2 Chronicles 33
Expanded Bible
Manasseh King of Judah(A)
33 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he ·was king [reigned] for fifty-five years in Jerusalem. 2 He did ·what the Lord said was wrong [L evil in the Lord’s sight/eyes]. He did the ·hateful [detestable; abominable] things the nations had done—the nations that the Lord had ·forced [driven] out of the land ahead of the Israelites. 3 Manasseh’s father, Hezekiah, had torn down ·places where gods were worshiped [L the high places; 11:15], but Manasseh rebuilt them. He also built altars for the Baal gods, and he made Asherah ·idols [poles; 14:3] and worshiped all the ·stars of the sky [powers/hosts of heaven] and ·served [worshiped] them. 4 The Lord had said about the ·Temple [L house], “·I will be worshiped [L My name will be] in Jerusalem forever,” but Manasseh built altars in the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord. 5 He built altars to worship the ·stars [L powers/hosts of heaven] in the two courtyards of the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord. 6 He ·made his children pass through [sacrificed his children in the] fire in the Valley of Ben Hinnom. He practiced magic and witchcraft and ·told the future by explaining signs and dreams [divination; augery]. He ·got advice from [dealt with] mediums and ·fortune-tellers [spiritualists; spiritists; Deut. 18:9–13]. He did ·many things the Lord said were wrong [L much evil in the Lord’s sight/eyes], which made the Lord angry.
7 Manasseh carved an idol and put it in the ·Temple [L house] of God. God had said to David and his son Solomon about the ·Temple [L house], “I will ·be worshiped [L put my name] forever in this ·Temple [L house] and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel. 8 I will never again make the ·Israelites [L feet of Israel] ·leave [wander from; C into exile] the land I ·gave to [appointed for] their ·ancestors [fathers]. But they must ·obey [be careful to do] everything I have commanded them in all the ·teachings [instructions; laws], ·rules [statutes; ordinances; requirements], and ·commands [judgments] I gave them through Moses.” 9 But Manasseh led the people of Judah and Jerusalem ·to do wrong [astray]. They did more evil than the nations the Lord had destroyed ahead of the Israelites.
10 The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they ·did not listen [paid no attention]. 11 So the Lord brought the king of Assyria’s army commanders to attack Judah. They captured Manasseh, put hooks in him [C in his nose], ·placed bronze chains on his hands [bound him with bronze chains], and took him to Babylon. 12 ·As Manasseh suffered [L When he was in distress], he ·begged [entreated; L sought] the Lord his God for help and humbled himself greatly before the God of his ·ancestors [fathers]. 13 When Manasseh prayed, the Lord heard ·him [L his plea] and ·had pity on him [was moved]. So the Lord ·let him return [brought him back] to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is the true God.
14 After that happened, Manasseh rebuilt the outer wall of the City of David [C Jerusalem] and made it higher. It was in the valley on the west side of the Gihon spring and went to the entrance of the Fish Gate and around the hill of Ophel. Then he ·put [stationed] ·commanders [officers] in all the ·strong, walled [fortified] cities in Judah.
15 Manasseh removed the ·idols of other nations [foreign gods], including the idol in the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord. He removed all the altars he had built on the hill of the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord and in Jerusalem and threw them out of the city. 16 Then he ·set up [restored] the Lord’s altar and ·sacrificed [offered] on it ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offerings [Lev. 3:1] and ·offerings to show thanks to God [thank/thanksgiving offerings]. Manasseh commanded all the people of Judah to serve the Lord, the God of Israel. 17 The people continued to offer sacrifices at the ·places of worship [L high places], but their sacrifices were only to the Lord their God. 18 The ·other things Manasseh did as king [rest of the events/acts/history of Manasseh], his prayer to his God, and what the ·seers [prophets] said to him in the name of the Lord, the God of Israel—all are recorded in the ·book [scroll] of the ·history [annals; records] of the kings of Israel. 19 Manasseh’s prayer and ·God’s pity for him [how God responded to his plea/entreaty], his sins, his unfaithfulness, the ·places [sites on which] he built ·for worshiping gods [L high places; 11:15] and the Asherah ·idols [poles; 14:3] before he humbled himself—all are written in the ·book [scroll] of the ·seers [prophets]. 20 Manasseh ·died [L lay down/T slept with his fathers/ancestors] and was buried in his ·palace [L house]. Then Manasseh’s son Amon became king in his place.
