| International Standard Version | English Standard Version |
| 1Manasseh began to reign at the age of twelve years, and continued to reign for 55 years in Jerusalem. | 1Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. |
| 2But he practiced what the LORD considered to be evil by behaving detestably, as did the nations whom the LORD expelled in front of the Israelis. | 2And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel. |
| 3He re-established the high places that his father Hezekiah had demolished, he built altars to the Baals, erected Asherim, and worshipped and served the armies of heaven. | 3For he rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had broken down, and he erected altars to the Baals, and made Asheroth, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them. |
| 4He also built altars in the LORD's Temple, about which the LORD had spoken "My name will reside in Jerusalem forever." | 4And he built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, “In Jerusalem shall my name be forever.” |
| 5He built altars for all the armies of heaven in the two courtyards of the LORD's Temple. | 5And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD. |
| 6He burned his sons as an offering in the Ben-hinnom Valley, practiced fortune-telling, witchcraft, sorcery, and communicated with mediums and separatists. He did a lot of things that the LORD considered to be evil, thus provoking him. | 6And he burned his sons as an offering in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, and used fortune-telling and omens and sorcery, and dealt with mediums and with necromancers. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger. |
| 7He also placed an image that he had carved in God's Temple, the place about which God had told to David and to his son Solomon, "I will place my name in this Temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel," | 7And the carved image of the idol that he had made he set in the house of God, of which God said to David and to Solomon his son, “In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my name forever, |
| 8and "I won't let Israel's foothold slip on the land that I've given to your ancestors, if only they will be careful to keep everything that I commanded them in the Law, in the statutes, and in the ordinance through Moses." | 8and I will no more remove the foot of Israel from the land that I appointed for your fathers, if only they will be careful to do all that I have commanded them, all the law, the statutes, and the rules given through Moses.” |
| 9This is how Manasseh deceived Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to practice more evil than the nations whom the LORD had eliminated in front of the Israelis. | 9Manasseh led Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem astray, to do more evil than the nations whom the LORD destroyed before the people of Israel. |
| 10The LORD kept on speaking to Manasseh and to his people, but they paid no attention to him, | 10The LORD spoke to Manasseh and to his people, but they paid no attention. |
| 11so the LORD brought in the army commanders who worked for the king of Assyria, who captured Manasseh with hooks, bound him in bronze chains, and took him off to Babylon. | 11Therefore the LORD brought upon them the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria, who captured Manasseh with hooks and bound him with chains of bronze and brought him to Babylon. |
| 12But when he was in trouble, he sought the face of the LORD his God, humbled himself magnificently before the God of his ancestors, | 12And when he was in distress, he entreated the favor of the LORD his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. |
| 13and prayed to him. Moved by Manasseh's entreaties, the LORD heard his supplications and brought him back to his kingdom in Jerusalem. That's how Manasseh learned that the LORD is God. | 13He prayed to him, and God was moved by his entreaty and heard his plea and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD was God. |
| 14Later on, Manasseh reinforced the outer wall to the City of David on the west side overlooking the Gihon Valley as far as the Fish Gate. He encircled the Ophel, raising it to a great height. | 14Afterward he built an outer wall for the city of David west of Gihon, in the valley, and for the entrance into the Fish Gate, and carried it around Ophel, and raised it to a very great height. He also put commanders of the army in all the fortified cities in Judah. |
| 15He also eliminated the foreign gods and idols from the LORD's Temple, along with all of the altars that he had built in Jerusalem and on the mountain where the LORD's Temple was located, and he discarded them outside the city. | 15And he took away the foreign gods and the idol from the house of the LORD, and all the altars that he had built on the mountain of the house of the LORD and in Jerusalem, and he threw them outside of the city. |
| 16He set up an altar to the LORD, sacrificed peace offerings on it, and ordered Judah to serve the LORD God of Israel. | 16He also restored the altar of the LORD and offered on it sacrifices of peace offerings and of thanksgiving, and he commanded Judah to serve the LORD, the God of Israel. |
| 17Even so, the people continued to sacrifice in the high places, but only to the LORD their God. | 17Nevertheless, the people still sacrificed at the high places, but only to the LORD their God. |
| 18Now as to the rest of Manasseh's accomplishments, including his prayer to God and what the seers had to say to him in the name of the LORD God of Israel, they are included among the Acts of the Kings of Israel. | 18Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and his prayer to his God, and the words of the seers who spoke to him in the name of the LORD, the God of Israel, behold, they are in the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. |
| 19His prayer, how God was moved by him, all of his sin and unfaithfulness, and a record of the sites where he constructed high places, erected Asherim and carved images before he humbled himself are written in the Acts of the Seers. | 19And his prayer, and how God was moved by his entreaty, and all his sin and his faithlessness, and the sites on which he built high places and set up the Asherim and the images, before he humbled himself, behold, they are written in the Chronicles of the Seers. |
| 20So Manasseh died, as had his ancestors, and they buried him in his own palace while his son Amon became king in his place. | 20So Manasseh slept with his fathers, and they buried him in his house, and Amon his son reigned in his place. |
| 21Amon was 22 years old when he became king, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. | 21Amon was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. |
| 22He practiced what the LORD considered to be evil, just as his father Manasseh had done, sacrificing to and serving all the carved images that his father Manasseh had made, | 22And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, as Manasseh his father had done. Amon sacrificed to all the images that Manasseh his father had made, and served them. |
| 23except that he never humbled himself to the LORD like his father Manasseh had done. In fact, Amon multiplied his own guilt | 23And he did not humble himself before the LORD, as Manasseh his father had humbled himself, but this Amon incurred guilt more and more. |
| 24until his servants finally conspired against him and executed him in his own palace. | 24And his servants conspired against him and put him to death in his house. |
| 25But the people of the land executed all of the conspirators against King Amon and installed his son Josiah as king to succeed him. | 25But the people of the land struck down all those who had conspired against King Amon. And the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his place. |
The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. | ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved. |
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