2 Kings 21:1-26
21 Twelve years old was Ma·nasʹseh+ when he began to reign, and for fifty-five years he reigned in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Hephʹzi·bah.+
2 And he proceeded to do what was bad in Jehovah’s eyes,+ according to the detestable things of the nations+ that Jehovah had driven out from before the sons of Israel.
3 So he built again the high places that Hez·e·kiʹah his father had destroyed,+ and set up altars to Baʹal and made a sacred pole, just as Aʹhab+ the king of Israel had done; and he began to bow+ down to all the army of the heavens+ and to serve* them.+
4 And he built altars in the house of Jehovah,+ respecting which Jehovah had said: “In Jerusalem I shall put my name.”+
5 And he went on to build altars to all the army of the heavens+ in two courtyards of the house of Jehovah.+
6 And he made his own son pass through the fire,+ and he practiced magic+ and looked for omens and made spirit mediums+ and professional foretellers+ of events. He did on a large scale what was bad in Jehovah’s eyes, to offend him.
7 Further, he put the carved image+ of the sacred pole that he had made in the house+ of which Jehovah had said to David and to Solʹo·mon his son: “In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I shall put my name to time indefinite.+
8 And I shall not again make the foot of Israel wander from the ground that I gave to their forefathers,+ provided only they are careful to do according to all that I have commanded them,+ even concerning all the law that my servant Moses commanded them.”
9 And they did not listen,+ but Ma·nasʹseh kept seducing them to do what was bad+ more than the nations+ whom Jehovah had annihilated from before the sons of Israel.
10 And Jehovah kept speaking by means of his servants the prophets,+ saying:
11 “For the reason that Ma·nasʹseh+ the king of Judah has done these detestable+ things, he has acted more wickedly than all that the Amʹor·ites+ did that were prior to him, and he proceeded to make even Judah sin+ with his dungy idols.
12 That is why this is what Jehovah the God of Israel has said, ‘Here I am bringing a calamity upon Jerusalem+ and Judah, of which if anyone hears both his ears will tingle.+
13 And I shall certainly stretch upon Jerusalem the measuring line+ applied to Sa·marʹi·a+ and also the leveling instrument applied to the house of Aʹhab;+ and I shall simply wipe+ Jerusalem clean just as one wipes the handleless bowl clean, wiping it clean and turning it upside down.*+
14 And I shall indeed forsake the remnant+ of my inheritance+ and give them into the hand of their enemies, and they will simply become plunder and pillage to all their enemies,+
15 for the reason that they did what was bad in my eyes and were continually offending me from the day that their forefathers came out from Egypt down to this day.’”+
16 And there was also innocent blood that Ma·nasʹseh shed+ in very great quantity, until he had filled Jerusalem from end to end,* besides his sin with which he caused Judah to sin by doing what was bad in the eyes of Jehovah.+
17 As for the rest of the affairs of Ma·nasʹseh and all that he did and his sin with which he sinned, are they not written in the book+ of the affairs of the days of the kings of Judah?
18 Finally Ma·nasʹseh lay down with his forefathers+ and was buried in the garden of his house, in the garden of Uzʹza;+ and Aʹmon his son began to reign in place of him.
19 Twenty-two years old was Aʹmon+ when he began to reign, and for two years+ he reigned in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Me·shulʹle·meth the daughter of Haʹruz from Jotʹbah.
20 And he continued to do what was bad in Jehovah’s eyes, just as Ma·nasʹseh his father had done.+
21 And he kept walking in all the way that his father had walked,+ and he continued serving the dungy idols+ that his father had served and bowing down to them.
22 Thus he left Jehovah+ the God of his forefathers, and he did not walk in the way of Jehovah.+
23 Eventually servants of Aʹmon conspired against him and put the king to death+ in his own house.
24 But the people of the land struck down all the conspirators+ against King Aʹmon. Then the people of the land made Jo·siʹah+ his son king in place of him.
25 As for the rest of the affairs of Aʹmon, what he did, are they not written in the book+ of the affairs of the days of the kings of Judah?
26 So they* buried him in his grave in the garden of Uzʹza;+ and Jo·siʹah+ his son began to reign in place of him.
Footnotes
^ Or, “and to worship (render sacred service to).” Heb., wai·ya·ʽavodhʹ.
^ Lit., “upon its face.”
^ “They,” TLagardianLXXSyVg; M, “one (he).”
