2 Chronicles 33
EasyEnglish Bible
Manasseh rules Judah as king
33 Manasseh was 12 years old when he became king. He ruled as king in Jerusalem for 55 years. 2 Manasseh did things that the Lord said were evil. He did the same terrible sins that the other nations in Canaan had done. Those were the nations that the Lord had chased out so that the Israelites could live there. 3 Manasseh built again the altars on the hills that his father Hezekiah had knocked down. He built altars for people to worship idols of Baal. He also made Asherah poles. He bent down low to worship all the stars in the sky. 4 He built altars in the Lord's temple.[a] The Lord had said about his temple, ‘That is my home in Jerusalem where people will worship me for ever.’ 5 Manasseh built altars to give honour to the stars in both yards of the Lord's temple. 6 He burnt his own sons with fire as a sacrifice in Ben Hinnom valley. He used magic and false gods to find out what would happen in the future. He took advice from magicians and people who talked to the spirits of dead people. He did many things that the Lord said were very evil. This made the Lord very angry.
7 Manasseh made an image of a false god. He put this idol in God's temple. God had said this about his temple to King David and to his son King Solomon: ‘My people will worship me in my temple here in Jerusalem. That is the place that I have chosen to be my home for ever. I have chosen it from among all the tribes of Israel. 8 I will never cause the Israelite people to leave this land that I gave to their ancestors. But they must be careful to obey all my commands, my laws and the rules that I gave to my servant Moses for them.’
9 But Manasseh caused Judah's people and the people of Jerusalem to turn away from God. So they did more evil things than the people who lived in Canaan before them. The Lord had destroyed those nations so that the Israelites could live there.
The Lord punishes Manasseh
10 The Lord warned Manasseh and his people. But they would not listen to him. 11 So the Lord brought the officers of the king of Assyria's army to attack them. They took hold of Manasseh. They put metal hooks in his nose and they tied bronze chains around him. Then they took him away to Babylon. 12 This gave Manasseh a lot of pain. He asked the Lord his God to be kind to him. He made himself humble and he prayed for help to the Lord, the God of his ancestors.
13 When Manasseh prayed to the Lord, the Lord answered him. He was kind to Manasseh, as Manasseh had asked him to be. So the Lord brought Manasseh back to Jerusalem again, to rule there as king. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is the true God.
14 After that, Manasseh repaired the outside wall of the City of David. He built it higher, from the west side of Gihon stream, as far as the Fish Gate. Then he continued around Ophel hill. He built the wall up higher than it had been. He also put army officers with their soldiers in all the strong cities of Judah.
15 Manasseh removed from the Lord's temple the foreign gods and the idol that he had put there. He also removed the altars that he had built on the hill of the temple and in other places in Jerusalem. He threw them away, outside the city. 16 Then he repaired the Lord's altar in the temple. He brought friendship offerings and thank offerings as sacrifices on the altar. He told Judah's people to worship the Lord, Israel's God. 17 The people still offered sacrifices at the other altars in the country. But they only offered those sacrifices to the Lord their God.
Manasseh dies
18 The other things that happened while Manasseh was king are written in a book. The book is called ‘The history of Israel's kings’. It includes Manasseh's prayer to God. It also includes the messages that the Lord, Israel's God, told his prophets to speak to Manasseh. 19 The book of the prophets' messages also includes Manasseh's prayer and how God answered him. It tells about all Manasseh's sins and how he turned away from God. It includes a list of all the places where he built altars and where he put Asherah poles and idols. He did those things before he made himself humble and he turned back to God.
20 Manasseh died and his people buried him in his palace. His son Amon became king after him.
Amon rules Judah as king
21 Amon was 22 years old when he became king.[b] He ruled as king in Jerusalem for two years. 22 Amon did things that the Lord said were evil, as his father Manasseh had done. He offered sacrifices to all the idols that his father Manasseh had made. He worshipped those idols. 23 But he did not make himself humble and turn back to the Lord, as his father Manasseh had done. Instead, Amon became guilty of even more sins.
Amon dies
24 Amon's own officers decided to kill him. They killed him in his palace. 25 Then the people of Judah punished all Amon's murderers with death. They chose his son Josiah to be king after him.
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.
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