2 Kings 21

1Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hephzibah.

2He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, following the detestable practices of the nations whom Yahweh had driven out before the Israelites.

3He rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had destroyed. He set up altars for Baal and made an Asherah pole, as Ahab king of Israel had done. He bowed down to all the host of heaven and served them.

4He built altars in the house of Yahweh, of which Yahweh had said, “In Jerusalem I will put my name.”

5He built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courtyards of the house of Yahweh.

6He made his son pass through the fire. He practiced fortune-telling and sought omens, and he appointed mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of Yahweh, provoking him to anger.

7He set the carved image of Asherah that he had made in the house of which Yahweh had said to David and to his son Solomon, “In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my name forever.

8I will no longer make the feet of Israel wander from the land that I gave to their ancestors, if only they will be careful to do everything I have commanded them, all the law that my servant Moses commanded them.”

9But they did not listen. Manasseh led them astray, so that they did more evil than the nations whom Yahweh had destroyed before the Israelites.

10So Yahweh spoke through his servants the prophets:

11“Because Manasseh king of Judah has done these detestable things, doing more evil than all the Amorites who were before him, and has also led Judah into sin with his idols,

12therefore this is what Yahweh, the God of Israel, says: I am going to bring such disaster on Jerusalem and Judah that both ears of everyone who hears of it will ring.

13I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line used against Samaria and the plumb line used against the house of Ahab. I will wipe Jerusalem clean as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down.

14I will abandon the remnant of my inheritance and hand them over to their enemies. They will become plunder and spoil for all their enemies,

15because they have done what is evil in my eyes and have kept provoking me to anger from the day their ancestors came out of Egypt until this day.”

16Moreover, Manasseh shed so much innocent blood that he filled Jerusalem from one end to the other. This was besides the sin he caused Judah to commit, so that they did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh.

17As for the rest of the deeds of Manasseh, all that he did, and the sin that he committed, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

18Manasseh rested with his ancestors and was buried in the garden of his palace, the garden of Uzza. His son Amon became king in his place.

19Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Meshullemeth daughter of Haruz; she was from Jotbah.

20He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, as his father Manasseh had done.

21He walked in all the ways his father had walked. He served the idols his father had served and bowed down to them.

22He abandoned Yahweh, the God of his ancestors, and did not walk in the way of Yahweh.

23Amon’s officials conspired against him and killed the king in his palace.

24But the people of the land struck down all who had conspired against King Amon, and the people of the land made his son Josiah king in his place.

25As for the rest of the deeds of Amon and what he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

26He was buried in his tomb in the garden of Uzza, and his son Josiah became king in his place.