2 Kings 21

1 Manasseh was twelue yeere olde when he began to reigne, and reigned fiftie and fiue yeere in Ierusalem: his mothers name also was Hephzi-bah.

Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to rule. He ruled Judah for 55 years from Jerusalem. His mother was Hephzibah.

2 And he did euill in the sight of the Lord after the abomination of the heathen, whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel.

He did many things that Yahweh considered to be evil. He imitated the disgusting things that were formerly done by the people of the nations that Yahweh had expelled from the land of Israel as his people advanced [through the land].

3 For he went backe and built the hie places, which Hezekiah his father had destroyed: and he erected vp altars for Baal, and made a groue, as did Ahab King of Israel, and worshipped all the hoste of heauen and serued them.

He commanded his workers to rebuild the shrines [for worshiping Yahweh] that his father Hezekiah had destroyed [because they were not in the place that Yahweh had said they should worship him]. He directed his workers to build altars for worshiping Baal. He made [a statue of the goddess] Asherah, like Ahab the king of Israel had done [previously]. And Manasseh worshiped [DOU] the stars.

4 Also he built altars in the house of the Lord, of the which the Lord saide, In Ierusalem will I put my Name.

He directed his workers to build altars [for worshiping foreign gods] in the temple of Yahweh, about which Yahweh had said, “It is here in Jerusalem where I want people to worship [MTY] me, forever.”

5 And he built altars for al the hoste of ye heauen in the two courtes of the house of the Lord.

He directed that altars for worshiping the stars be built in both of the courtyards outside the temple.

6 And he caused his sonnes to passe through the fire, and gaue him selfe to witchcraft and sorcerie, and he vsed them that had familiar spirits and were soothsayers, and did much euill in the sight of the Lord to anger him.

He even sacrificed his own son by burning [him in a fire]. He performed rituals to practice sorcery and magic rituals. He also went to people who consulted the spirits of dead people to find out what would happen in the future. He did many things that Yahweh considered to be extremely evil, things that caused Yahweh to become very angry.

7 And he set the image of the groue, that he had made, in the house, whereof ye Lord had saide to Dauid and to Salomon his sonne, In this house and in Ierusalem, which I haue chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, will I put my Name for euer.

He placed the statue of the goddess Asherah in the temple, the place about which Yahweh had said to David and his son Solomon, “My temple will be here in Jerusalem. This is the city that I have chosen from all the territory of the twelve tribes of Israel, where I want people to worship me, forever.

8 Neither will I make the feete of Israel, mooue any more out of the lande, which I gaue their fathers: so that they will obserue and doe all that I haue commanded them, and according to all the Lawe that my seruant Moses commanded them.

And if the Israeli people obey all my commands and all the laws that I gave to Moses, the man who served me [very well], I will not again force them to leave this land that I gave to their ancestors.”

9 Yet they obeyed not, but Manasseh ledde them out of the way, to doe more wickedly then did the heathen people, whom the Lord destroyed before the children of Israel.

But the people did not heed Yahweh. And Manasseh persuaded them to commit sins that are more evil than the sins that were committed by the people of the nations that Yahweh had expelled from the land as the Israeli people advanced.

10 Therefore the Lord spake by his seruants the Prophets, saying,

[These are some of the things that] the prophets said many times, messages that Yahweh had given them:

11 Because that Manasseh King of Iudah hath done such abominations, and hath wrought more wickedly then al that the Amorites (which were before him) did, and hath made Iudah sinne also with his idoles,

“Manasseh, the king of Judah, has done these abominable things, things that are much worse than the things that the Amor people-group did in this land long ago. He has persuaded the people of Judah to sin by [worshiping] idols.

12 Therefore thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Beholde, I will bring an euill vpon Ierusalem and Iudah, that who so heareth of it, both his eares shall tingle.

Therefore, this is what I, Yahweh, the God whom you Israeli people worship, say: I will the cause the people of Jerusalem and the rest of Judah to experience great disasters. It will be terrible, with the result that everyone who hears about it will be stunned [MTY].

13 And I will stretch ouer Ierusalem the line of Samaria, and the plommet of the house of Ahab: and I will wipe Ierusalem, as a man wipeth a dish, which he wipeth, and turneth it vpside downe.

I will judge and punish [MET] the people of Jerusalem like I punished the family of King Ahab [of Israel]. I will (wipe Jerusalem clean/remove all the people from Jerusalem), like [MET] people wipe a plate and then turn it upside down [after they have finished eating, to show that they are now satisfied].

14 And I will forsake the remnant of mine inheritance, and deliuer them into the hande of their enemies, and they shalbe robbed and spoyled of all their aduersaries,

And I will abandon the people who remain alive, and I will allow their enemies to conquer them and steal everything valuable from their land.

15 Because they haue done euil in my sight, and haue prouoked mee to anger, since the time their fathers came out of Egypt vntill this day.

I will do this because my people have done things that I consider to be very evil, things which have caused me to become very angry. They have caused me to become angry continually, ever since their ancestors left Egypt.”

16 Moreouer Manasseh shed innocent blood exceeding much, till hee replenished Ierusalem from corner to corner, beside his sinne wherwith he made Iudah to sinne, and to doe euill in the sight of the Lord.

Manasseh [commanded his officials to] kill many innocent people in Jerusalem, with the result that their blood flowed in the streets. He did this in addition to persuading the people of Judah to sin against Yahweh [by worshiping idols].

17 Concerning the rest of the actes of Manasseh, and all that hee did, and his sinne that he sinned, are they not written in the booke of the Chronicles of the Kings of Iudah?

[If you want to know more about] all the things that Manasseh did, they are written in the scroll called ‘The History of the Kings of Judah’.

18 And Manasseh slept with his fathers, and was buried in the garden of his own house, euen in the garden of Vzza: and Amon his sonne reigned in his steade.

Manasseh died [EUP] and was buried in the garden outside his palace, the garden that Uzza [had made]. Then Manasseh’s son Amon became the king.

19 Amon was two and twentie yere olde, when he began to reigne, and hee reygned two yeere in Ierusalem: his mothers name also was Meshullemeth the daughter of Haruz of Iotbah.

Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king. He ruled Judah from Jerusalem for [only] two years. His mother’s name was Meshullemeth. She was from Jotbah [town], and was the granddaughter of Haruz.

20 And he did euill in the sight of the Lord, as his father Manasseh did.

Amon did many things that Yahweh considered to be evil, like his father Manasseh had done.

21 For hee walked in all the way that his father walked in, and serued the idoles that his father serued, and worshipped them.

He imitated the behavior of his father, and he worshiped the same idols that his father had worshiped [DOU].

22 And he forsooke the Lord God of his fathers, and walked not in the way of the Lord.

He abandoned Yahweh, the God whom his ancestors [had worshiped], and did not behave as Yahweh wanted him to.

23 And the seruantes of Amon conspired against him, and slewe the King in his owne house.

Then one day some of his officials plotted to kill him. They assassinated him in the palace.

24 And the people of the land slewe all them that had conspired against King Amon, and the people made Iosiah his sonne King in his steade.

But then the people of Judah killed all those who had assassinated King Amon, and they appointed his son Josiah to be their king.

25 Concerning the rest of the actes of Amon, which he did, are they not written in the booke of the Chronicles of the Kings of Iudah?

[If you want to read about] [RHQ] the other things that Amon did, they are written in the scroll called ‘The History of the Kings of Judah’.

26 And they buried him in his sepulchre in the garden of Vzza: and Iosiah his sonne reigned in his steade.

Amon was also buried in the tomb in the garden that Uzza [had made]. Then Amon’s son Josiah became the king.