they would not listen.

11 S o the Lord brought the captains of the army of the king of Assyria against them. And they took Manasseh with hooks and tied him with brass chains and brought him to Babylon.

Therefore the Lord brought upon them the captains of the army of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh with hooks, bound him with bronze fetters, and carried him off to Babylon.

12 W hen Manasseh was in trouble, he prayed to the Lord his God, and put away his pride before the God of his fathers.

Now when he was in affliction, he implored the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers,

13 W hen he prayed to Him, God heard his prayer and listened to him, and brought him again to Jerusalem and to his nation. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God.

and prayed to Him; and He received his entreaty, heard his supplication, and brought him back to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God.

14 A fter this he built the outside wall of the city of David on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, as far as the Fish Gate. He built it around the Ophel, and made it very high. Then he put army captains in all the strong cities of Judah.

After this he built a wall outside the City of David on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, as far as the entrance of the Fish Gate; and it enclosed Ophel, and he raised it to a very great height. Then he put military captains in all the fortified cities of Judah.

15 H e took away the strange gods and the false god from the house of the Lord. And he took away all the altars he had built on the mountain of the Lord’s house and in Jerusalem, and threw them outside the city.

He took away the foreign gods and the idol from the house of the Lord, and all the altars that he had built in the mount of the house of the Lord and in Jerusalem; and he cast them out of the city.

16 H e set up the altar of the Lord and gave peace gifts and thank gifts in worship on it. And he told Judah to serve the Lord God of Israel.

He also repaired the altar of the Lord, sacrificed peace offerings and thank offerings on it, and commanded Judah to serve the Lord God of Israel.

17 B ut the people still killed animals in worship at the high places, but only to the Lord their God. The End of Manasseh’s Rule

Nevertheless the people still sacrificed on the high places, but only to the Lord their God. Death of Manasseh

18 N ow the rest of the acts of Manasseh, his prayer to his God, and the words the men who spoke for God spoke to him in the name of the Lord God of Israel, are among the writings of the kings of Israel.

Now 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 God of Israel, indeed they are written in the book of the kings of Israel.

19 H is prayer and how God heard his prayer, and of all his sin and how he was not faithful, are found in the writings of the men who spoke for God. Also it is written where he built the high places, and made the objects of the false goddess Asherah, and made objects to look like gods, before he put away his pride.

Also his prayer and how God received 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 they are written among the sayings of Hozai.

20 S o Manasseh died and they buried him in his own house. And his son Amon became king in his place.

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 A mon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and ruled for two years in Jerusalem.

Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem.

22 A mon did what was sinful in the eyes of the Lord, as his father Manasseh had done. He killed animals in worship to all the false gods his father Manasseh had made, and he served them.

But he did evil in the sight of the Lord, as his father Manasseh had done; for Amon sacrificed to all the carved images which his father Manasseh had made, and served them.

23 H e did not put away his pride before the Lord as his father Manasseh had done, but Amon added to his guilt.

And he did not humble himself before the Lord, as his father Manasseh had humbled himself; but Amon trespassed more and more.

24 H is servants made plans against him, and killed him in his own house.

Then his servants conspired against him, and killed him in his own house.

25 B ut the people of the land killed all those who had killed King Amon and made his son Josiah king in his place.

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.