Manasseh's Wickedness
Study note
Manasseh was only 12 when he became king and reigned an astonishing 55 years. He reversed all of Hezekiah's reforms, rebuilding the hilltop shrines, setting up altars to Baal, making Asherah poles, worshipping the stars, placing pagan altars in the Lord's temple, sacrificing his children in fire, practicing sorcery, and consulting mediums. He placed a carved idol in God's temple. He led Judah to sin worse than the nations God had originally driven out.
1 Manasseh was only 12 years old when he became king, and he ruled in Jerusalem for 55 years. Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem:
2 He did what the Lord called evil. He copied the vile ways of the nations the Lord had driven out before Israel. But did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, like unto the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel.
3 He rebuilt the hilltop worship places that his father Hezekiah had torn down. He set up altars for the Baals and made Asherah poles. He worshipped and served the stars in the sky. For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down, and he reared up altars for Baalim, and made groves, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them.
4 He even built pagan altars inside the Lord's temple. This was the very place where God had said, "My name will be in Jerusalem forever." Also he built altars in the house of the LORD, whereof the LORD had said, In Jerusalem shall my name be for ever.
5 He put altars to the stars in both courtyards of the Lord's temple. And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD.
6 He sacrificed his own children in the fire in the Valley of Hinnom. He practiced black magic, fortune-telling, and witchcraft. He talked to people who claimed to speak with the dead. He did so much evil before the Lord that he made God extremely angry. And he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom: also he observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.
7 He placed a carved idol inside God's temple. This was the place where God had told David and Solomon, "In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I chose out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my name forever." And he set a carved image, the idol which he had made, in the house of God, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen before all the tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever:
8 God said, "I will not force the Israelites to leave the land I gave their ancestors. But they must be careful to obey everything I commanded them through Moses. This means all the laws, rules, and regulations." Neither will I any more remove the foot of Israel from out of the land which I have appointed for your fathers; so that they will take heed to do all that I have commanded them, according to the whole law and the statutes and the ordinances by the hand of Moses.
9 But Manasseh led Judah and Jerusalem to do worse things. They were worse than the nations the Lord had wiped out before Israel. So Manasseh made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to err, and to do worse than the heathen, whom the LORD had destroyed before the children of Israel.
10 The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they refused to listen. And the LORD spake to Manasseh, and to his people: but they would not hearken.
Manasseh's Capture and Repentance
Study note
God spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they would not listen. So the Lord brought the Assyrian army, which captured Manasseh with hooks, bound him with bronze chains, and took him to Babylon. In his distress, Manasseh humbled himself greatly before God and prayed. God heard him and brought him back to Jerusalem and his throne. This is one of the most remarkable stories of repentance in the Bible. After his restoration, Manasseh removed the foreign gods and the idol from the temple, repaired the Lord's altar, and commanded Judah to serve the Lord.
11 So the Lord brought the army commanders of the king of Assyria against them. They captured Manasseh, put a hook through his nose, bound him with bronze chains, and dragged him off to Babylon. Wherefore the LORD brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, which took Manasseh among the thorns, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon.
12 In his suffering, he begged the Lord his God for mercy. He humbled himself deeply before the God of his ancestors. And when he was in affliction, he besought the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers,
13 He prayed to God, and God was moved by his prayer. God heard him and brought him back to Jerusalem and back to his throne. Then Manasseh understood that the Lord alone is the true God. And prayed unto him: and he was entreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD he was God.
14 After this, Manasseh built a high outer wall for the City of David on the west side of the Gihon spring in the valley, extending to the Fish Gate entrance. He also encircled the hill of Ophel with this wall and made it very tall. He placed military commanders in all of Judah's walled cities. Now after this he built a wall without the city of David, on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, even to the entering in at the fish gate, and compassed about Ophel, and raised it up a very great height, and put captains of war in all the fenced cities of Judah.
15 He removed the foreign gods and the idol from the Lord's temple. He tore down all the altars he had built on the temple hill and throughout Jerusalem and threw them outside the city. And he took away the strange gods, and the idol out of the house of the LORD, and all the altars that he had built in the mount of the house of the LORD, and in Jerusalem, and cast them out of the city.
16 He repaired the Lord's altar and offered fellowship offerings and thank offerings on it. He told the people of Judah to serve the Lord, the God of Israel. And he repaired the altar of the LORD, and sacrificed thereon peace offerings and thank offerings, and commanded Judah to serve the LORD God of Israel.
17 The people still offered sacrifices at the hilltop worship places. But they offered them only to the Lord their God. Nevertheless the people did sacrifice still in the high places, yet unto the LORD their God only.
Amon's Evil Reign
Study note
After Manasseh died, his son Amon became king at age 22 and reigned only two years. He did evil like his father had done before his repentance — he worshipped all the idols Manasseh had made. But unlike his father, Amon never humbled himself. Instead, he sinned more and more. His own officials conspired against him and assassinated him in his palace. The people of the land then killed the conspirators and made Amon's son Josiah king.
18 Everything else about Manasseh's rule is written in the book of the kings of Israel. This includes his prayer to God and the messages that prophets spoke to him in the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and his prayer unto his God, and the words of the seers that spake to him in the name of the LORD God of Israel, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel.
19 His prayer and how God responded to it are recorded in the writings of the prophets. So are all his sins and unfaithfulness. The places where he built hilltop shrines and set up Asherah poles and carved images before he humbled himself are also written there. His prayer also, and how God was entreated of him, and all his sin, and his trespass, and the places wherein he built high places, and set up groves and graven images, before he was humbled: behold, they are written among the sayings of the seers.
20 When Manasseh died, he was buried in his own palace. His son Amon became the next king. So Manasseh slept with his fathers, and they buried him in his own house: and Amon his son reigned in his stead.
21 Amon was 22 years old when he became king, and he ruled in Jerusalem for two years. Amon was two and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned two years in Jerusalem.
22 He did what the Lord considered evil, just like his father Manasseh. Amon offered sacrifices to all the carved idols his father had made and worshipped them. But he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, as did Manasseh his father: for Amon sacrificed unto all the carved images which Manasseh his father had made, and served them;
23 But unlike his father Manasseh, Amon never humbled himself before the Lord. Instead, he sinned more and more. And humbled not himself before the LORD, as Manasseh his father had humbled himself; but Amon trespassed more and more.
24 Amon's own officials plotted against him and killed him in his own palace. And his servants conspired against him, and slew him in his own house.
25 But the common people killed everyone who had plotted against King Amon. They then made his son Josiah king in his place. But the people of the land slew all them that had conspired against king Amon; and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his stead.