Manasseh, poor excuse of a king
2 Kings 21:1-9, 17-18 1King Hezekiah’s son, Manasseh, was 12 years old when he became king of Judah. He reigned 55 years [1] in Jerusalem. 2Manasseh was a poor excuse of a king, in God’s eyes. Manasseh reverted to some of the old, pagan religions of nations God drove off the land. This king practiced repulsive worship rituals.
3He rebuilt hilltop shrines his dad, Hezekiah, had torn down. He built altars for worshiping the Canaanite god Baal. [2] And he erected a pole [3] used in worshiping the goddess Asherah. Manasseh also worshiped gods of the sky. [4] 44He built pagan altars, too, and put them on Jerusalem’s Temple property. The Temple is a sacred space reserved for the LORD who said, “This is my home, my resting place forever.” [5] 5Some altars were for gods of the sky. He put them in two of the Temple courtyards that are devoted to the LORD alone. Manasseh sacrifices his son
6Manasseh sacrificed his own son and burned the body on an altar. [6] He consulted sorcerers, wizards, fortunetellers, along with mediums who tried to contact the dead. [7] These sins made the LORD angry.
7Manasseh put a carved image of an idol on the Temple property. This is the same Temple that the LORD told David and Solomon would become his home. The LORD said, “Out of all the tribes, I chose this house in Jerusalem as the place where I will live forever among my people—Israel. 8This will be Israel’s home forever, just as I promised your ancestors. All you have to do is honor your part of the agreement and obey the laws and teachings I gave you through Moses.”
9Judah didn’t obey God. Manasseh led the way. Judah under his leadership became viler and more sinful than the nations who had lived there centuries earlier—before the LORD got rid of them to make room for Israel. God forgives Manasseh
10The LORD tried to reach out and connect with the people, but they weren’t interested in God. 11So God sent the Assyrian army to get their attention. Assyrian military commanders arrested Manasseh, [8] tied him up, accessorized him with a humiliating nose ring, and marched him off to the land of Babylon. [9]
12Terrified, Manasseh turned to God. [10] Humbled and horrified, he prayed for the God of his ancestors to help him. 13God heard that prayer and returned him to Jerusalem as king of Judah. That convinced Manasseh the LORD was God. He had no doubt about it. Manasseh reinforces Jerusalem’s walls
14Safe in Jerusalem, he reinforced the city walls. He built a towering outer wall west of Gihon Spring, [11] to protect the City of David. [12] The wall ran from the Kidron Valley up to Fish Gate [13] and enclosed the Ophel [14] hill. Then he stationed companies of soldiers and their commanders in every walled city of Judah.
15He removed an idol he had put inside the Jerusalem Temple. And he got rid of every foreign god he could lay hands on. He tore down the pagan shrines and altars he had built on the Jerusalem Temple hilltop and throughout the city. He pitched them outside the city as trash.
16He repaired the Temple altar and sacrificed a peace offering of gratitude. He made a proclamation that the people of his kingdom should devote themselves to the LORD God of Israel. 17But by then, the people were used to sacrificing at nearby hilltop shrines. So, they kept doing it. But now, they were sacrificing to the LORD their God. Manasseh dies
18The rest of Manasseh’s story, with the sins he committed, and the warnings he got from prophets, are written in the History of Israel’s Kings. [15] So is his prayer for God’s help. 19The Record of the Prophets talks more about his prayer to God and how God responded. It reports on his sins and depravity. It describes where he built the hilltop shrines and set up sacred poles. And it reveals which gods he worshiped.
20Manasseh died and was buried with his ancestors outside his palace. Manasseh’s son Amon became the next king. Judah’s new king, Amon
2 Kings 21:19-26 21Amon was 22 years old when he became king. He held the job for two years. 22Amon did every evil thing his dad had done. He sacrificed to the same idols his father did.
23Though his father eventually grew some humility and turned to God, Amon never did. Amon became a worse human being than his father had ever been. Amon killed in coup
24Some of Amon’s officials assassinated him and many in his family. 25When Judah’s citizens found out about the murders, they executed the killers who led the coup. Judah’s people then crowned Amon’s surviving son, Josiah.
Related maps
1King Hezekiah’s son, Manasseh, was 12 years old when he became king of Judah. He reigned 55 years [1] in Jerusalem. 2Manasseh was a poor excuse of a king, in God’s eyes. Manasseh reverted to some of the old, pagan religions of nations God drove off the land. This king practiced repulsive worship rituals.
3He rebuilt hilltop shrines his dad, Hezekiah, had torn down. He built altars for worshiping the Canaanite god Baal. [2] And he erected a pole [3] used in worshiping the goddess Asherah. Manasseh also worshiped gods of the sky. [4] 44He built pagan altars, too, and put them on Jerusalem’s Temple property. The Temple is a sacred space reserved for the LORD who said, “This is my home, my resting place forever.” [5] 5Some altars were for gods of the sky. He put them in two of the Temple courtyards that are devoted to the LORD alone.
7Manasseh put a carved image of an idol on the Temple property. This is the same Temple that the LORD told David and Solomon would become his home. The LORD said, “Out of all the tribes, I chose this house in Jerusalem as the place where I will live forever among my people—Israel. 8This will be Israel’s home forever, just as I promised your ancestors. All you have to do is honor your part of the agreement and obey the laws and teachings I gave you through Moses.”
