| New King James Version | NET Bible |
| 1Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. | 1Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned for fifty-five years in Jerusalem. |
| 2But he did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel. | 2He did evil in the sight of the LORD and committed the same horrible sins practiced by the nations whom the LORD drove out ahead of the Israelites. |
| 3For he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down; he raised up altars for the Baals, and made wooden images; and he worshiped all the host of heaven and served them. | 3He rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he set up altars for the Baals and made Asherah poles. He bowed down to all the stars in the sky and worshiped them. |
| 4He also 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, about which the LORD had said, "Jerusalem will be my permanent home." |
| 5And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD. | 5In the two courtyards of the LORD's temple he built altars for all the stars in the sky. |
| 6Also he caused his sons to pass through the fire in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom; he practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft and sorcery, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger. | 6He passed his sons through the fire in the Valley of Ben-Hinnom and practiced divination, omen reading, and sorcery. He set up a ritual pit to conjure up underworld spirits and appointed magicians to supervise it. He did a great amount of evil in the sight of the LORD and angered him. |
| 7He even set a carved image, 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 out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever; | 7He put an idolatrous image he had made in God's temple, about which God had said to David and to his son Solomon, "This temple in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, will be my permanent home. |
| 8and I will not again remove the foot of Israel from the land which I have appointed for your fathers—only if they are careful to do all that I have commanded them, according to the whole law and the statutes and the ordinances by the hand of Moses.” | 8I will not make Israel again leave the land I gave to their ancestors, provided that they carefully obey all I commanded them, the whole law, the rules and regulations given to Moses." |
| 9So Manasseh seduced Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to do more evil than the nations whom the LORD had destroyed before the children of Israel. | 9But Manasseh misled the people of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem so that they sinned more than the nations whom the LORD had destroyed ahead of the Israelites. |
| 10And the LORD spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they would not listen. | 10The LORD confronted Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention. |
| 11Therefore the LORD brought upon them the captains of the army of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh with hooks, bound him with bronze fetters, and carried him off to Babylon. | 11So the LORD brought against them the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria. They seized Manasseh, put hooks in his nose, bound him with bronze chains, and carried him away to Babylon. |
| 12Now when he was in affliction, he implored the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, | 12In his pain Manasseh asked the LORD his God for mercy and truly humbled himself before the God of his ancestors. |
| 13and prayed to Him; and He received his entreaty, heard his supplication, and brought him back to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD was God. | 13When he prayed to the LORD, the LORD responded to him and answered favorably his cry for mercy. The LORD brought him back to Jerusalem to his kingdom. Then Manasseh realized that the LORD is the true God. |
| 14After this he built a wall outside the City of David on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, as far as the entrance of the Fish Gate; and it enclosed Ophel, and he raised it to a very great height. Then he put military captains in all the fortified cities of Judah. | 14After this Manasseh built up the outer wall of the City of David on the west side of the Gihon in the valley to the entrance of the Fish Gate and all around the terrace; he made it much higher. He placed army officers in all the fortified cities in Judah. |
| 15He took away the foreign gods and the idol from the house of the LORD, and all the altars that he had built in the mount of the house of the LORD and in Jerusalem; and he cast them out of the city. | 15He removed the foreign gods and images from the LORD's temple and all the altars he had built on the hill of the LORD's temple and in Jerusalem; he threw them outside the city. |
| 16He also repaired the altar of the LORD, sacrificed peace offerings and thank offerings on it, and commanded Judah to serve the LORD God of Israel. | 16He erected the altar of the LORD and offered on it peace offerings and thank offerings. He told the people of Judah to serve the LORD God of Israel. |
| 17Nevertheless the people still sacrificed on the high places, but only to the LORD their God. | 17The people continued to offer sacrifices at the high places, but only to the LORD their God. |
| 18Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, his prayer to his God, and the words of the seers who spoke to him in the name of the LORD God of Israel, indeed they are written in the book of the kings of Israel. | 18The rest of the events of Manasseh's reign, including his prayer to his God and the words the prophets spoke to him in the name of the LORD God of Israel, are recorded in the Annals of the Kings of Israel. |
| 19Also his prayer and how God received his entreaty, and all his sin and trespass, and the sites where he built high places and set up wooden images and carved images, before he was humbled, indeed they are written among the sayings of Hozai. | 19The Annals of the Prophets include his prayer, give an account of how the LORD responded to it, record all his sins and unfaithful acts, and identify the sites where he built high places and erected Asherah poles and idols before he humbled himself. |
| 20So Manasseh rested with his fathers, and they buried him in his own house. Then his son Amon reigned in his place. | 20Manasseh passed away and was buried in his palace. His son Amon replaced him as king. |
| 21Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. | 21Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned for two years in Jerusalem. |
| 22But he did evil in the sight of the LORD, as his father Manasseh had done; for Amon sacrificed to all the carved images which his father Manasseh had made, and served them. | 22He did evil in the sight of the LORD, just like his father Manasseh had done. He offered sacrifices to all the idols his father Manasseh had made, and worshiped them. |
| 23And he did not humble himself before the LORD, as his father Manasseh had humbled himself; but Amon trespassed more and more. | 23He did not humble himself before the LORD as his father Manasseh had done. Amon was guilty of great sin. |
| 24Then his servants conspired against him, and killed him in his own house. | 24His servants conspired against him and killed him in his palace. |
| 25But the people of the land executed all those who had conspired against King Amon. Then the people of the land made his son Josiah king in his place. | 25The people of the land executed all who had conspired against King Amon, and they made his son Josiah king in his place. |
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