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was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. 2 He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, following the detestable practices of the nations that the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. 3 He rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he also erected altars for Baal and made an Asherah pole, as Ahab king of Israel had done; he also worshipped all the starry hosts in the heavens and served them. 4 He built altars in the House of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “In Jerusalem I will put My Name.” 5 He built altars for all the starry hosts of the heavens in the two courts of the House of the Lord. 6 He made his son pass through the fire, practised witchcraft and divination, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much wickedness in the sight of the Lord, provoking Him to anger.
7 Manasseh even made a carved image of Asherah and set it up in the temple, of which the Lord had said to David and his son Solomon, “In this House and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will establish My Name forever. 8 I will not again make the feet of the Israelites to wander from the land which I gave to their forefathers, if only they will be careful to do all I have commanded them—the whole Law that My servant Moses commanded them.” 9 But they did not listen, and Manasseh led them astray, and caused them to do even greater evil than the nations the Lord had destroyed before the Israelites.
10 The Lord spoke through His servants the prophets, saying, 11 “Because Manasseh king of Judah has committed all these detestable practices, and has done even more wickedness then the Amorites who preceded him, and he has led Judah to sin with his idols, 12 therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘I am going to bring such disaster on Jerusalem and Judah that the ears of anyone who hears about it will tingle. 13 I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line used on Samaria, and the plumb line used on the house of Ahab, and I will wipe Jerusalem clean as one wipes a dish, wiping it, and turning it upside down. 14 I will forsake the remnant of My inheritance and deliver them into the hand of their enemies. They will become plunder and loot to all their enemies, 15 because they have done what is evil in My sight and have provoked Me to anger from the day their forefathers came out of Egypt to this day’.”
16 Moreover, Manasseh also shed so much innocent blood that he filled Jerusalem from one end to another, besides the sin he caused Judah to commit, so that they did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.
17 As for the other events of the reign of Manasseh, all that he did, and the sins he committed, are they not written about in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Judah? 18 Manasseh slept with his fathers, and was buried in the garden of his own palace, the Garden of Uzza. His son Amon succeeded him as king.
19 Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king of Judah, and he reigned in Jerusalem two years. His mother’s name was Meshullemeth daughter of Haruz; she was from of Jotbah. 20 He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, as his father Manasseh had done. 21 He walked in all the ways that his father had walked; he served the idols which his father had served, and he worshipped them. 22 He forsook the Lord, the God of his fathers, and he did not walk in the way of the Lord.
23 The servants of Amon conspired against him; and they killed the king in his own palace. 24 But the people of the land put to death all who had conspired against King Amon, and they made his son Josiah king in place of him.
25 As for the other events of the reign of Amon, and all that he did, are they not written about in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Judah? 26 He was buried in his tomb in the Garden of Uzza; and his son Josiah succeeded him as king.