Psalm 94

¹¹ So the Lord brought against them the army commanders of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh prisoner,^(A) put a hook^(B) in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles^(C) and took him to Babylon. ¹² In his distress he sought the favor of the Lord his God and humbled^(D) himself greatly before the God of his ancestors. ¹³ And when he prayed to him, the Lord was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God.

¹⁴ Afterward he rebuilt the outer wall of the City of David, west of the Gihon^(E) spring in the valley, as far as the entrance of the Fish Gate^(F) and encircling the hill of Ophel;^(G) he also made it much higher. He stationed military commanders in all the fortified cities in Judah.

¹⁵ He got rid of the foreign gods and removed^(H) the image from the temple of the Lord, as well as all the altars he had built on the temple hill and in Jerusalem; and he threw them out of the city. ¹⁶ Then he restored the altar of the Lord and sacrificed fellowship offerings and thank offerings^(I) on it, and told Judah to serve the Lord, the God of Israel. ¹⁷ The people, however, continued to sacrifice at the high places, but only to the Lord their God.

¹⁸ The other events of Manasseh’s reign, including his prayer to his God and the words the seers spoke to him in the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, are written in the annals of the kings of Israel.^{[a] 19} His prayer and how God was moved by his entreaty, as well as all his sins and unfaithfulness, and the sites where he built high places and set up Asherah poles and idols before he humbled^(J) himself—all these are written in the records of the seers.^[b](K)

¹⁸ Manasseh rested with his ancestors and was buried in his palace garden,^(A) the garden of Uzza. And Amon his son succeeded him as king.

Amon King of Judah^(B)

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^(C) 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^(D) the Lord, the God of his ancestors, and did not walk^(E) in obedience to him.

²³ But unlike his father Manasseh, he did not humble^(A) himself before the Lord; Amon increased his guilt.

²³ Amon’s officials conspired against him and assassinated^(A) the king in his palace. ²⁴ Then the people of the land killed^(B) all who had plotted against King Amon, and they made Josiah^(C) 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^(D) of Uzza. And Josiah his son succeeded him as king.

The Book of the Law Found^(A)

22 Josiah^(B) was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. His mother’s name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah; she was from Bozkath.^{(C) 2} He did what was right^(D) in the eyes of the Lord and followed completely the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right^(E) or to the left.