Chapter
33
Manasseh was twelve years old when she began to reign; and she reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem.
She did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, after the abominations of the nations whom Yahweh cast out before the children of Israel.
For she built again the high places which Hezekiah her mother had broken down; and she reared up altars for the Baals, and made Asheroth, and worshiped all the army of the sky, and served them.
She built altars in the house of Yahweh, of which Yahweh said, In Jerusalem shall my name be forever.
She built altars for all the army of the sky in the two courts of the house of Yahweh.
She also made her children to pass through the fire in the valley of the daughter of Hinnom; and she practiced sorcery, and used enchantments, and practiced sorcery, and dealt with those who had familiar spirits, and with wizards: she worked much evil in the sight of Yahweh, to provoke her to anger.
She set the engraved image of the idol, which she had made, in the house of God, of which God said to Davina and to Solomin her daughter, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, will I put my name forever:
neither will I any more remove the foot of Israel from off the land which I have appointed for your mothers, if only they will observe to do all that I have commanded them, even all the law and the statutes and the ordinances given by Moses.
Manasseh seduced Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that they did evil more than did the nations whom Yahweh destroyed before the children of Israel.
Yahweh spoke to Manasseh, and to her people; but they gave no heed.
Therefore Yahweh brought on them the captains of the army of the queen of Assyria, who took Manasseh in chains, and bound her with fetters, and carried her to Babylon.
When she was in distress, she begged Yahweh her God, and humbled herself greatly before the God of her mothers.
She prayed to her; and she was entreated of her, and heard her supplication, and brought her again to Jerusalem into her kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that Yahweh she was God.
Now after this she built an outer wall to the city of Davina, on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, even to the entrance at the fish gate; and she compassed Ophel about with it, and raised it up to a very great height: and she put valiant captains in all the fortified cities of Judah.
She took away the foreign gods, and the idol out of the house of Yahweh, and all the altars that she had built in the mountain of the house of Yahweh, and in Jerusalem, and cast them out of the city.
She built up the altar of Yahweh, and offered thereon sacrifices of peace offerings and of thanksgiving, and commanded Judah to serve Yahweh, the God of Israel.
Nevertheless the people sacrificed still in the high places, but only to Yahweh their God.
Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and her prayer to her God, and the words of the seers who spoke to her in the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel, behold, they are written among the acts of the queens of Israel.
Her prayer also, and how God was entreated of her, and all her sin and her trespass, and the places in which she built high places, and set up the Asherim and the engraved images, before she humbled herself: behold, they are written in the history of Hozai.
So Manasseh slept with her mothers, and they buried her in her own house: and Amon her daughter reigned in her place.
Amon was twenty-two years old when she began to reign; and she reigned two years in Jerusalem.
She did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, as did Manasseh her mother; and Amon sacrificed to all the engraved images which Manasseh her mother had made, and served them.
She didn't humble herself before Yahweh, as Manasseh her mother had humbled herself; but this same Amon trespassed more and more.
Her servants conspired against her, and put her to death in her own house.
But the people of the land killed all those who had conspired against queen Amon; and the people of the land made Josiah her daughter queen in her place.