2Chronicles 33

1 Manasseh began to reign at the age of twelve years, and continued to reign for 55 years in Jerusalem.ISV — 2Chronicles 33:1

2 But he practiced what the LORD considered to be evil by behaving detestably, as did the nations whom the LORD expelled in front of the Israelis.ISV — 2Chronicles 33:2

3 He re-established the high places that his father Hezekiah had demolished, he built altars to the Baals, erected Asherim, and worshipped and served the armies ^{a33:3 Or stars} of heaven.ISV — 2Chronicles 33:3

4 He also built altars in the LORD’s Temple, about which the LORD had spoken “My name will reside in Jerusalem forever.” ^{b33:4 Cf. 2Sam 7:13; 2Chr 7:16}ISV — 2Chronicles 33:4

5 He built altars for all the armies ^{c33:5 Or stars} of heaven in the two courtyards of the LORD’s Temple. ^{d33:5 i.e. the court of the priests and the great court; cf. 2Chr 4:9}ISV — 2Chronicles 33:5

6 He burned his sons ^{e33:6 Lit. He passed his sons through fire} as an offering in the Ben-hinnom Valley, practiced fortune-telling, witchcraft, sorcery, and communicated with mediums and separatists. He did a lot of things that the LORD considered to be evil, thus provoking him.ISV — 2Chronicles 33:6

7 He also placed an image that he had carved in God’s Temple, the place about which God had told to David and to his son Solomon, “I will place my name in this Temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel,” ^{f33:7 Cf. 1King 9:3-5; 2Chr 7:16; 33:4}ISV — 2Chronicles 33:7

8 and “I won’t let Israel’s foothold slip on the land that I’ve given to your ancestors, if only they will be careful to keep everything that I commanded them in the Law, in the statutes, and in the ordinance through Moses.” ^{g33:8 Cf. 2Sam 7:10}ISV — 2Chronicles 33:8

9 This is how Manasseh deceived Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to practice more evil than the nations whom the LORD had eliminated in front of the Israelis.ISV — 2Chronicles 33:9

10 The LORD kept on speaking to Manasseh and to his people, but they paid no attention to him,ISV — 2Chronicles 33:10

11 so the LORD brought in the army commanders who worked for the king of Assyria, who captured Manasseh with hooks, bound him in bronze chains, and took him off to Babylon.ISV — 2Chronicles 33:11

12 But when he was in trouble, he sought the face of the LORD his God, humbled himself magnificently before the God of his ancestors,ISV — 2Chronicles 33:12

13 and prayed to him. Moved by Manasseh’s ^{h33:13 Lit. his} entreaties, the LORD heard his supplications and brought him back to his kingdom in Jerusalem. That’s how Manasseh learned that the LORD is God.ISV — 2Chronicles 33:13

14 Later on, Manasseh ^{i33:14 Lit. he} reinforced the outer wall to the City of David on the west side overlooking the Gihon Valley as far as the Fish Gate. He encircled the Ophel, ^{j33:14 i.e. a ridge of hills in Jerusalem fortified for defense of the city; cf. 2 Chr 27:3} raising it to a great height.ISV — 2Chronicles 33:14

15 He also eliminated the foreign gods and idols from the LORD’s Temple, along with all of the altars that he had built in Jerusalem and on the mountain where the LORD’s Temple was located, and he discarded them outside the city.ISV — 2Chronicles 33:15

16 He set up an altar to the LORD, sacrificed peace offerings on it, and ordered Judah to serve the LORD God of Israel.ISV — 2Chronicles 33:16

17 Even so, the people continued to sacrifice in the high places, but only to the LORD their God. ( )ISV — 2Chronicles 33:17

18 Now as to the rest of Manasseh’s accomplishments, including his prayer to God and what the seers had to say to him in the name of the LORD God of Israel, they are included among the Acts of the Kings of Israel.ISV — 2Chronicles 33:18

19 His prayer, how God was moved by him, all of his sin and unfaithfulness, and a record of the sites where he constructed high places, erected Asherim and carved images before he humbled himself are written in the Acts of the Seers. ^{k33:19 Or the Record Keepers}ISV — 2Chronicles 33:19

20 So Manasseh died, as had his ancestors, and they buried him in his own palace while his son Amon became king in his place. ( )ISV — 2Chronicles 33:20

21 Amon was 22 years old when he became king, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem.ISV — 2Chronicles 33:21

22 He practiced what the LORD considered to be evil, just as his father Manasseh had done, sacrificing to and serving all the carved images that his father Manasseh had made,ISV — 2Chronicles 33:22

23 except that he never humbled himself to the LORD like his father Manasseh had done. In fact, Amon multiplied his own guiltISV — 2Chronicles 33:23

24 until his servants finally conspired against him and executed him in his own palace.ISV — 2Chronicles 33:24

25 But the people of the land executed all of the conspirators against King Amon and installed his son Josiah as king to succeed him.ISV — 2Chronicles 33:25