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2 Kings 21
New International Version
2 Kings 21
New International Version
Manasseh King of Judah(A)(B)
21 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. His mother’s name was Hephzibah.(C) 2 He did evil(D) in the eyes of the Lord, following the detestable practices(E) of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. 3 He rebuilt the high places(F) his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he also erected altars to Baal(G) and made an Asherah pole,(H) as Ahab king of Israel had done. He bowed down to all the starry hosts(I) and worshiped them. 4 He built altars(J) in the temple of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “In Jerusalem I will put my Name.”(K) 5 In the two courts(L) of the temple of the Lord, he built altars to all the starry hosts. 6 He sacrificed his own son(M) in the fire, practiced divination,(N) sought omens, and consulted mediums and spiritists.(O) He did much evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing(P) his anger.
7 He took the carved Asherah pole(Q) he had made and put it in the temple,(R) of which the Lord had said to David and to his son Solomon, “In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my Name(S) forever. 8 I will not again(T) make the feet of the Israelites wander from the land I gave their ancestors, if only they will be careful to do everything I commanded them and will keep the whole Law that my servant Moses(U) gave them.” 9 But the people did not listen. Manasseh led them astray, so that they did more evil(V) than the nations(W) the Lord had destroyed before the Israelites.
10 The Lord said through his servants the prophets: 11 “Manasseh king of Judah has committed these detestable sins. He has done more evil(X) than the Amorites(Y) who preceded him and has led Judah into sin with his idols.(Z) 12 Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I am going to bring such disaster(AA) on Jerusalem and Judah that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle.(AB) 13 I will stretch out over Jerusalem the measuring line used against Samaria and the plumb line(AC) used against the house of Ahab. I will wipe(AD) out Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. 14 I will forsake(AE) the remnant(AF) of my inheritance and give them into the hands of enemies. They will be looted and plundered by all their enemies; 15 they have done evil(AG) in my eyes and have aroused(AH) my anger from the day their ancestors came out of Egypt until this day.”
16 Moreover, Manasseh also shed so much innocent blood(AI) that he filled Jerusalem from end to end—besides the sin that he had caused Judah(AJ) to commit, so that they did evil in the eyes of the Lord.
17 As for the other events of Manasseh’s reign, and all he did, including the sin he committed, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? 18 Manasseh rested with his ancestors and was buried in his palace garden,(AK) the garden of Uzza. And Amon his son succeeded him as king.
Amon King of Judah(AL)
19 Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem two years. His mother’s name was Meshullemeth daughter of Haruz; she was from Jotbah. 20 He did evil(AM) in the eyes of the Lord, as his father Manasseh had done. 21 He followed completely the ways of his father, worshiping the idols his father had worshiped, and bowing down to them. 22 He forsook(AN) the Lord, the God of his ancestors, and did not walk(AO) in obedience to him.
23 Amon’s officials conspired against him and assassinated(AP) the king in his palace. 24 Then the people of the land killed(AQ) all who had plotted against King Amon, and they made Josiah(AR) his son king in his place.
25 As for the other events of Amon’s reign, and what he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? 26 He was buried in his tomb in the garden(AS) of Uzza. And Josiah his son succeeded him as king.
2 Kings 21
English Standard Version
2 Kings 21
English Standard Version
Manasseh Reigns in Judah
21 (A)Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hephzibah. 2 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, (B)according to the despicable practices of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel. 3 For he rebuilt the high places (C)that Hezekiah his father had destroyed, and he erected altars for Baal and made (D)an Asherah, (E)as Ahab king of Israel had done, (F)and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them. 4 (G)And he built altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, (H)“In Jerusalem will I put my name.” 5 And he built altars (I)for all the host of heaven in (J)the two courts of the house of the Lord. 6 (K)And he burned his son as an offering[a] and (L)used fortune-telling and (M)omens and dealt (N)with mediums and with necromancers. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger. 7 And the carved image of (O)Asherah that he had made he set in the house of which the Lord said to David and to Solomon his son, “In this house, (P)and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my name forever. 8 (Q)And I will not cause the feet of Israel to wander anymore out of the land that I gave to their fathers, if only they will be careful to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the Law that my servant Moses commanded them.” 9 But they did not listen, and Manasseh led them astray to do more evil than the nations had done whom the Lord destroyed before the people of Israel.
Manasseh's Idolatry Denounced
10 And the Lord said by his servants the prophets, 11 (R)“Because Manasseh king of Judah has committed these abominations and has done things (S)more evil than all that the Amorites did, who were before him, (T)and has made Judah also to sin (U)with his idols, 12 therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing upon Jerusalem and Judah such disaster[b] that the ears of everyone who hears of it (V)will tingle. 13 (W)And I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samaria, and the plumb line of the house of Ahab, and I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. 14 And I will forsake the remnant of my heritage and give them into the hand of their enemies, and they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies, 15 because they have done what is evil in my sight and have provoked me to anger, since the day their fathers came out of Egypt, even to this day.”
16 (X)Moreover, Manasseh shed very much innocent blood, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another, besides the sin (Y)that he made Judah to sin so that they did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.