Amon King of Judah(B)
21 Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he ·was king [reigned] for two years in Jerusalem. 22 He did ·what the Lord said was wrong [L evil in the Lord’s sight/eyes], as his father Manasseh had done. Amon ·worshiped [served] and ·offered [sacrificed] sacrifices to all the carved ·idols [images] Manasseh had made. 23 Amon did not humble himself before the Lord as his father Manasseh had done. Instead, Amon ·sinned even more [L multiplied guilt].
24 King Amon’s ·officers [officials; servants] ·made plans [conspired; plotted] against him and killed him in his ·palace [L house]. 25 Then the people of the land ·killed [executed] all those who had ·made plans [conspired; plotted] to kill King Amon, and they made his son Josiah king in his place.
2 Chronicles 33
New American Standard Bible
Manasseh Succeeds Hezekiah in Judah
33 (A)Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned for fifty-five years in Jerusalem. 2 (B)He did evil in the sight of the Lord according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord dispossessed before the sons of Israel. 3 For (C)he rebuilt the high places which his father Hezekiah had torn down; (D)he also set up altars for the Baals and made [a]Asherim, and he worshiped all the heavenly [b]lights and served them. 4 (E)He built altars in the house of the Lord of which the Lord had said, “My name shall be (F)in Jerusalem forever.” 5 He built altars for all the heavenly [c]lights in (G)the two courtyards of the house of the Lord. 6 (H)He also made his sons pass through the fire in the Valley of Ben-hinnom; and he practiced witchcraft, used divination, practiced sorcery, and (I)dealt with mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking Him to anger. 7 Then he put (J)the carved image of the idol which he had made in the house of God, of which God had said to David and his son Solomon, “(K)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 remove the foot of Israel again from the land (L)which I have appointed for your fathers, if only they will take care to do everything that I have commanded them according to all the Law, the statutes, and the ordinances given through Moses.” 9 So Manasseh encouraged Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to do more evil than the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the sons of Israel.
Manasseh’s Idolatry Rebuked
10 So the Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but (M)they paid no attention. 11 (N)Therefore the Lord brought the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria against them, and they captured Manasseh with hooks, (O)bound him with bronze chains, and led him to Babylon. 12 When (P)he was in distress, he appeased the Lord his God and (Q)humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. 13 When he prayed to Him, (R)He was moved by him and heard his pleading, and brought him back to Jerusalem to his kingdom. Then Manasseh (S)knew that the Lord alone is God.
14 Now after this he built the outer wall of the city of David on the west side of (T)Gihon, in the valley, up to the entrance of the (U)Fish Gate; and he encircled the (V)Ophel with it and made it very high. Then he put army commanders in all the fortified cities in Judah. 15 He also (W)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 Lord and in Jerusalem, and he threw them outside the city. 16 He set up the altar of the Lord and sacrificed (X)peace offerings and thanksgiving offerings on it; and he ordered Judah to serve the Lord God of Israel. 17 However, (Y)the people still sacrificed on the high places, although only to the Lord their God.
18 Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh and (Z)his prayer to his God, and the words of (AA)the seers who spoke to him in the name of the Lord God of Israel, behold, they are among the records of the kings of (AB)Israel. 19 His prayer also and (AC)how God was moved by him, and all his sin, his unfaithfulness, and (AD)the sites on which he built high places and erected the [d]Asherim and the carved images, before he humbled himself, behold, they are written in the records of [e]Hozai. 20 So Manasseh [f]lay down with his fathers, and they buried him in his own house. And his son Amon became king in his place.
Amon Becomes King in Judah
21 (AE)Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned for two years in Jerusalem. 22 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, just as his father Manasseh (AF)had done, and Amon sacrificed to all (AG)the carved images which his father Manasseh had made, and he served them. 23 Furthermore, he did not humble himself before the Lord (AH)as his father Manasseh had [g]done, but Amon multiplied his guilt. 24 Finally, (AI)his servants conspired against him and put him to death in his own house. 25 But the people of the land [h]killed all the conspirators against King Amon, and the people of the land made his son Josiah king in his place.
Footnotes
- 2 Chronicles 33:3 I.e., wooden symbols of a female deity (Asherah)
- 2 Chronicles 33:3 Lit host
- 2 Chronicles 33:5 Lit host
- 2 Chronicles 33:19 I.e., wooden symbols of a female deity (Asherah)
- 2 Chronicles 33:19 LXX seers
- 2 Chronicles 33:20 I.e., died
- 2 Chronicles 33:23 Lit humbled himself
- 2 Chronicles 33:25 Lit struck
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
