2 KingsChapter 21

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¹Manasseh was 12 years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for 55 years. His mother's name was Hephzibah. ²Manasseh did evil in the eyes of the LORD. He copied the disgusting practices of the nations that the LORD had driven out ahead of the Israelites. ³He rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had destroyed. He set up altars for Baal. He made an Asherah pole, just as King Ahab of Israel had done. He bowed down to all the stars in the sky and served them. ⁴Manasseh also built altars in the house of the LORD. This was the place the LORD had spoken about when he said, "I will put my Name in Jerusalem." ⁵He built altars to all the stars in the sky. He put them in both courtyards of the house of the LORD. ⁶He burned his own son in the fire as a sacrifice. He practiced magic and tried to learn the future by omens. He asked mediums and spiritists for advice. He did great evil in the eyes of the LORD, and this made the LORD angry. ⁷Manasseh even took the carved Asherah pole he had made and set it up in the temple. The LORD had spoken about this temple to David and his son Solomon. He had said, "I have chosen Jerusalem out of all the tribes of Israel. In this temple and in Jerusalem, I will put my Name forever. ⁸I will never again make the Israelites wander away from the land I gave their ancestors. But this is only if they are careful to do everything I have commanded them. That means the whole Law that my servant Moses gave them. ⁹But the people did not listen. Manasseh led them down the wrong path. They did even more evil than the nations the LORD had destroyed ahead of the Israelites. ¹⁰So the LORD spoke through his servants the prophets. He said, ¹¹"Manasseh king of Judah has done all these disgusting things. He has been more wicked than the Amorites who lived here before him. With his idols he has led Judah into sin. ¹²So this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'Listen! I am going to bring terrible trouble on Jerusalem and Judah. It will be so bad that the ears of everyone who hears about it will ring. ¹³I will stretch out over Jerusalem the same measuring line I used against Samaria. I will use the same plumb line I used against the family of Ahab. I will wipe Jerusalem clean, the way a person wipes out a bowl. He wipes it and turns it upside down. ¹⁴So I will forsake the rest of my people, who belong to me. I will hand them over to their enemies. All their enemies will rob them and take everything they have. ¹⁵This is because they have done evil in my eyes. They have made me angry from the day their ancestors came out of Egypt until today.'" ¹⁶Manasseh also killed so many innocent people that Jerusalem was filled with their blood from one end to the other. This was in addition to the sin he led Judah into, so that they did evil in the eyes of the LORD. ¹⁷The rest of what Manasseh did is written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah. It tells about all he did and the sin he committed. ¹⁸Manasseh died and joined his ancestors. He was buried in his palace garden, the garden of Uzza. His son Amon became king in his place. ¹⁹Amon was 22 years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for two years. His mother's name was Meshullemeth. She was the daughter of Haruz, and she came from Jotbah. ²⁰Amon did evil in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Manasseh had done. ²¹He lived just like his father in every way. He served and worshiped the idols his father had served. ²²He turned away from the LORD, the God of his ancestors. He did not live the way the LORD wanted. ²³Then Amon's servants made a secret plan against him. They killed the king in his palace. ²⁴But the people of the land killed all those who had plotted against King Amon. Then they made his son Josiah king in his place. ²⁵The rest of what Amon did is written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah. It tells about all he did. ²⁶Amon was buried in his tomb in the garden of Uzza. His son Josiah became king in his place.