Manasseh Becomes King of Judah

33 Manasseh was 12 years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for 55 years.

2Manasseh did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. He followed the practices of the nations. The Lord hated those practices. He had driven those nations out to make room for the people of Israel.

3Manasseh rebuilt the high places. His father Hezekiah had destroyed them. Manasseh also set up altars to the gods that were named after Baal. He made poles that were used to worship the goddess Asherah. He even bowed down to all of the stars. And he worshiped them.

4He built altars in the Lord’s temple. The Lord had said about his temple, “My Name will remain in Jerusalem forever.” 5In both courtyards of the Lord’s temple Manasseh built altars to honor all of the stars.

6He sacrificed his children in the fire to other gods. He did it in the Valley of Ben Hinnom. He practiced all kinds of evil magic. He took part in worshiping evil powers. He got messages from those who had died. He talked to the spirits of the dead. He did many things that were evil in the sight of the Lord. He made him very angry.

7Manasseh had carved a statue of a god. He put it in God’s temple. God had spoken to David and his son Solomon about the temple. He had said, “My Name will be in this temple and in Jerusalem forever. Out of all of the cities in the tribes of Israel I have chosen Jerusalem. 8I gave this land to your people who lived long ago. I will not make the Israelites leave it again. But they must be careful to do everything I commanded them. They must follow all of the laws, directions, and rules I gave them through Moses.”

9But Manasseh led Judah and the people of Jerusalem down the wrong path. They did more evil things than the nations the Lord had destroyed to make room for the people of Israel.

10The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people. But they didn’t pay any attention to him. 11So the Lord brought the army commanders of the king of Assyria against them. They took Manasseh as a prisoner. They put a hook in his nose. They put him in bronze chains. And they took him to Babylon.

12When Manasseh was in trouble, he asked the Lord his God to show favor to him. He made himself very low in the sight of the God of his people. 13Manasseh prayed to him. When he did, the Lord felt sorry for him. He answered his prayer. He brought him back to Jerusalem and his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God.

14After that, Manasseh rebuilt the outer wall of the City of David. It was west of the Gihon spring in the valley. It reached all the way to the entrance of the Fish Gate. It went around the entire hill of Ophel. Manasseh also made the wall much higher. He stationed military commanders in all of the cities in Judah that had high walls around them.

15Manasseh got rid of the strange gods. He removed the statue of one of those gods from the Lord’s temple. He also removed all of the altars he had built on the temple hill and in Jerusalem. He threw them out of the city. 16Then he made the Lord’s altar look like new again. He sacrificed friendship offerings and thank offerings on it. He told the people of Judah to serve the Lord, the God of Israel. 17The people continued to offer sacrifices at the high places. But they offered them only to the Lord their God.

18The other events of Manasseh’s rule are written down in the official records of the kings of Israel. They include his prayer to his God. They also include the words the prophets spoke to him in the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 19Everything about Manasseh is written in the records of the prophets. That includes his prayer and the fact that God felt sorry for him. It includes everything he did before he made himself low in the Lord’s sight. It includes all of his sins and the fact that he wasn’t faithful to the Lord. It includes the locations where he built high places. It includes the places where he set up poles that were used to worship the goddess Asherah. And it includes the places where he set up statues of other gods.

20Manasseh joined the members of his family who had already died. His body was buried in his palace. His son Amon became the next king after him.

Amon Becomes King of Judah

21Amon was 22 years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for two years.

22Amon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, just as his father Manasseh had done. Amon worshiped and offered sacrifices to all of the statues of gods that Manasseh had made. 23He didn’t make himself low in the Lord’s sight as his father Manasseh had done. So Amon became even more guilty.

24Amon’s officials made plans against him. They murdered him in his palace. 25Then the people of the land killed all those who had made plans against King Amon. They made his son Josiah king in his place.