2 Chronicles 33:1–9

Judah’s King Manasseh

33Manasseh was 12 years old ^jwhen he became king and reigned 55 years in Jerusalem. ²He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, imitating the detestable practices of the nations that the Lord had dispossessed before the Israelites. ^k3He rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had torn down ^land reestablished the altars for the Baals. He made Asherah poles, and he worshiped the whole heavenly host and served them. ⁴He built altars ^min the Lord’s temple, where Yahweh had said, “Jerusalem is where My name will remain forever.” ⁿ⁵He built altars to the whole heavenly host in both courtyards ^oof the Lord’s temple. ⁶He passed his sons through the fire in the Valley of Hinnom. ^pHe practiced witchcraft, divination, and sorcery, and consulted mediums and spiritists. ^qHe did a great deal of evil in the Lord’s sight, provoking Him.

⁷Manasseh ^rset up a carved image of the idol he had made, in God’s temple, ^sabout which God had said to David and his son Solomon, “I will establish My name forever ^tuin this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel. ^v8I will never again remove the feet of the Israelites from the land where I stationed your ^wxancestors, ^yif only they will be careful to do all that I have commanded them through Moses—all the law, statutes, and judgments.” ⁹So Manasseh caused Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to stray so that they did worse evil than the nations the Lord had destroyed before the Israelites.