Manasseh’s Idolatrous Reign in Judah
1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned 55 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. 2 He did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, after the abominations of the nations whom the Lord cast out before the Israelites.3 For he rebuilt 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 host of the heavens and served them.
4 He built altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord said, “I will put my name in Jerusalem.” 5 He built altars for all the host of the heavens in the two courts of the house of the Lord. 6 He sacrificed his own son in the fire, practiced sorcery, used enchantments, and consulted mediums and wizards. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger.
7 He set the engraved image of Asherah that he had made in the house of which the Lord 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 of Israel to wander any more out of the land which I gave their fathers, if only they will be careful 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 did not listen, and Manasseh seduced them to do that which is evil, more than the nations did whom the Lord destroyed before the Israelites.
Manasseh’s Idolatries Rebuked
10 The Lord spoke by his servants the prophets, saying, 11 “Because Manasseh king of Judah has committed these abominable sins, more wicked than all that the Amorites did before him, and has also caused Judah to sin with his idols; 12 therefore the Lord the God of Israel says, ‘I will bring such disaster 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 plummet 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 prey and 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, to this day.’ ”
16 Moreover Manasseh shed so much innocent blood that it filled Jerusalem from one end to another, in addition to his own sin which caused Judah to sin, in doing that which was evil in the sight of the Lord.
17 Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh and all that he did, and his sin that he committed, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 18 Manasseh rested 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.
Amon’s Evil Reign in Judah
19 Amon was 22 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 in the sight of the Lord, as Manasseh his father had done. 21 He walked in all the ways that his father walked. He served the idols that his father served and worshiped them, 22 and he abandoned the Lord, the God of his fathers, and did not walk in the way of the Lord.
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 of the acts of Amon which he did, are they not 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.