2 Kings 21
Christian Standard Bible
Judah’s King Manasseh
21 Manasseh(A) was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hephzibah.(B) 2 He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight,(C) imitating the detestable practices of the nations that the Lord had dispossessed before the Israelites.(D) 3 He rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had destroyed(E) and reestablished the altars for Baal. He made an Asherah,(F) as King Ahab of Israel had done;(G) he also bowed in worship to all the stars in the sky(H) and served them. 4 He built altars in the Lord’s temple,(I) where the Lord had said, “Jerusalem is where I will put my name.”(J) 5 He built altars to all the stars in the sky(K) in both courtyards of the Lord’s temple.(L) 6 He sacrificed his son in the fire,[a](M) practiced witchcraft and divination, and consulted mediums and spiritists.(N) He did a huge amount of evil in the Lord’s sight, angering him.(O)
7 Manasseh set up the carved image of Asherah, which he made, in the temple that the Lord had spoken about to David and his son Solomon: “I will establish my name forever in this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.(P) 8 I will never again cause the feet of the Israelites to wander from the land I gave to their ancestors if only they will be careful to do all I have commanded them—the whole law that my servant Moses commanded them.”(Q) 9 But they did not listen; Manasseh caused them to stray so that they did worse evil than the nations the Lord had destroyed before the Israelites.(R)
10 The Lord said through his servants the prophets, 11 “Since King Manasseh of Judah has committed all these detestable acts(S)—worse evil than the Amorites(T) who preceded him had done—and by means of his idols has also caused Judah to sin, 12 this is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I am about to bring such a disaster on Jerusalem and Judah that everyone who hears about it will shudder.[b](U) 13 I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line used on Samaria and the mason’s level used on the house of Ahab,(V) and I will wipe(W) Jerusalem clean as one wipes a bowl—wiping it and turning it upside down. 14 I will abandon the remnant(X) of my inheritance and hand them over to their enemies. They will become plunder and spoil to all their enemies, 15 because they have done what is evil in my sight and have angered me from the day their ancestors came out of Egypt until today.’”(Y)
16 Manasseh also shed so much innocent blood that he filled Jerusalem with it from one end to another.(Z) This was in addition to his sin that he caused Judah to commit, so that they did what was evil in the Lord’s sight.
Manasseh’s Death
17 The rest(AA) of the events of Manasseh’s reign, along with all his accomplishments and the sin that he committed, are written in the Historical Record of Judah’s Kings.(AB) 18 Manasseh rested with his ancestors and was buried in the garden of his own house, the garden of Uzza. His son Amon became king in his place.
Judah’s King Amon
19 Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king,(AC) and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Meshullemeth daughter of Haruz; she was from Jotbah. 20 He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, just as his father Manasseh had done.(AD) 21 He walked in all the ways his father had walked; he served the idols his father had served, and he bowed in worship to them.(AE) 22 He abandoned the Lord God of his ancestors(AF) and did not walk in the ways of the Lord.(AG)
23 Amon’s servants conspired against him and put the king to death in his own house.(AH) 24 The common people[c] killed(AI) all who had conspired against King Amon, and they made his son Josiah(AJ) king in his place.
25 The rest of the events of Amon’s reign, along with his accomplishments, are written in the Historical Record of Judah’s Kings. 26 He was buried in his tomb in the garden of Uzza, and his son Josiah became king in his place.
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
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.
