2 Kings 21:1–18

Manasseh King of Judah

21:1–10pp—2Ch 33:1–10 21:17–18pp—2Ch 33:18–20

21Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. His mother’s name was Hephzibah.^{s 2}He did evil^t in the eyes of the Lord, following the detestable practices^u of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. ³He rebuilt the high places^v his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he also erected altars to Baal^w and made an Asherah pole,^x as Ahab king of Israel had done. He bowed down to all the starry hosts^y and worshiped them. ⁴He built altars^z in the temple of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “In Jerusalem I will put my Name.”^{a 5}In the two courts^b of the temple of the Lord, he built altars to all the starry hosts. ⁶He sacrificed his own son^c in the fire, practiced divination,^d sought omens, and consulted mediums and spiritists.^e He did much evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing^f his anger.

⁷He took the carved Asherah pole^g he had made and put it in the temple,^h of which the Lord 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 Nameⁱ forever. ⁸I will not again^j make the feet of the Israelites wander from the land I gave their ancestors, if only they will be careful to do everything I commanded them and will keep the whole Law that my servant Moses^k gave them.” ⁹But the people did not listen. Manasseh led them astray, so that they did more evil^l than the nations^m the Lord had destroyed before the Israelites.

¹⁰The Lord said through his servants the prophets: ¹¹“Manasseh king of Judah has committed these detestable sins. He has done more evilⁿ than the Amorites^o who preceded him and has led Judah into sin with his idols.^{p 12}Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I am going to bring such disaster^q on Jerusalem and Judah that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle.^{r 13}I will stretch out over Jerusalem the measuring line used against Samaria and the plumb line^s used against the house of Ahab. I will wipe^t out Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. ¹⁴I will forsake^u the remnant^v of my inheritance and give them into the hands of enemies. They will be looted and plundered by all their enemies; ¹⁵they have done evil^w in my eyes and have aroused^x my anger from the day their ancestors came out of Egypt until this day.”

¹⁶Moreover, Manasseh also shed so much innocent blood^y that he filled Jerusalem from end to end—besides the sin that he had caused Judah^z to commit, so that they did evil in the eyes of the Lord.

¹⁷As for the other events of Manasseh’s reign, and all he did, including the sin he committed, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? ¹⁸Manasseh rested with his ancestors and was buried in his palace garden,^a the garden of Uzza. And Amon his son succeeded him as king.