2 Chronicles 33
Modern English Version
Manasseh, King of Judah(A)
33 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he was king in Jerusalem for fifty-five years. 2 But he did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord previously cast out before the sons of Israel. 3 And he turned again to build the high places that his father Hezekiah had torn down, and he set up altars to the Baals, and made Asherah poles, and worshipped the starry assembly of heaven and served them. 4 And he built altars in the house of the Lord where the Lord said, “In Jerusalem My name will be perpetual.” 5 And he built altars for the starry assembly of heaven in the two courtyards of the house of the Lord. 6 He even made his sons pass through the fire in the Valley of Ben Hinnom; and he had conjurers, and practitioners of divination and sorcery, and necromancers, and mediums. So he did a great amount of evil in the eyes of the Lord, so that God was provoked.
7 And he set the carved image of a statue that he made and put in the house of God where God said to David and to Solomon his son, “In this house and in Jerusalem where I have chosen from among all the tribes of Israel, there I have set My name perpetually. 8 And I will not again remove the foot of Israel from the ground that I have designated to your fathers, if only they will keep on doing everything that I have commanded them, the whole law, statutes, and judgments from the hand of Moses.” 9 So Manasseh made Judah and those living in Jerusalem to wander and to perform more evil than the nations that the Lord destroyed from before Israel.
Manasseh’s Repentance
10 The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they did not pay attention. 11 So the Lord brought on them the officials of the army of the king of Assyria. They captured Manasseh with hooks, and they bound him in bronze chains and led him to Babylon. 12 And when he was distressed, he entreated the face of the Lord his God, and he greatly humbled himself before the God of his fathers. 13 And he prayed to God, and He was moved and responded to his plea and returned him to Jerusalem to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God.
14 After this he built an outer wall for the City of David, west of Gihon, in the valley and toward the entrance of the Fish Gate, where it went around Ophel, and raised it to a very great height. Then he positioned military commanders in all the fortified cities in Judah.
15 And he removed the foreign gods and statues from the house of the Lord, and all the altars that he built on the hill of the house of the Lord and Jerusalem, and he cast them outside the city. 16 He also restored the altar of the Lord, and he sacrificed fellowship and thanksgiving offerings, and he ordered Judah to serve the Lord God of Israel. 17 However, the people continued to sacrifice at the high places, but only to the Lord their God.
The Death of Manasseh
18 And the remainder of the acts of Manasseh and his prayer to God and the words of the seers who spoke to him in the name of the Lord God of Israel are written in the annals of the kings of Israel. 19 And his prayer and how God received his entreaty, and all his sin and unfaithfulness, and the sites where he built high places and where he set up the Asherah poles and images before he humbled himself, indeed they are written in the sayings of Hozai. 20 So Manasseh slept with his fathers, and they buried him in his palace, and Amon his son reigned in his place.
Amon, King of Judah(B)
21 And Amon was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he was king for two years in Jerusalem. 22 And he did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord as his father Manasseh had done. And Amon sacrificed to and served all the idols that Manasseh his father had made. 23 He did not humble himself before the Lord as his father humbled himself. But he increased his guilt all the more.
24 And his servants plotted against him, and they killed him in his palace. 25 Then the people of the land struck down all those who conspired against King Amon. The people of the land made Josiah his son king in his place.
2 Chronicles 33
Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition
33 Manasses was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem.
2 And he did evil before the Lord, according to all the abominations of the nations, which the Lord cast out before the children of Israel:
3 And he turned, and built again the high places which Ezechias his father had destroyed: and he built altars to Baalim, and made groves, and he adored all the host of heaven, and worshipped them.
4 He built also altars in the house of the Lord, whereof the Lord had said: In Jerusalem shall my name be for ever.
5 And he built them for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord.
6 And he made his sons to pass through the fire in the valley of Benennom: he observed dreams, followed divinations, gave himself up to magic arts, had with him magicians, and enchanters: and he wrought many evils before the Lord, to provoke him to anger.
7 He set also a graven, and a molten statue in the house of God, of which God had 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, will I put my name for ever.
8 And I will not make the foot of Israel to be removed out of the land which I have delivered to their fathers: yet so if they will take heed to do what I hare commanded them, and all the law, and the ceremonies, and judgments by the hand of Moses.
9 So Manasses seduced Juda, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to do evil beyond all the nations, which the Lord had destroyed before the face of the children of Israel.
10 And the Lord spoke to him, and to his people, and they would not hearken.
11 Therefore he brought upon them the captains of the army of the king of the Assyrians: and they took Manasses, and carried him bound with chains and fetters to Babylon.
12 And after that he was in distress he prayed to the Lord his God: and did penance exceedingly before the God of his fathers.
13 And he entreated him, and besought him earnestly: and he heard his prayer, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom, and Manasses knew that the Lord was God.
14 After this he built a wall without the city of David, on the west side of Gihon in the valley, from the entering in of the fish gate round about to Ophel, and raised it up to a great height: and he appointed captains of the army in all the fenced cities of Juda:
15 And he took away the strange gods, and the idol out of the house of the Lord: the altars also which he had made in the mount of the house of the Lord, and in Jerusalem, and he cast them all out of the city.
16 And he repaired the altar of the Lord, and sacrificed upon it victims, and peace offerings, and praise: and he commanded Juda to serve the Lord the God of Israel.
17 Nevertheless the people still sacrificed in the high places to the Lord their God.
18 But the rest of the acts of Manasses, and his prayer to his God, and the words of the seers that spoke to him in the name of the Lord the God of Israel, are contained in the words of the kings of Israel.
19 His prayer also, and his being heard, and all his sins, and contempt, and places wherein he built high places, and set up groves, and statues before he did penance, are written in the words of Hozai.
20 And Manasses slept with his fathers. and they buried him in his house: and his son Amen reigned in his stead.
21 Amen was two and twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem.
22 And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, as Manasses his father had done: and he sacrificed to all the idols which Manasses his father had made, and served them.
23 And he did not humble himself before the Lord, as Manasses his father had humbled himself, but committed far greater sins.
24 And his servants conspired against him, and slew him in his own house.
25 But the rest of the multitude of the people slew them that had killed Amen, and made Josias his son king in his stead.
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.
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