2 Chronicles 33
Christian Standard Bible
Judah’s King Manasseh
33 Manasseh was twelve years old(A) when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. 2 He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, imitating the detestable practices of the nations that the Lord had dispossessed before the Israelites.(B) 3 He rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had torn down(C) and reestablished the altars for the Baals. He made Asherah poles, and he bowed in worship to all the stars in the sky and served them. 4 He built altars(D) in the Lord’s temple, where the Lord had said, “Jerusalem is where my name will remain forever.”(E) 5 He built altars to all the stars in the sky in both courtyards(F) of the Lord’s temple. 6 He passed his sons through the fire in Ben Hinnom Valley.(G) He practiced witchcraft, divination, and sorcery, and consulted mediums and spiritists.(H) He did a huge amount of evil in the Lord’s sight, angering him.
7 Manasseh(I) set up a carved image of the idol, which he had made, in God’s temple(J) that God had spoken about to David and his son Solomon: “I will establish my name forever[a](K) in this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.(L) 8 I will never again remove the feet of the Israelites from the land where I stationed your[b](M) ancestors,(N) if only they will be careful to do all I have commanded them through Moses—all the law, statutes, and judgments.” 9 So Manasseh caused Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to stray so that they did worse evil than the nations the Lord had destroyed before the Israelites.
Manasseh’s Repentance
10 The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they didn’t listen.(O) 11 So he brought against them the military commanders of the king of Assyria. They captured Manasseh with hooks, bound him with bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon.(P) 12 When he was in distress, he sought the favor of the Lord his God and earnestly humbled himself(Q) before the God of his ancestors. 13 He prayed to him, and the Lord was receptive to his prayer. He granted his request(R) and brought him back to Jerusalem, to his kingdom. So Manasseh came to know that the Lord is God.(S)
14 After this, he built the outer wall of the city of David from west of Gihon(T) in the valley to the entrance of the Fish Gate;(U) he brought it around Ophel,(V) and he heightened it considerably. He also placed military commanders in all the fortified cities of Judah.
15 He removed the foreign gods and the idol(W) from the Lord’s temple, along with all the altars that he had built on the mountain of the Lord’s temple and in Jerusalem, and he threw them outside the city. 16 He built[c] the altar of the Lord and offered fellowship and thanksgiving sacrifices on it. Then he told Judah to serve the Lord, the God of Israel. 17 However, the people still sacrificed at the high places,(X) but only to the Lord their God.
Manasseh’s Death
18 The rest of the events(Y) of Manasseh’s reign, along with his prayer(Z) to his God and the words of the seers who spoke to him in the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, are written in the Events of Israel’s Kings. 19 His prayer and how God was receptive to his prayer, and all his sin and unfaithfulness and the sites where he built high places and set up Asherah poles and carved images before he humbled himself, they are written in the Events of Hozai. 20 Manasseh rested with his ancestors, and he was buried in his own house. His son Amon became king in his place.
Judah’s King Amon
21 Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. 22 He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, just as his father Manasseh had done.(AA) Amon sacrificed to all the carved images that his father Manasseh had made, and he served them. 23 But he did not humble himself before the Lord like his father Manasseh humbled himself;(AB) instead, Amon increased his guilt.
24 So his servants conspired against him and put him to death(AC) in his own house. 25 The common people[d] killed all who had conspired against King Amon, and they made his son Josiah king in his place.
2 Chronicles 33
English Standard Version
Manasseh Reigns in Judah
33 (A)Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. 2 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to (B)the abominations of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel. 3 For he rebuilt the high places (C)that his father Hezekiah had broken down, and he erected altars to the Baals, and made (D)Asheroth, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them. 4 And he built altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, (E)“In Jerusalem shall my name be forever.” 5 And he built altars for all the host of heaven in (F)the two courts of the house of the Lord. 6 (G)And he burned his sons as an offering (H)in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, and (I)used fortune-telling and omens and sorcery, and dealt with (J)mediums and with necromancers. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger. 7 And (K)the carved image of the idol that he had made he set in the house of God, of which God said to David and to Solomon his son, “In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, (L)I will put my name forever, 8 and I will no more remove the foot of Israel from the land (M)that I appointed for your fathers, if only they will be careful to do all that I have commanded them, all the law, the statutes, and the rules given through Moses.” 9 Manasseh led Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem astray, to do more evil than the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the people of Israel.
Manasseh's Repentance
10 The Lord spoke to Manasseh and to his people, but they paid no attention. 11 (N)Therefore the Lord brought upon them the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria, who captured Manasseh with hooks and (O)bound him with chains of bronze and brought him to Babylon. 12 And when he was in distress, he entreated the favor of the Lord his God (P)and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. 13 He prayed to him, and (Q)God was moved by his entreaty and heard his plea and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. (R)Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God.
14 Afterward he built an outer wall for the city of David west of (S)Gihon, in the valley, and for the entrance into (T)the Fish Gate, and carried it around (U)Ophel, and raised it to a very great height. He also put commanders of the army in all the fortified cities in Judah. 15 And (V)he took away the foreign gods and the idol from the house of the Lord, and all the altars that he had built on the mountain of the house of the Lord and in Jerusalem, and he threw them outside of the city. 16 He also restored the altar of the Lord and offered on it sacrifices of peace offerings and of thanksgiving, and he commanded Judah to serve the Lord, the God of Israel. 17 (W)Nevertheless, the people still sacrificed at the high places, but only to the Lord their God.
18 Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and (X)his prayer to his God, and the words of (Y)the seers who spoke to him in the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, behold, they are in the (Z)Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. 19 And his prayer, and how (AA)God was moved by his entreaty, and all his sin and his faithlessness, and the sites (AB)on which he built high places and set up the (AC)Asherim and the images, before (AD)he humbled himself, behold, they are written in the Chronicles of the Seers.[a] 20 So Manasseh slept with his fathers, and they buried him in his house, and Amon his son reigned in his place.
Amon's Reign and Death
21 (AE)Amon was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. 22 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, as Manasseh his father had done. Amon sacrificed to all the images (AF)that Manasseh his father had made, and served them. 23 And he did not humble himself before the Lord, (AG)as Manasseh his father had humbled himself, but this Amon incurred guilt more and more. 24 And his servants conspired against him and put him to death in his house. 25 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.
Footnotes
- 2 Chronicles 33:19 One Hebrew manuscript, Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts of Hozai
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