17 (Z)Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh and all that he did, and the sin that he committed, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 18 (AA)And Manasseh slept with his fathers and was buried in the garden of his house, (AB)in the garden of Uzza, and Amon his son reigned in his place.
Amon Reigns in Judah
19 Amon was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Meshullemeth the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah. 20 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, (AC)as Manasseh his father had done. 21 He walked in all the way in which his father walked and served (AD)the idols that his father served and worshiped them. 22 (AE)He abandoned the Lord, the God of his fathers, and did not walk in the way of the Lord. 23 And the servants of Amon conspired against him and put the king to death in his house. 24 But 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. 25 Now the rest of the acts of Amon that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 26 And he was buried in his tomb (AF)in the garden of Uzza, and Josiah his son reigned in his place.
Footnotes
- 2 Kings 21:6 Hebrew made his son pass through the fire
- 2 Kings 21:12 Or evil
2 Kings 21
New American Standard Bible
2 Kings 21
New American Standard Bible
Manasseh Succeeds Hezekiah
21 (A)Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned for fifty-five years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Hephzibah. 2 (B)He did evil in the sight of the Lord, (C)in accordance with the abominations of the nations whom the Lord [a]dispossessed before the sons of Israel. 3 For (D)he rebuilt the high places which his father Hezekiah had destroyed; and (E)he erected altars for Baal and made an [b]Asherah, just as Ahab king of Israel had done, and he (F)worshiped all the heavenly [c]lights and served them. 4 And (G)he built altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “(H)In Jerusalem I will put My name.” 5 He built altars for (I)all the heavenly [d]lights in (J)the two courtyards of the house of the Lord. 6 And (K)he made his son pass through the fire, (L)interpreted signs, practiced divination, and used mediums and spiritists. He did great evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking Him to anger. 7 Then (M)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, “(N)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 (O)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.” 9 But they did not listen, and Manasseh (P)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
10 Now the Lord spoke through His servants the prophets, saying, 11 “(Q)Since Manasseh king of Judah has committed these abominations, (R)having done more evil than all that the Amorites did who were before him, and (S)has also misled Judah into sin (T)with his idols, 12 therefore 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, (U)both of his ears will ring. 13 (V)I 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. 14 And 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, 15 because 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.’”
16 (W)Furthermore, Manasseh shed very much innocent blood until he had filled Jerusalem [e]from one end to another, besides his sin (X)into which he misled Judah, in doing evil in the sight of the Lord. 17 (Y)Now 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? 18 (Z)And Manasseh [g]lay down with his fathers and was buried in the garden of his own house, (AA)in the garden of Uzza, and his son Amon became king in his place.
Amon Succeeds Manasseh
19 (AB)Amon 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. 20 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, (AC)just as his father Manasseh had done. 21 For he walked [h]entirely in the way that his father had walked, and served the idols that his father had served, and worshiped them. 22 So (AD)he abandoned the Lord, the God of his fathers, and did not walk in the way of the Lord. 23 And (AE)the servants of Amon conspired against him and killed the king in his own house. 24 Then (AF)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. 25 Now 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? 26 He was buried in his grave (AG)in the garden of Uzza, and his son Josiah became king in his place.
Footnotes
- 2 Kings 21:2 Or drove out
- 2 Kings 21:3 I.e., a wooden symbol of a female deity
- 2 Kings 21:3 Lit host
- 2 Kings 21:5 Lit host
- 2 Kings 21:16 Lit mouth to mouth
- 2 Kings 21:17 Lit sinned
- 2 Kings 21:18 I.e., died
- 2 Kings 21:21 Lit in all the way that
- 2 Kings 21:24 Lit struck
2 Kings 21
Common English Bible
2 Kings 21
Common English Bible
Manasseh rules Judah
21 Manasseh was 12 years old when he became king, and he ruled for fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. 2 He did what was evil in the Lord’s eyes, imitating the detestable practices of the nations that the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. 3 He rebuilt the shrines that his father Hezekiah had destroyed, set up altars for Baal, and made a sacred pole,[a] just as Israel’s King Ahab had done. He bowed down to all the stars in the sky and worshipped them. 4 He even built altars in the two courtyards of the Lord’s temple—the very place the Lord was speaking of when he said: “I will put my name in Jerusalem.” 5 Manasseh built altars for all the stars in the sky in both courtyards of the Lord’s temple. 6 He burned his own son alive, consulted sign readers and fortune-tellers, and used mediums and diviners. He did much evil in the Lord’s eyes and made him angry.
7 Manasseh set up the carved Asherah image he had made in the temple—the very temple the Lord had spoken about to David and his son Solomon, saying, In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all Israel’s tribes, I will put my name forever. 8 I will never again remove Israel from the land I gave to their ancestors, provided they carefully do everything I have commanded them—keeping all the Instruction my servant Moses commanded them. 9 But they wouldn’t listen. Manasseh led them into doing even more evil than the nations the Lord had wiped out before the Israelites.
