2 Chronicles 33

1 Twelve years old was Manasseh when he became king, and fifty and five years did he reign in Jerusalem.

Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign; he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem.

2 And he did what is evil in the eyes of the Lord, after the abominable acts of the nations whom the Lord had driven out from before the children of Israel.

He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, like the disgusting things of the nations whom Yahweh had driven out before the people of Israel.

3 And he built again the high-places which Hezekiah his father had broken down, and he erected altars for the Be'alim, and made Asheroth, and bowed himself down to all the host of heaven, and served them.

For he rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had torn down, and he built altars for the Baals, he made Asherah poles, and he bowed down to all the stars of heaven and worshiped them.

4 And he built altars in the house of the Lord, whereof the Lord had said, In Jerusalem shall my name be for ever.

Manasseh built altars in the house of Yahweh, although Yahweh had commanded, “It is in Jerusalem that my name will be forever.”

5 And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord.

He built altars for all the stars of heaven in the two courtyards of the house of Yahweh.

6 And he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of Ben-hinnom: he also observed times, and employed enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with [those of] a familiar spirit, and with wizards: he did much that is evil in the eyes of the Lord, to provoke him to anger.

In the Valley of Ben Hinnom he caused his sons to pass through the fire. He practiced sorcery, divination and he read omens, and he consulted with those who talked with the dead and with those who talked with spirits. Manasseh did much evil in the sight of Yahweh, and he provoked him to anger.

7 And he placed a carved image of the idol which he had made in the house of God, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have made choice of out of all the tribes of Israel, will I place my name for ever.

The carved figure he had made, he placed it in the house of God. It was about this house that God had spoken to David and Solomon his son; he had said, “It is in this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel, that I will put my name forever.

8 Nor will I any more remove the foot of Israel from off the land which I have appointed for your fathers; but only if they will take heed to do all that I have commanded them, according to the whole law and the statutes and the ordinances by the hand of Moses.

I will not move the people of Israel any more out of the land that I assigned to their ancestors, if they will only be careful to keep all that I have commanded them, following all the law, statutes, and decrees which I gave them through Moses.”

9 But Menasseh led Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem astray, to do worse than the nations whom the Lord had destroyed from before the children of Israel.

Manasseh led Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to do evil even more than the nations that Yahweh had destroyed before the people of Israel.

10 And the Lord spoke to Menasseh, and to his people; but they listened not.

Yahweh spoke to Manasseh, and to his people, but they paid no attention.

11 Wherefore the Lord brought over them the captains of the army belonging to the king of Assyria: and they took Menasseh prisoner with chains, and bound him with fetters, and led him off to Babylon.

So Yahweh brought on them the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh in chains, bound him with fetters, and took him off to Babylon.

12 And when he was in distress, he besought the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers.

When Manasseh was in distress, he implored Yahweh, his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his ancestors.

13 And he prayed unto him, and he permitted himself to be entreated by him, and heard his supplication, and brought him back to Jerusalem, unto his kingdom. Then did Menasseh feel conscious that the Lord is indeed the [true] God.

He prayed to him; and God was begged by him, and God heard his begging and brought him back to Jerusalem, into his kingship. Then Manasseh knew that Yahweh was God.

14 And after this he built a wall without the city of David, on the west side of Gichon, in the valley, even to the entrance of the fish-gate, and about the hill-fort, and raised it up to a very great height; and he placed captains of the army in all the fortified cities of Judah.

After this, Manasseh built an outer wall to the city of David, on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, to the entrance at the Fish Gate. He surrounded the hill of Ophel with it and raised the wall up to a very great height. He put courageous commanders in all the fortified cities of Judah.

15 And he removed the strange gods and the idol out of the house of the Lord, and all the altars that he had built on the mount of the house of the Lord, and in Jerusalem, and he cast them forth to without the city.

He took away the foreign gods, the idol out of the house of Yahweh, and all the altars that he had built on the mount of the house of Yahweh and in Jerusalem, and threw them out of the city.

16 And he rebuilt the altar of the Lord, and sacrificed thereupon peace-offerings and thanksgiving-offerings, and he ordered Judah to serve the Lord the God of Israel.

He rebuilt the altar of Yahweh and offered on it sacrifices of fellowship offerings and thank offerings; he commanded Judah to serve Yahweh, the God of Israel.

17 Nevertheless the people sacrificed on the high-places, but only unto the Lord their God.

However, the people still sacrificed at the high places, but only to Yahweh, their God.

18 And the rest of the acts of Menasseh, and his prayer unto his God, and the words of the seers that spoke to him in the name of the Lord the God of Israel, behold, they are in the history of the kings of Israel.

As to the other matters concerning Manasseh, his prayer to his God, and the words of the seers who spoke to him in the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel, behold, they are written among the deeds of the kings of Israel.

19 His prayer also, and [how God] was entreated of him, and all his sins and his faithlessness, and the places whereon he built high-places, and set up the Asherim and the graven images, before he was humbled: behold, they are written in the history of Chozai.

In that account there is history of his prayer, and how God was moved by it. There is also an account of all his sin and his trespasses, and the places where he had built high places and set up the Asherah poles and the carved figures, before he humbled himself—they are written about in the Chronicles of the Seers.

20 And Menasseh slept with his fathers, and they buried him in his own house. And Amon his son became king in his stead.

So Manasseh slept with his ancestors, and they buried him in his own house. Amon, his son, became king in his place.

21 Two and twenty years old was Amon when he became king, and two years did he reign in Jerusalem.

Amon was twenty-two years old when he began to reign; he reigned two years in Jerusalem.

22 And he did what is evil in the eyes of the Lord, as Menasseh his father had done; and unto all the carved images which Menasseh his father had made did Amon sacrifice, and them he served;

He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, as Manasseh, his father, had done. Amon sacrificed to all the carved figures that Manasseh his father had made, and he worshiped them.

23 But he did not humble himself before the Lord, as Menasseh his father had humbled himself; for he, Amon, made his guiltiness great.

He did not humble himself before Yahweh, as Manasseh his father had done. Instead, this same Amon trespassed more and more.

24 And his servants conspired against him, and put him to death in his own house.

His servants conspired against him and put him to death in his own house.

25 But the people of the land slew all those that had conspired against king Amon; and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his stead.

But the people of the land killed all those who had conspired against King Amon, and they made Josiah, his son, king in his place.