The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Kings 21
1 Manasseh was twelve years old when
he began to reign, and he reigned fiftyfive years inJerusalem. Hismother’sname
was Hephzibah.
2 He did that which was evil in Yahweh’s
sight, after the abominations ofthenations
whom Yahweh cast out before the children
of Israel.
3 For he built again the high places which
Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and
he raised up altars for Baal, and made an
Asherah, as Ahab king of Israel did, and
worshiped all the army of the sky, and
served them.
4 He built altars in Yahweh’s house, of
which Yahweh said, “I will put my name in
Jerusalem.”
5 Hebuilt altars for allthe army ofthe sky
in the two courts of Yahweh’s house.
6 He made his son to pass through
the fire, practiced sorcery, used enchantments, anddealt with those
who had familiar spirits and with wizards. He did much
evil in Yahweh’s sight, to provoke him to
anger.
7 He set the engraved image of Asherah
that he had made in the house of which
Yahweh 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 I will not cause the feet ofIsrael to wander any more out of the land which I gave
their fathers, if only they will observe to
do according to all that I have commanded
them, and according to all the law that my
servant Moses commanded them.”
9 But they didn’t listen, and Manasseh
seduced them to do that which is evil more
than the nations did whom Yahweh destroyed before the children of Israel.
10 Yahweh spoke by his servants the
prophets, saying,
11 “Because Manasseh king of Judah has
done these abominations, and has done
wickedly above all that the Amorites did,
who were before him, and has also made
Judah to sin with his idols;
12 therefore Yahweh the God of Israel
says, ‘Behold, I will bring such evil on
Jerusalem and Judah that whoever hears
of it, both his ears will tingle.
13 I will stretch over Jerusalem the line
of Samaria, and the plumb line of Ahab’s
house; and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man
wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down.
14 I will cast off the remnant of my inheritance and deliver them into the hands
of their enemies. They will become a prey
and a plunder to all their enemies,
15 because they have done that which is
evil in my sight, and have provoked me to
anger since the day their fathers came out
of Egypt, even to this day.’ ”
16 Moreover Manasseh shed innocent
blood very much, until he had filled
Jerusalem from one end to another; in
addition to his sin with which he made
Judah to sin, in doing that which was evil
in Yahweh’s sight.
17 Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh,
and all that he did, and his sin that he
sinned, aren’t they written in the book of
the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
18 Manasseh slept with his fathers, and
was buried in the garden of his own house,
in the garden of Uzza; and Amon his son
reigned in his place.
19 Amon was twenty-two years old when
he began to reign; and he reigned two
years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name
was Meshullemeth the daughter of Haruz
of Jotbah.
20 He did that which was evil inYahweh’s
sight, as Manasseh his father did.
21 He walked in all the ways that his
father walked in, and served the idols that
his father served, and worshiped them;
22 and he abandoned Yahweh, the God of
his fathers, and didn’t walk in the way of
Yahweh.
23 The servants of Amon conspired
against him, and put the king to death in
his own house.
24 But the people of the land killed all
those who had conspired against King
Amon; and the people of the land made
Josiah his son king in his place.
25 Now the rest ofthe acts of Amon which
he did, aren’t they written in the book of
the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
26 He was buried in his tomb in the garden of Uzza, and Josiah his son reigned in
his place.