2 Kings 21

1 Twelve years old, was Manasseh when he began to reign, and, fifty-five years, reigned he in Jerusalem, —and the name of his mother was Hephzibah.

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 the thing that was wicked in the eyes of Yahweh, —after the abominable practices of the nations, whom Yahweh had dispossessed from before the sons 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 He again built the high places, which Hezekiah his father had destroyed, —and reared altars to Baal, and made a Sacred Stem, as did Ahab, king of Israel, and bowed down to all the army of the heavens, and served 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 And he used to build altars in the house of Yahweh, —concerning which Yahweh had said, —In Jerusalem, 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 to all the army of the heavens, —in the two courts of the house of Yahweh;

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

6 and caused his son to pass through the fire, and practised hidden arts and used divination, and dealt with a familiar spirit and wizards, —he exceeded in doing the thing that was wicked in the eyes of Yahweh, provoking [him] to anger;

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 Sacred Stem which he had made, —in the house, of which Yahweh had said unto David, and unto Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, will I put my Name, unto times age-abiding;

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 and I will not again let the foot of Israel wander away from the soil which I gave unto their fathers. Only if they take heed to do according to all that I have commanded them, even to the extent of all the law which, my servant 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 But they hearkened not, —and Manasseh led them astray to do the thing that was wicked, more than the nations which Yahweh destroyed from before the sons 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 Yahweh therefore spake through his servants the prophets saying—

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

11 Because Manasseh king of Judah hath made these abominations—hath done that which is wicked, more than all which the Amorites did who were before him, and hath caused, even Judah, to sin with his manufactured gods,

“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 Yahweh, God of Israel, Behold me! bringing in calamity upon Jerusalem and Judah, —that, whosoever heareth thereof, both his ears, will 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 over Jerusalem, the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab, —and will wipe out Jerusalem, as one wipeth out a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down;

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 will abandon the remnant of mine inheritance, and deliver them into the hand of their enemies, —and they shall become a prey and a plunder, to all their enemies:

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 have done the thing that is wicked in mine eyes, and have become such as to provoke me to anger, —from the day when their fathers came forth out of Egypt, even until 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 Moreover also, innocent blood, did Manasseh shed in great abundance, till he had filled Jerusalem, from one end to the other, besides his committing the sins which he caused, Judah, to commit, in doing the thing that was wicked in the eyes of Yahweh.

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 Now, the rest of the story of Manasseh, and all that he did, and his sin that he committed, are, they, not written in the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

[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, in the garden of Uzza, —and, Amon his son, reigned, in his stead.

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 Twenty-two years old, was Amon when he began to reign, and, two years, reigned he in Jerusalem, —and, his mother’s name, was Meshullemeth daughter of Haruz, of Jotbah.

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 the thing that was wicked in the eyes of Yahweh, —as did Manasseh his father;

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

21 yea he walked in all the way wherein, his father, had walked, —and served the manufactured gods that, his father, had served, and bowed down to them;

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

22 and forsook Yahweh the God of his fathers, —and walked not in the way of Yahweh.

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

23 And the servants of Amon, conspired against him, —and slew the king in his own house.

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

24 Then the people of the land smote all who had conspired against King Amon, —and the people of the land made, Josiah his son, king, in his stead.

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 Now, the rest of the story of Amon, what he did, is, it, not written in the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

[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 he was buried in his grave, in the garden of Uzza, —and, Josiah his son, reigned, in his stead.

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