9Judah didn’t obey God. Manasseh led the way. Judah under his leadership became viler and more sinful than the nations who had lived there centuries earlier—before the LORD got rid of them to make room for Israel.
12Terrified, Manasseh turned to God. [10] Humbled and horrified, he prayed for the God of his ancestors to help him. 13God heard that prayer and returned him to Jerusalem as king of Judah. That convinced Manasseh the LORD was God. He had no doubt about it.
15He removed an idol he had put inside the Jerusalem Temple. And he got rid of every foreign god he could lay hands on. He tore down the pagan shrines and altars he had built on the Jerusalem Temple hilltop and throughout the city. He pitched them outside the city as trash.
16He repaired the Temple altar and sacrificed a peace offering of gratitude. He made a proclamation that the people of his kingdom should devote themselves to the LORD God of Israel. 17But by then, the people were used to sacrificing at nearby hilltop shrines. So, they kept doing it. But now, they were sacrificing to the LORD their God.
20Manasseh died and was buried with his ancestors outside his palace. Manasseh’s son Amon became the next king.Judah’s new king, Amon
3He rebuilt hilltop shrines his dad, Hezekiah, had torn down. He built altars for worshiping the Canaanite god Baal. [2] And he erected a pole [3] used in worshiping the goddess Asherah. Manasseh also worshiped gods of the sky. [4] 44He built pagan altars, too, and put them on Jerusalem’s Temple property. The Temple is a sacred space reserved for the LORD who said, “This is my home, my resting place forever.” [5] 5Some altars were for gods of the sky. He put them in two of the Temple courtyards that are devoted to the LORD alone.
Manasseh sacrifices his son
6Manasseh sacrificed his own son and burned the body on an altar. [6] He consulted sorcerers, wizards, fortunetellers, along with mediums who tried to contact the dead. [7] These sins made the LORD angry.7Manasseh put a carved image of an idol on the Temple property. This is the same Temple that the LORD told David and Solomon would become his home. The LORD said, “Out of all the tribes, I chose this house in Jerusalem as the place where I will live forever among my people—Israel. 8This will be Israel’s home forever, just as I promised your ancestors. All you have to do is honor your part of the agreement and obey the laws and teachings I gave you through Moses.”
9Judah didn’t obey God. Manasseh led the way. Judah under his leadership became viler and more sinful than the nations who had lived there centuries earlier—before the LORD got rid of them to make room for Israel.
God forgives Manasseh
10The LORD tried to reach out and connect with the people, but they weren’t interested in God. 11So God sent the Assyrian army to get their attention. Assyrian military commanders arrested Manasseh, [8] tied him up, accessorized him with a humiliating nose ring, and marched him off to the land of Babylon. [9]12Terrified, Manasseh turned to God. [10] Humbled and horrified, he prayed for the God of his ancestors to help him. 13God heard that prayer and returned him to Jerusalem as king of Judah. That convinced Manasseh the LORD was God. He had no doubt about it.
Manasseh reinforces Jerusalem’s walls
14Safe in Jerusalem, he reinforced the city walls. He built a towering outer wall west of Gihon Spring, [11] to protect the City of David. [12] The wall ran from the Kidron Valley up to Fish Gate [13] and enclosed the Ophel [14] hill. Then he stationed companies of soldiers and their commanders in every walled city of Judah.15He removed an idol he had put inside the Jerusalem Temple. And he got rid of every foreign god he could lay hands on. He tore down the pagan shrines and altars he had built on the Jerusalem Temple hilltop and throughout the city. He pitched them outside the city as trash.
16He repaired the Temple altar and sacrificed a peace offering of gratitude. He made a proclamation that the people of his kingdom should devote themselves to the LORD God of Israel. 17But by then, the people were used to sacrificing at nearby hilltop shrines. So, they kept doing it. But now, they were sacrificing to the LORD their God.
Manasseh dies
18The rest of Manasseh’s story, with the sins he committed, and the warnings he got from prophets, are written in the History of Israel’s Kings. [15] So is his prayer for God’s help. 19The Record of the Prophets talks more about his prayer to God and how God responded. It reports on his sins and depravity. It describes where he built the hilltop shrines and set up sacred poles. And it reveals which gods he worshiped.20Manasseh died and was buried with his ancestors outside his palace. Manasseh’s son Amon became the next king.
Judah’s new king, Amon
2 Kings 21:19-26 21Amon was 22 years old when he became king. He held the job for two years. 22Amon did every evil thing his dad had done. He sacrificed to the same idols his father did.
23Though his father eventually grew some humility and turned to God, Amon never did. Amon became a worse human being than his father had ever been. Amon killed in coup
24Some of Amon’s officials assassinated him and many in his family. 25When Judah’s citizens found out about the murders, they executed the killers who led the coup. Judah’s people then crowned Amon’s surviving son, Josiah.
Related maps
21Amon was 22 years old when he became king. He held the job for two years. 22Amon did every evil thing his dad had done. He sacrificed to the same idols his father did.
23Though his father eventually grew some humility and turned to God, Amon never did. Amon became a worse human being than his father had ever been.
23Though his father eventually grew some humility and turned to God, Amon never did. Amon became a worse human being than his father had ever been.
