Manasseh Reigns over Judah

21 Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign; he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hephzibah.^{(A) 2} He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, following the abominable practices of the nations that the Lord drove out before the people of Israel.^{(B) 3} For he rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he erected altars for Baal, made a sacred pole,^[a] as King Ahab of Israel had done, worshiped all the host of heaven and served them.^{(C) 4} He built altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “In Jerusalem I will put my name.”^{(D) 5} He built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord. ⁶ He made his son pass through fire; he practiced soothsaying and augury and dealt with mediums and with wizards. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger.^{(E) 7} The carved image of Asherah that he had made he set in the house of which the Lord said to David and to his son Solomon, “In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my name forever;^{(F) 8} I will not cause the feet of Israel to wander any more out of the land that I gave to their ancestors, 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.”^{(G) 9} But they did not listen; Manasseh misled them to do more evil than the nations had done that the Lord destroyed before the people of Israel.^(H)

¹⁰ The Lord said by his servants the prophets, ¹¹ “Because King Manasseh of Judah has committed these abominations, has done things more wicked than all that the Amorites who were before him did, and has caused Judah also to sin with his idols,^{(I) 12} therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I am bringing upon Jerusalem and Judah such evil that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle.^{(J) 13} I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line for Samaria and the plummet for the house of Ahab; I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down.^{(K) 14} I will cast off the remnant of my heritage and give them into the hand of their enemies; 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 ancestors came out of Egypt even to this day.”

¹⁶ Moreover, Manasseh shed very much innocent blood, until he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another, besides the sin that he caused Judah to sin so that they did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.^(L)

¹⁷ Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, all that he did and the sin that he committed, are they not written in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Judah?^{(M) 18} Manasseh slept with his ancestors and was buried in the garden of his house, in the garden of Uzza. His son Amon succeeded him.^(N)

¹⁴ Therefore, my beloved, flee from the worship of idols.^{(A) 15} I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. ¹⁶ The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? ¹⁷ Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.^{(B) 18} Consider the people of Israel:^[a] Are not those who eat the sacrifices partners in the altar?^{(C) 19} What do I imply, then? That food sacrificed to idols is anything or that an idol is anything? ²⁰ No, I imply that what they^[b] sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be partners with demons.^{(D) 21} You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.^{(E) 22} Or are we provoking the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?^(F)

Do All to the Glory of God

²³ “All things are permitted,” but not all things are beneficial. “All things are permitted,” but not all things build up. ²⁴ Do not seek your own advantage but that of the other.^{(G) 25} Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience, ²⁶ for “the earth and its fullness are the Lord’s.”^{(H) 27} If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. ²⁸ But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, out of consideration for the one who informed you and for the sake of conscience— ²⁹ I mean the other’s conscience, not your own. For why should my freedom be subject to the judgment of someone else’s conscience?^{(I) 30} If I partake with thankfulness, why should I be denounced because of that for which I give thanks?^(J)

³¹ So, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.^{(K) 32} Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God,^{(L) 33} just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage but that of many, so that they may be saved.^(M) 11 ¹ Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.^(N)

Jesus Heals Two Men

²⁸ When he came to the other side, to the region of the Gadarenes,^[a] two men possessed by demons came out of the tombs and met him. They were so fierce that no one could pass that way. ²⁹ Suddenly they shouted, “What have you to do with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?”^{(A) 30} Now a large herd of swine was feeding at some distance from them. ³¹ The demons begged him, “If you cast us out, send us into the herd of swine.” ³² And he said to them, “Go!” So they came out and entered the swine, and suddenly, the whole herd stampeded down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the water. ³³ The swineherds ran off, and, going into the town, they told the whole story about what had happened to the men possessed by demons. ³⁴ Then the whole town came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him they begged him to leave their region.