Manasseh Leads Judah Into Deep Wickedness
33 1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. 2 He did evil in our Father's sight, like the detestable things of the nations our Father drove out before the Israelites. 3 He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had torn down, built altars to the Baals, made Asherah poles, and worshiped and served all the forces of heaven.
4 He built altars in our Father's house, where our Father said, "In Jerusalem my name remains forever."
5 He built altars to all heaven's forces in both courts of the house of our Father. 6 In the Valley of Ben-Hinnom he passed his sons through fire, practiced fortune-telling, omens, and witchcraft, and consulted mediums and spirits. He did great evil before our Father, provoking his anger.
7 He set the carved image he made in the house of our Father, of which our Father said to David and his son Solomon, "In this house and in Jerusalem, which I chose from all the tribes of Israel, I will put my name forever." 8 I will never again remove Israel from the land I gave your ancestors, if only they carefully keep all I commanded them—the whole law, decrees, and rules through Moses.
9 But Manasseh led Judah and Jerusalem's people astray, doing more evil than the nations our Father destroyed before Israel.
10 Our Father spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they would not listen. 11 So our Father brought the army commanders of Assyria's king against them; they captured Manasseh with hooks, bound him in bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon. a a v11 Ancient conquerors led captives by a hook or ring passed through the nose or lip. 12 Distressed, he sought our Father's favor, humbling himself deeply before the God of his fathers. 13 He prayed to him, and our Father, moved by his plea, heard his cry for mercy, brought him back to Jerusalem, to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that our Father is God. b b v13 Manasseh was Judah's most wicked king, yet when he humbled himself our Father heard him and brought him home—no child has sinned beyond the Father's welcome.
14 Afterward he built the City of David's outer wall, west of Gihon in the valley to the Fish Gate entrance, around the Ophel, raising it very high. He posted army commanders in all Judah's fortified cities. 15 He removed the foreign gods and idol from our Father's house, with all the altars he'd built on the temple mount and in Jerusalem, and threw them out of the city. 16 He rebuilt our Father's altar, sacrificed peace and thank offerings on it, and commanded Judah to serve our Father, the God of Israel. 17 The people, however, still sacrificed at the high places, but only to our Father, their God.
18 Manasseh's other acts, his prayer to our Father, and the seers' words to him in the name of our Father, the God of Israel, are in the records of Israel's kings. 19 His prayer, how our Father was moved by him, all his sin and unfaithfulness, and the places where he built high places, set up Asherah poles, and carved images before he humbled himself—all recorded in the seers' records. 20 Manasseh died and was buried in his palace. And his son Amon became king in his place.
Amon Refuses to Humble Himself
21 Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. 22 He did evil before our Father, as his father Manasseh had. Amon sacrificed to all the carved images Manasseh made and worshiped them. 23 Unlike his father Manasseh, he did not humble himself before our Father; instead Amon multiplied his guilt. 24 Amon's servants conspired against him and killed him in his palace. 25 The people of the land killed all who conspired against King Amon and made his son Josiah king in his place.