10 The Lord spoke through his servants the prophets: 11 Judah’s King Manasseh has done detestable things, things more evil than the Amorites had done before his time. He has caused Judah to sin with his images. 12 Because of this, the Lord, Israel’s God, has said: I’m about to bring on Jerusalem and Judah such a great disaster that the ears of anyone who hears about it will ring. 13 I will stretch out over Jerusalem the same line that I used to measure Samaria and the same mason’s level that I used on Ahab’s family. I will wipe Jerusalem clean the same way someone wipes a plate clean, wiping it clean then turning it facedown. 14 Whatever survives of my inheritance, I’ll leave behind, handing them over to their enemies. They will be nothing but plunder and loot for every one of their enemies. 15 This will happen because they have done what is evil in my eyes, making me angry from the day their ancestors left Egypt until this very moment.
16 Manasseh spilled so much innocent blood that he filled up every corner of Jerusalem with it. And this doesn’t include the sins he caused Judah to commit so that they did what was evil in the Lord’s eyes. 17 The rest of Manasseh’s deeds, all that he accomplished, and the sin he committed, aren’t they written in the official records of Judah’s kings? 18 Manasseh lay down with his ancestors. He was buried in his palace garden, the Uzza Garden. His son Amon succeeded him as king.
Amon rules Judah
19 Amon was 22 years old when he became king, and he ruled for two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Meshullemeth; she was Haruz’s daughter and was from Jotbah. 20 He did what was evil in the Lord’s eyes, just as his father Manasseh had done. 21 He walked in all the ways his father had walked. He worshipped the same worthless idols his father had worshipped, bowing down to them. 22 He deserted his ancestors’ God, the Lord—he didn’t walk in the Lord’s way.
23 Amon’s officials plotted against him and assassinated the king in his palace. 24 The people of the land then executed all those who had plotted against King Amon and made his son Josiah the next king. 25 The rest of Amon’s deeds, aren’t they written in the official records of Judah’s kings? 26 He was buried in his tomb in the Uzza Garden. His son Josiah succeeded him as king.
Footnotes
- 2 Kings 21:3 Heb asherah, perhaps a pole devoted to the goddess Asherah
2 Kings 21
Contemporary English Version
2 Kings 21
Contemporary English Version
King Manasseh of Judah
(2 Chronicles 33.1-20)
21 Manasseh was 12 years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled 55 years from Jerusalem. His mother was Hephzibah. 2 (A) Manasseh disobeyed the Lord by following the disgusting customs of the nations that the Lord had forced out of Israel. 3 He rebuilt the local shrines that his father Hezekiah had torn down. He built altars for the god Baal and set up a sacred pole for worshiping the goddess Asherah, just as King Ahab of Israel had done. And he faithfully worshiped the stars in heaven.
4 (B) In the temple, where only the Lord was supposed to be worshiped, Manasseh built altars for the worship of pagan gods 5 and the stars. He placed these altars in both courts of the temple, 6-7 (C) and even set up the pole for Asherah there. Manasseh practiced magic and witchcraft; he asked fortunetellers for advice and sacrificed his own son. He did many sinful things and made the Lord very angry.
Years ago the Lord had told David and his son Solomon:
Jerusalem is the place I prefer above all others in Israel. It belongs to me, and there I will be worshiped forever. 8 If my people will faithfully obey all the commands in the Law of my servant Moses, I will never make them leave the land I gave to their ancestors.
9 But the people of Judah disobeyed the Lord. They listened to Manasseh and did even more sinful things than the nations the Lord had wiped out.
10 One day the Lord said to some of his prophets:
11 King Manasseh has done more disgusting things than the Amorites,[a] and he has led my people to sin by forcing them to worship his idols. 12 Now I, the Lord God of Israel, will destroy both Jerusalem and Judah! People will hear about it but won't believe it. 13 Jerusalem is as sinful as Ahab and the people of Samaria were. So I will wipe out Jerusalem and be done with it, just as someone wipes water off a plate and turns it over to dry.
14 I will even get rid of my people who survive. They will be defeated and robbed by their enemies. 15 My people have done what I hate and have not stopped making me angry since their ancestors left Egypt.
16 Manasseh was guilty of causing the people of Judah to sin and disobey the Lord. He also refused to protect innocent people—he even let so many of them be killed[b] that their blood filled the streets of Jerusalem.
17 Everything else Manasseh did while he was king, including his terrible sins, is written in The History of the Kings of Judah. 18 He died and was buried in Uzza Garden near his palace, and his son Amon became king.
King Amon of Judah
(2 Chronicles 33.21-25)
19 Amon was 22 years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled from Jerusalem for 2 years. His mother Meshullemeth was the daughter of Haruz from Jotbah. 20 Amon disobeyed the Lord, just as his father Manasseh had done. 21 Amon worshiped the idols Manasseh had made and 22 refused to be faithful to the Lord, the God his ancestors had worshiped.
23 Some of Amon's officials plotted against him and killed him in his palace. 24-26 He was buried in Uzza Garden. Soon after that, the people of Judah killed the murderers of Amon, then they made his son Josiah king.
Everything else Amon did while he was king is written in The History of the Kings of Judah.
New International Version (NIV) 
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English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) 
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Common English Bible (CEB)
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible
Contemporary English Version (CEV) 
Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.