Chronicles II 33

1 Manasses was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem.

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

2 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all the abominations of the heathen, whom the Lord destroyed from before the face of 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 returned and built the high places, which his father Ezekias had pulled down, and set up images to Baalim, and made groves, and worshipped 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, concerning which the Lord said, In Jerusalem shall be my name 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 to 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 He also passed his children through the fire in the valley of Benennom; and he divined, and used auspices, and sorceries, and appointed those who had divining spirits, and enchanters, and wrought abundant wickedness before the Lord, to provoke him.

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 set the graven [image], the molten [statue], the idol which he made, in the house of God, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, In this house, and Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put 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 and I will not again remove the foot of Israel from the land which I gave to their fathers, if only they will take heed to do all things which I have commanded them, according to all the law and the ordinances and the judgments [given] 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 So Manasses led astray Juda and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to do evil beyond all the nations which the Lord cast out 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 Manasses, and to his people: but they listened not.

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

11 And the Lord brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, and they took Manasses in bonds, and bound him in fetters, and brought him 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 afflicted, he sought the face of the Lord his God, and was greatly humbled before the face of 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 to him: and he listened to him, and listened to his cry, and brought him back to Jerusalem to his kingdom: and Manasses knew that the Lord he is 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 afterward he built a wall without the city of David, from the southwest southward in the valleys and at the entrance through the fish-gate, as men go out by the gate round about, even as far as Opel: and he raised it much, and set captains of the host in all the fortified cities in Juda.

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 graven [image] out of the house of the Lord, and all the altars which he had built in the mount of the house of the Lord, and in Jerusalem, and 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 repaired the altar of the Lord, and offered upon it a sacrifice of peace-offering and thank-offering, and he told Juda to serve the Lord 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 still sacrificed on the high places, only to 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 Manasses, and his prayer to God, and the words of the seers that spoke to him in the name of the God 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 behold, [they are] in the account of his prayer; and [God] listened to him. And all his sins, and his backslidings, and the spots on which he built the high places, and set there groves and graven images, before he repented, behold, they are written in the books of the seers.

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 Manasses slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the garden of his house: and Amon his son reigned 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 Amon was twenty and two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem.

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

22 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, as his father Manasses did: and Amon sacrificed to all the idols which his father Manasses had made, and served them.

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 And he was not humbled before the Lord as his father Manasses was humbled; for his son Amon abounded in transgression.

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 killed him in his house.

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

25 And the people of the land killed the men who had conspired against king Amon; and the people of the land made Josias 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.