1Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for fifty-five years.2He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites.3He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had demolished; he also erected altars to the Baals and made Asherah poles. He bowed down to all the starry hosts and worshipped them.4He built altars in the temple of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, ‘My Name will remain in Jerusalem for ever.’5In both courts of the temple of the Lord, he built altars to all the starry hosts.6He sacrificed his children in the fire in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, practised divination and witchcraft, sought omens, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger.7He took the image he had made and put it in God’s temple, of which God had said to David and to his son Solomon, ‘In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my Name for ever.8I will not again make the feet of the Israelites leave the land I assigned to your ancestors, if only they will be careful to do everything that I commanded them concerning all the laws, decrees and regulations given through Moses.’9But Manasseh led Judah and the people of Jerusalem astray, so that they did more evil than the nations the Lord had destroyed before the Israelites.10The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention.11So the Lord brought against them the army commanders of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh prisoner, put a hook in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon.12In his distress he sought the favour of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his ancestors.13And when he prayed to him, the Lord was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God.14Afterwards he rebuilt the outer wall of the City of David, west of the Gihon spring in the valley, as far as the entrance of the Fish Gate and encircling the hill of Ophel; he also made it much higher. He stationed military commanders in all the fortified cities in Judah.15He got rid of the foreign gods and removed the image from the temple of the Lord, as well as all the altars he had built on the temple hill and in Jerusalem; and he threw them out of the city.16Then he restored the altar of the Lord and sacrificed fellowship offerings and thank-offerings on it, and told Judah to serve the Lord, the God of Israel.17The people, however, continued to sacrifice at the high places, but only to the Lord their God.18The other events of Manasseh’s reign, including his prayer to his God and the words the seers spoke to him in the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, are written in the annals of the kings of Israel.[1]19His prayer and how God was moved by his entreaty, as well as all his sins and unfaithfulness, and the sites where he built high places and set up Asherah poles and idols before he humbled himself – all these are written in the records of the seers.[2]20Manasseh rested with his ancestors and was buried in his palace. And Amon his son succeeded him as king.
Amon king of Judah
21Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for two years.22He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, as his father Manasseh had done. Amon worshipped and offered sacrifices to all the idols Manasseh had made.23But unlike his father Manasseh, he did not humble himself before the Lord; Amon increased his guilt.24Amon’s officials conspired against him and assassinated him in his palace.25Then the people of the land killed all who had plotted against King Amon, and they made Josiah his son king in his place.
2 Chronicles 33
English Standard Version
Manasseh Reigns in Judah
1Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. (2Ki 21:1)2And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel. (2Ch 28:3)3For he rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had broken down, and he erected altars to the Baals, and made Asheroth, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them. (De 16:21; De 17:3; 2Ki 18:4; 2Ch 30:14; 2Ch 31:1)4And he built altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “In Jerusalem shall my name be forever.” (2Ch 6:6)5And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord. (2Ch 4:9)6And he burned his sons as an offering in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, and used fortune-telling and omens and sorcery, and dealt with mediums and with necromancers. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger. (De 18:10; Jos 15:8; 1Sa 28:3; 2Ch 28:3)7And the carved image of the idol that he had made he set in the house of God, of which God 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, (2Ch 33:4; 2Ch 33:15)8and I will no more remove the foot of Israel from the land that I appointed for your fathers, if only they will be careful to do all that I have commanded them, all the law, the statutes, and the rules given through Moses.” (2Sa 7:10)9Manasseh led Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem astray, to do more evil than the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the people of Israel.
Manasseh’s Repentance
10The Lord spoke to Manasseh and to his people, but they paid no attention.11Therefore the Lord brought upon them the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria, who captured Manasseh with hooks and bound him with chains of bronze and brought him to Babylon. (De 28:36; Jud 16:21; 2Ch 36:6)12And when he was in distress, he entreated the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. (2Ch 32:26)13He prayed to him, and God was moved by his entreaty and heard his plea and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God. (1Ch 5:20; Ezr 8:23; Da 4:25)14Afterward he built an outer wall for the city of David west of Gihon, in the valley, and for the entrance into the Fish Gate, and carried it around Ophel, and raised it to a very great height. He also put commanders of the army in all the fortified cities in Judah. (1Ki 1:33; 2Ch 27:3; Ne 3:3; Ne 12:39; Zep 1:10)15And he took away the foreign gods and the idol from the house of the Lord, and all the altars that he had built on the mountain of the house of the Lord and in Jerusalem, and he threw them outside of the city. (2Ch 33:3; 2Ch 33:5; 2Ch 33:7)16He also restored the altar of the Lord and offered on it sacrifices of peace offerings and of thanksgiving, and he commanded Judah to serve the Lord, the God of Israel.17Nevertheless, the people still sacrificed at the high places, but only to the Lord their God. (2Ch 32:12)18Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and 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, behold, they are in the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. (1Sa 9:9; 2Ki 21:17; 2Ch 33:13; 2Ch 33:19)19And his prayer, and how God was moved by his entreaty, and all his sin and his faithlessness, and the sites on which he built high places and set up the Asherim and the images, before he humbled himself, behold, they are written in the Chronicles of the Seers.[1] (2Ch 33:3; 2Ch 33:12; 2Ch 33:13)20So Manasseh slept with his fathers, and they buried him in his house, and Amon his son reigned in his place.
Amon’s Reign and Death
21Amon was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. (2Ki 21:19)22And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, as Manasseh his father had done. Amon sacrificed to all the images that Manasseh his father had made, and served them. (2Ch 33:7; 2Ch 34:3)23And he did not humble himself before the Lord, as Manasseh his father had humbled himself, but this Amon incurred guilt more and more. (2Ch 33:12)24And his servants conspired against him and put him to death in his house.25But the people of the land struck down all those who had conspired against King Amon. And the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his place.