Manasseh Reigns over Judah

1Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. 2And he did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, according to the abominations of the nations whom Yahweh dispossessed before the sons of Israel. 3Indeed, he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had torn down; and he erected altars for the Baals and made [†]Asherim, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them. 4And he built altars in the house of Yahweh, of which Yahweh had said, “In Jerusalem My name shall be forever.” 5Indeed, he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of Yahweh. 6He even made his sons pass through the fire in the valley of Ben-hinnom; and he practiced soothsaying, interpreted omens, practiced sorcery, and dealt with mediums and spiritists. He did much that was evil in the sight of Yahweh, provoking Him to anger. 7Then he put the graven image of the [†]idol, which he had made, in the house of God, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, “In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever. 8And I will not again remove the foot of Israel from the land which I have set up for your fathers, if only they will be careful to do all that I have commanded them according to all the law, the statutes and the judgments given by the hand of Moses.” 9Thus Manasseh led Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem astray in order to do more evil than the nations whom Yahweh destroyed before the sons of Israel.

Manasseh Removes Foreign Idols

10Then Yahweh spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention. 11Therefore Yahweh brought the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria against them, and they captured Manasseh with [†]hooks, bound him with bronze chains, and took him to Babylon. 12And when he was in distress, he entreated Yahweh his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. 13Then he prayed to Him, and He was moved by his entreaty and heard his supplication, and returned him back to Jerusalem to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that Yahweh was God.

14Afterwards, he built the outer wall of the city of David on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, even to the entrance of the Fish Gate; and he encircled the Ophel with it and made it very high. Then he put military commanders in all the fortified cities of Judah. 15He also removed the foreign gods and the [†]idol from the house of Yahweh, as well as all the altars which he had built on the mountain of the house of Yahweh and in Jerusalem, and he threw them outside the city. 16And he set up the altar of Yahweh and sacrificed peace offerings and thank offerings on it; and he said for Judah to serve Yahweh, the God of Israel. 17Nevertheless the people still sacrificed in the high places, although only to Yahweh their God.

18Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, even his prayer to his God, and the words of the seers who spoke to him in the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel, behold, they are among the chronicles of the kings of Israel. 19His prayer also and how God was entreated by him, and all his sin, his unfaithfulness, and the sites on which he built high places and erected the [†]Asherim and the graven images, before he humbled himself, behold, they are written in the chronicles of the [†]Hozai. 20And Manasseh slept with his fathers, and they buried him in his own house. And Amon his son became king in his place.

Amon Reigns over Judah

21Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. 22And he did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, as Manasseh his father had done, and Amon sacrificed to all the graven images which his father Manasseh had made, and he served them. 23Moreover, he did not humble himself before Yahweh as his father Manasseh had humbled himself, but Amon multiplied guilt. 24Then his servants conspired against him and put him to death in his own house. 25Then the people of the land struck down all those who had conspired against King Amon, and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his place.