Manasseh King of Judah^(A)

21 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he ·was king [reigned] fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. ² He did ·what the Lord said was wrong [^Levil in the eyes/sight of the Lord]. He did the ·hateful things [detestable/abominable practices] the other nations had done—the nations that the Lord had ·forced [driven] out of the land ahead of the ·Israelites [^Lsons/^Tchildren of Israel]. ³ Manasseh’s father, Hezekiah, had destroyed the ·places where gods were worshiped [^Lhigh places; 12:3], but Manasseh rebuilt them. He built altars for Baal, and he made an Asherah ·idol [pole; ^Ca sacred tree or pole dedicated to the goddess Asherah; 13:6] as Ahab king of Israel had done. Manasseh also worshiped all the ·stars of the sky [hosts of heaven] and served them. ⁴ The Lord had said about the ·Temple [^Lhouse], “I will ·be worshiped [^Lput my name] in Jerusalem,” but Manasseh built altars [^Cpagan] in the ·Temple [^Lhouse] of the Lord. ⁵ He built altars to worship the ·stars [hosts of heaven] in the two courtyards of the ·Temple [^Lhouse] of the Lord. ⁶ He ·made his own son pass through fire [sacrificed his son in the fire; 16:3]. He practiced ·magic [sorcery; soothsaying] and ·told the future by explaining signs and dreams [divination], and he ·got advice from [consulted] mediums and ·fortune-tellers [psychics; spiritualists]. He did ·many things the Lord said were wrong [^Lmuch evil in the eyes/sight of the Lord], which ·made the Lord angry [aroused/provoked the Lord to anger].

⁷ Manasseh carved an Asherah ·idol [pole; ^Ca sacred tree or pole dedicated to the goddess Asherah; 13:6] and put it in the ·Temple [^Lhouse]. The Lord had said to David and his son Solomon about the ·Temple [^Lhouse], “I will ·be worshiped [^Lput my name] forever in this ·Temple [^Lhouse] and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel. ⁸ I will never again make the ·Israelites [^Lfeet of Israel to] wander out of the land I gave their ·ancestors [fathers]. But they must ·obey [observe; do] everything I have commanded them and all the ·teachings [law; ^Ltorah] my servant Moses gave them.” ⁹ But the people did not listen. Manasseh led them to do more evil than the nations the Lord had destroyed ahead of the ·Israelites [^Lsons/^Tchildren of Israel].

¹⁰ The Lord said through his servants the prophets, ¹¹ “Manasseh king of Judah has done these ·hateful things [detestable/abominable practices]. He has done more ·evil [wickedness] than the Amorites before him. He also has led Judah to sin with his idols. ¹² So this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I will bring ·so much trouble [such disaster/calamity] on Jerusalem and Judah that anyone who hears about it will ·be shocked [^Lhave tingling ears]. ¹³ I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line used for Samaria , and the plumb line used against Ahab’s ·family [^Lhouse] will be used on Jerusalem. I will wipe out Jerusalem as a person wipes a dish and turns it upside down. ¹⁴ I will ·throw away the rest of my people who are left [abandon/forsake/reject the remnant of my inheritance/heritage]. I will ·give them [hand them over; deliver them] to their enemies, and they will be ·robbed by all [the plunder and spoil of] their enemies, ¹⁵ because my people did ·what I said was wrong [^Levil in my eyes/sight]. They have ·made me angry [aroused/provoked my anger] from the day their ·ancestors [fathers] left Egypt until ·now [today].’”

¹⁶ Manasseh also ·killed [murdered] many innocent people, filling Jerusalem from one end to the other with their blood. This was besides the sin he led Judah to do; he led Judah to do ·what the Lord said was wrong [^Levil in the eyes/sight of the Lord].

¹⁷ The other things Manasseh did as king, even the sin he did, ·are [^Lare they not…?] written in the book of the ·history [chronicles; annals; 1:18] of the kings of Judah. ¹⁸ Manasseh ·died [^Llay down/^Tslept with his fathers/ancestors] and was buried in the garden of his own ·palace [^Lhouse], the garden of Uzza. Then Manasseh’s son Amon became king in his place.

Amon King of Judah^(B)

¹⁹ Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he was king for two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Meshullemeth daughter of Haruz, who was from Jotbah. ²⁰ Amon did ·what the Lord said was wrong [^Levil in the eyes/sight of the Lord], as his father Manasseh had done. ²¹ He ·lived [followed; ^Lwalked] in the same way his father had ·lived [followed; ^Lwalked]: he ·worshiped [served] the idols his father had ·worshiped [served], and he ·bowed down before [worshiped] them. ²² Amon ·rejected [abandoned; forsook] the Lord, the God of his ·ancestors [fathers], and did not ·follow [walk in] the ways of the Lord.

²³ Amon’s officers ·made plans [conspired; plotted] against him and killed him in his ·palace [^Lhouse]. ²⁴ Then the people of the land killed all those who had ·made plans [conspired; plotted] to kill King Amon, and they made his son Josiah king in his place.

²⁵ Everything else Amon did ·is [^Lis it not…?] written in the book of the ·history [chronicles; annals; 1:18] of the kings of Judah. ²⁶ He was buried in his grave in the garden of Uzza, and his son Josiah became king in his place.