| English Standard Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. | 1Manasseh was 12 years old when he became king and reigned 55 years in Jerusalem. |
| 2And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel. | 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. |
| 3For he rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had broken down, and he erected altars to the Baals, and made Asheroth, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them. | 3He rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had torn down and reestablished the altars for the Baals. He made Asherah poles, and he worshiped the whole heavenly host and served them. |
| 4And he built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, “In Jerusalem shall my name be forever.” | 4He built altars in the LORD's temple, where Yahweh had said, "Jerusalem is where My name will remain forever." |
| 5And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD. | 5He built altars to the whole heavenly host in both courtyards of the LORD's temple. |
| 6And he burned his sons as an offering in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, and used fortune-telling and omens and sorcery, and dealt with mediums and with necromancers. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger. | 6He passed his sons through the fire in the Valley of Hinnom. He practiced witchcraft, divination, and sorcery, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did a great deal of evil in the LORD's sight, provoking Him. |
| 7And the carved image of the idol that he had made he set in the house of God, of which God said to David and to Solomon his son, “In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my name forever, | 7Manasseh set up a carved image of the idol he had made, in God's temple, about which God had said to David and his son Solomon, "I will establish My name forever in this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel. |
| 8and I will no more remove the foot of Israel from the land that I appointed for your fathers, if only they will be careful to do all that I have commanded them, all the law, the statutes, and the rules given through Moses.” | 8I will never again remove the feet of the Israelites from the land where I stationed your ancestors, if only they will be careful to do all that I have commanded them through Moses--all the law, statutes, and judgments." |
| 9Manasseh led Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem astray, to do more evil than the nations whom the LORD destroyed before the people of Israel. | 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. |
| 10The LORD spoke to Manasseh and to his people, but they paid no attention. | 10The LORD spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they didn't listen. |
| 11Therefore the LORD brought upon them the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria, who captured Manasseh with hooks and bound him with chains of bronze and brought him to Babylon. | 11So He brought against them the military commanders of the king of Assyria. They captured Manasseh with hooks, bound him with bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon. |
| 12And when he was in distress, he entreated the favor of the LORD his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. | 12When he was in distress, he sought the favor of Yahweh his God and earnestly humbled himself before the God of his ancestors. |
| 13He prayed to him, and God was moved by his entreaty and heard his plea and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD was God. | 13He prayed to Him, so He heard his petition and granted his request, and brought him back to Jerusalem, to his kingdom. So Manasseh came to know that Yahweh is God. |
| 14Afterward he built an outer wall for the city of David west of Gihon, in the valley, and for the entrance into the Fish Gate, and carried it around Ophel, and raised it to a very great height. He also put commanders of the army in all the fortified cities in Judah. | 14After this, he built the outer wall of the city of David from west of Gihon in the valley to the entrance of the Fish Gate; he brought it around the Ophel, and he heightened it considerably. He also placed military commanders in all the fortified cities of Judah. |
| 15And he took away the foreign gods and the idol from the house of the LORD, and all the altars that he had built on the mountain of the house of the LORD and in Jerusalem, and he threw them outside of the city. | 15He removed the foreign gods and the idol from the LORD's temple, along with all the altars that he had built on the mountain of the LORD's temple and in Jerusalem, and he threw them outside the city. |
| 16He also restored the altar of the LORD and offered on it sacrifices of peace offerings and of thanksgiving, and he commanded Judah to serve the LORD, the God of Israel. | 16He built the altar of the LORD and offered fellowship and thank offerings on it. Then he told Judah to serve Yahweh, the God of Israel. |
| 17Nevertheless, the people still sacrificed at the high places, but only to the LORD their God. | 17However, the people still sacrificed at the high places, but only to Yahweh their God. |
| 18Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and his prayer to his God, and the words of the seers who spoke to him in the name of the LORD, the God of Israel, behold, they are in the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. | 18The rest of the events of Manasseh's reign, along with his prayer to his God and the words of the seers who spoke to him in the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel, are written in the Records of Israel's Kings. |
| 19And his prayer, and how God was moved by his entreaty, and all his sin and his faithlessness, and the sites on which he built high places and set up the Asherim and the images, before he humbled himself, behold, they are written in the Chronicles of the Seers. | 19His prayer and how God granted his request, and all his sin and unfaithfulness and the sites where he built high places and set up Asherah poles and carved images before he humbled himself, they are written in the Records of Hozai. |
| 20So Manasseh slept with his fathers, and they buried him in his house, and Amon his son reigned in his place. | 20Manasseh rested with his fathers, and he was buried in his own house. His son Amon became king in his place. |
| 21Amon was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. | 21Amon was 22 years old when he became king and reigned two years in Jerusalem. |
| 22And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, as Manasseh his father had done. Amon sacrificed to all the images that Manasseh his father had made, and served them. | 22He did what was evil in the LORD's sight just as his father Manasseh had done. Amon sacrificed to all the carved images that his father Manasseh had made, and he served them. |
| 23And he did not humble himself before the LORD, as Manasseh his father had humbled himself, but this Amon incurred guilt more and more. | 23But he did not humble himself before the LORD like his father Manasseh humbled himself; instead, Amon increased his guilt. |
| 24And his servants conspired against him and put him to death in his house. | 24So his servants conspired against him and put him to death in his own house. |
| 25But 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. | 25Then the common people executed all those who conspired against King Amon and made his son Josiah king in his place. |
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