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2 Kings

Chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

 Manasseh was twelve years old when he came to the throne and he reigned for fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hephzibah.

 He did what is displeasing to Yahweh, copying the disgusting practices of the nations whom Yahweh had dispossessed for the Israelites.

 He rebuilt the high places which his father Hezekiah had destroyed, he set up altars to Baal and made a sacred pole as Ahab king of Israel had done, he worshipped the whole array of heaven and served it.

 He built altars in the Temple of Yahweh of which Yahweh had said, 'Jerusalem is where I shall put my name.'

 He built altars to the whole array of heaven in the two courts of the Temple of Yahweh.

 He caused his son to pass through the fire of sacrifice, he also practised soothsaying and divination and set up mediums and spirit guides. He did very many more things displeasing to Yahweh, thus provoking his anger.

 He had an image of Asherah carved and placed it inside the Temple of which Yahweh had said to David and his son Solomon, 'In this Temple and in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I shall put my Name for ever.

 Nor shall I ever again set Israel's footsteps wandering outside the country which I gave to their ancestors, provided they are careful to observe all I have commanded them as laid down in the whole Law which my servant Moses prescribed for them.'

 But they would not listen, and Manasseh misled them into doing worse things than the nations whom Yahweh had destroyed for the Israelites.

 Then Yahweh spoke through his servants the prophets as follows,

 'Since Manasseh king of Judah has done these shameful deeds, doing more wicked deeds than anything which the Amorites did before him, and has led Judah too into sin with his idols,

 Yahweh, God of Israel, says this, "Look, I shall bring such disaster on Jerusalem and Judah as will make the ears of all who hear of it tingle.

 Over Jerusalem I shall stretch the same measuring line as over Samaria, the same plumb-rule as for the House of Ahab; I shall scour Jerusalem as someone scours a dish and, having scoured it, turns it upside down.

 I shall cast away the remnant of my heritage, delivering them into the clutches of their enemies and making them the prey and booty of all their enemies,

 because they have done what is displeasing to me and have provoked my anger from the day their ancestors came out of Egypt until now." '

 Manasseh shed innocent blood, too, in such great quantity that he flooded Jerusalem from one end to the other, besides the sins into which he led Judah by doing what is displeasing to Yahweh.

 The rest of the history of Manasseh, his entire career, the sins he committed, is this not recorded in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Judah?

 Then Manasseh fell asleep with his ancestors and was buried in the garden of his palace, the Garden of Uzza; his son Amon succeeded him.

 Amon was twenty-two years old when he came to the throne, and he reigned for two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Meshullemeth daughter of Haruz, of Jotbah.

 He did what is displeasing to Yahweh, as Manasseh his father had done.

 In every respect he followed the example of his father, serving the idols which his father had served, and worshipping them.

 He abandoned Yahweh, God of his ancestors; he did not follow the way of Yahweh.

 Amon's retinue plotted against the king and killed him in his own palace.

 The people of the country, however, slaughtered all those who had plotted against King Amon and proclaimed his son Josiah as his successor.

 The rest of the history of Amon, his entire career, is this not recorded in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Judah?

 He was buried in his father's tomb in the Garden of Uzza; his son Josiah succeeded him.

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