nd Kings _Chapter 21

Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem for fifty-five years. His mother’s name is Xiesiba.

Manasseh did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the detestable deeds of the foreigners whom the Lord had driven out before the Israelites.

He rebuilt the high altar that his father Hezekiah had destroyed, and built an altar for Baal, making an image of an Asherah, following the actions of King Ahab of Israel, and worshipped and served all the phenomena in heaven.

Build an altar in the house of the Lord. The Lord said of this temple, ‘I will establish my name in Jerusalem.’.

He built altars for all the phenomena in heaven in the two courtyards of the temple of the Lord,

And he caused his son to pass through the fire, and to observe signs, to use magic, to associate with demons and witches, and to do many evil things in the eyes of the Lord, to provoke his anger.

And he erected a carved image of Asherah in the temple. The Lord said to David and his son Solomon, ‘I will establish my name in Jerusalem and this temple, which I have chosen among the tribes of Israel, forever.’.

If the Israelites keep and do all that I have commanded them, and all the laws that my servant Moses has commanded them, then I will no longer cause them to move away from the land I have given to their ancestors.

But they did not listen. Manasseh tempted them to do evil more than the nations that the Lord destroyed before the Israelites.

The Lord said through his servants the prophets,

Because King Manasseh of Judah did these detestable evil deeds more than the Amorites did before, causing Judah to worship his idols and fall into sin.

Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, I will bring disaster to Jerusalem and Judah, so that everyone who hears will have their ears ringing.

I will draw the line of Samaria and the plummet of the house of Ahab on Jerusalem, and I will wipe Jerusalem clean, like a man wiping a plate and turning it upside down.

I will abandon the remaining people and hand them over to my enemies, making them a prey for all their enemies.

Because they have been doing evil in my eyes since their ancestors came out of Egypt until now, provoking me to anger.

Manasseh did evil in the eyes of the Lord, causing Judah to sin and shedding a lot of innocent blood, filling Jerusalem from one end to the other.

And all the other things that Manasseh did, and all his sins that he committed, are written in the book of the kings of Judah.

Manasseh slept with his ancestors and was buried in the garden of Uzzah in his own palace. His son Amon succeeded him as king.

Amon was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem for two years. His mother’s name was Mishulemil, the daughter of Haruz of Jotibah.

Amon did evil in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Manasseh did.

Do all that his father does, and worship the idols that his father worships,

Abandoning the Lord, the God of his ancestors, and not walking in the way of the Lord.

King Amon’s servants betrayed him and killed him in the palace.

But the people killed those who betrayed King Amon and appointed his son Josiah as king in his place.

And all the other things that Amon did were written in the book of the kings of Judah.

Amon was buried in his own tomb in the garden of Uzza. His son Josiah succeeded him as king.