2 Kings 21

1Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign; and he reigned five and fifty years in Jerusalem: and his mother’s name was Hephzibah.

1Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he ruled in Jerusalem for fifty-five years. His mother was named Hephzibah.

2And he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, after the abominations of the nations whom Jehovah cast out before the children of Israel.

2He did what was evil in the LORD’s sight, following the disgusting practices of the nations that the LORD had driven out to make way for the Israelites.

3For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he reared up altars for Baal, and made an Asherah, as did Ahab king of Israel, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them.

3He rebuilt the local shrines that his father Hezekiah had destroyed. He set up altars for Baal and made an Asherah pole, just as King Ahab of Israel had done. He also bowed down to all the stars in the sky and worshiped them.

4And he built altars in the house of Jehovah, whereof Jehovah said, In Jerusalem will I put my name.

4He even built pagan altars in the LORD’s temple, the place where the LORD had said, "I will put my name in Jerusalem."

5And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of Jehovah.

5In the two courtyards of the LORD’s temple, he built altars to worship all the stars of heaven.

6And he made his son to pass through the fire, and practised augury, and used enchantments, and dealt with them that had familiar spirits, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of Jehovah, to provoke him to anger.

6He sacrificed his own son in the fire, practiced fortune-telling and witchcraft, and consulted mediums and psychics. He did much evil in the LORD’s sight, making him very angry.

7And he set the graven image of Asherah, that he had made, in the house of which Jehovah 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, will I put my name for ever;

7He took the carved Asherah pole he had made and set it up inside the temple. This was the same temple where the LORD had told David and his son Solomon, "I will put my name forever in this temple and in Jerusalem, the city I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel."

8neither will I cause the feet of Israel to wander any more out of the land which I gave their fathers, if only they will observe to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the law that my servant Moses commanded them.

8The LORD had said, "I will never again make the Israelites wander from the land I gave their ancestors, if only they will carefully obey all my commands and all the laws my servant Moses gave them."

9But they hearkened not: and Manasseh seduced them to do that which is evil more than did the nations whom Jehovah destroyed before the children of Israel.

9But the people would not listen. Manasseh led them to do more evil than the nations the LORD had destroyed when the Israelites entered the land.

10And Jehovah spake by his servants the prophets, saying,

10Then the LORD spoke through his servants the prophets:

11Because Manasseh king of Judah hath done these abominations, and hath done wickedly above all that the Amorites did, that were before him, and hath made Judah also to sin with his idols;

11"King Manasseh of Judah has done these disgusting things. He has been more wicked than the Amorites who were before him and has led Judah into sin with his idols.

12therefore thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, Behold, I bring such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle.

12Therefore, this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I am bringing such disaster on Jerusalem and Judah that the ears of everyone who hears about it will ring with horror.

13And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab; and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down.

13I will judge Jerusalem by the same standard I used for Samaria and the same measure I used for the family of Ahab. I will wipe Jerusalem clean as a person wipes a bowl and turns it upside down.

14And I will cast off the remnant of mine inheritance, and deliver them into the hand of their enemies; and they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies;

14I will abandon the survivors of my people and hand them over to their enemies. They will be looted and plundered by all their foes.

15because they have done that which is evil in my sight, and have provoked me to anger, since the day their fathers came forth out of Egypt, even unto this day.

15This will happen because they have done what is evil in my sight and have made me angry from the day their ancestors left Egypt until this very day."

16Moreover Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; besides his sin wherewith he made Judah to sin, in doing that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah.

16Manasseh also murdered so many innocent people that Jerusalem was filled with blood from one end to the other. This was in addition to the sin he caused Judah to commit by doing what was evil in the LORD’s sight.

17Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and all that he did, and his sin that he sinned, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

17The rest of the events of Manasseh’s reign, including everything he did and the sins he committed, are recorded in the Book of the History of the Kings of Judah.

18And 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.

18Manasseh died and was buried in the garden of his own palace, the garden of Uzza. His son Amon became the next king.

19Amon was twenty and two years old when he began to reign; and he reigned two years in Jerusalem: and his mother’s name was Meshullemeth the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah.

19Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he ruled in Jerusalem for two years. His mother was Meshullemeth, the daughter of Haruz from Jotbah.

20And he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, as did Manasseh his father.

20He did what was evil in the LORD’s sight, just as his father Manasseh had done.

21And he walked in all the way that his father walked in, and served the idols that his father served, and worshipped them:

21He lived exactly like his father, worshiping and bowing down to the same idols his father had served.

22and he forsook Jehovah, the God of his fathers, and walked not in the way of Jehovah.

22He abandoned the LORD, the God of his ancestors, and refused to follow the LORD’s way.

23And the servants of Amon conspired against him, and put the king to death in his own house.

23Then Amon’s own officials conspired against him and murdered the king in his palace.

24But 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.

24But the people of the land killed everyone who had conspired against King Amon, and they made his son Josiah king in his place.

25Now the rest of the acts of Amon which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

25The rest of the events of Amon’s reign and what he accomplished are recorded in the Book of the History of the Kings of Judah.

26And he was buried in his sepulchre in the garden of Uzza: and Josiah his son reigned in his stead.

26He was buried in his tomb in the garden of Uzza. Then his son Josiah became the next king.