Manasseh Succeeds Hezekiah in Judah
1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem.
2 He did evil in the sight of the Lordaccording to the abominations of the nations whom the Lorddispossessed before the sons of Israel.
3 For he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down; he also erected altars for the Baals and madeAsherim, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them.
4 He built altars in the house of the Lordof which the Lordhad said, “My name shall be in Jerusalem forever.”
5 For he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord.
6 He made his sons pass through the fire in the valley of Ben-hinnom; and he practiced witchcraft, used divination, practiced sorcery and dealt with mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking Himto anger.
7 Then he put the carved 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;
8 and I will not again remove the foot of Israel from the land which I have appointed for your fathers, if only they will observe to do all that I have commanded them according to all the law, the statutes and the ordinancesgiventhrough Moses.”
9 Thus Manasseh misled Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to do more evil than the nations whom the Lorddestroyed before the sons of Israel.
Manasseh’s Idolatry Rebuked
10 The Lordspoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention.
11 Therefore the Lordbrought the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria against them, and they captured Manasseh withhooks, bound him with bronzechainsand took him to Babylon.
12 When he was in distress, he entreated the Lordhis God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers.
13 When he prayed to Him, He was moved by his entreaty and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LordwasGod.
14 Now after this 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 Ophelwith itand made it very high. Then he put army commanders in all the fortified cities of Judah.
15 He also removed the foreign gods and the idol from the house of the Lord, as well as all the altars which he had built on the mountain of the house of the Lordand in Jerusalem, and he threwthemoutside the city.
16 He set up the altar of the Lordand sacrificed peace offerings and thank offerings on it; and he ordered Judah to serve the LordGod of Israel.
17 Nevertheless the people still sacrificed in the high places,althoughonly to the Lordtheir God.
18 Now 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 the LordGod of Israel, behold, they are among the records of the kings of Israel.
19 His prayer also andhow Godwas entreated by him, and all his sin, his unfaithfulness, and the sites on which he built high places and erected the Asherim and the carved images, before he humbled himself, behold, they are written in the records of the Hozai.
20 So Manasseh slept with his fathers, and they buried him in his own house. And Amon his son became king in his place.
Amon Becomes King in Judah
21 Amonwastwenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem.
22 He did evil in the sight of the Lordas Manasseh his father had done, and Amon sacrificed to all the carved images which his father Manasseh had made, and he served them.
23 Moreover, he did not humble himself before the Lordas his father Manasseh had done, but Amon multiplied guilt.
24 Finally his servants conspired against him and put him to death in his own house.
25 But the people of the land killed all the conspirators against King Amon, and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his place.
—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/2CH/33-1524a3315812818a9360db38a3bf665d.mp3?version_id=100—