Manasseh Succeeds Hezekiah

1Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned for fifty-five years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Hephzibah. 2He did evil in the sight of the LORD, in accordance with the abominations of the nations whom the LORD [a]dispossessed before the sons of Israel. 3For he rebuilt the high places which his father Hezekiah had destroyed; and he erected altars for Baal and made an [b]Asherah, just as Ahab king of Israel had done, and he worshiped all the heavenly [c]lights and served them. 4And he built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, “In Jerusalem I will put My name.” 5He built altars for all the heavenly [d]lights in the two courtyards of the house of the LORD. 6And he made his son pass through the fire, interpreted signs, practiced divination, and used mediums and spiritists. He did great evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger. 7Then he put the carved image of Asherah that he had made in the house of which the LORD had said to David and to his son Solomon, “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 make the feet of Israel wander anymore from the land which I gave their fathers, if only they will take care to act in accordance with everything that I have commanded them, and with all the Law that My servant Moses commanded them.” 9But they did not listen, and Manasseh encouraged them to do evil, more than the nations whom the LORD eliminated from the presence of the sons of Israel.

The King’s Idolatries Rebuked

10Now the LORD spoke through His servants the prophets, saying, 11“Since Manasseh king of Judah has committed these abominations, having done more evil than all that the Amorites did who were before him, and has also misled Judah into sin with his idols, 12therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Israel says: ‘Behold, I am bringing such a disaster on Jerusalem and Judah that whoever hears about it, both of his ears will ring. 13I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria and the plummet of the house of Ahab, and I will wipe Jerusalem clean just as one wipes a bowl, wiping it and turning it upside down. 14And I will abandon the remnant of My inheritance and hand them over to their enemies, and they will become as plunder and spoils to all their enemies, 15because they have done evil in My sight, and have been provoking Me to anger since the day their fathers came from Egypt, even to this day.’”

16Furthermore, Manasseh shed very much innocent blood until he had filled Jerusalem [e]from one end to another, besides his sin into which he misled Judah, in doing evil in the sight of the LORD. 17Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh and all that he did, and his sin which he [f]committed, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 18And Manasseh [g]lay down with his fathers and was buried in the garden of his own house, in the garden of Uzza, and his son Amon became king in his place.

Amon Succeeds Manasseh

19Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned for two years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Meshullemeth the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah. 20He did evil in the sight of the LORD, just as his father Manasseh had done. 21For he walked [h]entirely in the way that his father had walked, and served the idols that his father had served, and worshiped them. 22So he abandoned the LORD, the God of his fathers, and did not walk in the way of the LORD. 23And the servants of Amon conspired against him and killed the king in his own house. 24Then the people of the land [i]killed all those who had conspired against King Amon, and the people of the land made his son Josiah king in his place. 25Now the rest of the acts of Amon which he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 26He was buried in his grave in the garden of Uzza, and his son Josiah became king in his place.