2 Kings 21

Manasseh’s Wickedness & Judah’s Downfall

1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he ruled in Jerusalem for fifty-five years. His mama’s name was Hephzibah.

2 He did what was whack In the eyes of the Lord, following the disgusting practices of the nations whom the Lord had kicked out from in front of the Israelites.

3 He rebuilt the high places that his pops Hezekiah had torn down. He set up altars for Baal and made an Asherah pole, just like Ahab king of Israel had done. He even bowed down to all the stars in the sky and served them.

4 He built altars for Idols in the Lord’s temple, about which the Lord had said, “In Jerusalem, I am going to put My Name.”

5 He built altars for all the stars in the sky in both courtyards of the Lord’s temple.

6 He even made his own son pass through the fire, practiced divination, used sorcery, and dealt with mediums and spiritists. He did a ton of evil in the eyes of the Lord, ticking Him off.

7 He took the carved image of the Asherah pole that he had made and put it in the temple, about which the Lord had told David and his son Solomon, “In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I chose out of all the tribes of Israel, I am going to put My Name forever.”

8 “And I am not going to make Israel wander from the land I gave their ancestors again, if only they will be careful to do everything I commanded them and all the Law that My servant Moses commanded them.”

9 But they did not listen. Manasseh led them astray to do more evil than the nations whom the Lord had destroyed from in front of the Israelites.

10 And the Lord spoke through His servants the prophets, saying,

11 “Because Manasseh king of Judah did these disgusting things, and did more evil than all the Amorites who were before him, and also caused Judah to sin with his idols?”

12 “Therefore, this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Look, I am bringing such disaster on Jerusalem and Judah that anyone who hears about it, both their ears are going to ring!’”

13 “’I am going to stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samaria and the plumb line of the house of Ahab. I am going to wipe Jerusalem clean, just like someone wipes a dish clean and turns it upside down.’”

14 “’And I am going to ditch the remnant of My inheritance and hand them over to their enemies. They are going to become loot and plunder for all their enemies,’”

15 “’Because they did what was whack in My eyes and kept ticking Me off, from the day their ancestors came out of Egypt until this very day.’”

16 Manasseh also shed so much innocent blood that he filled Jerusalem from end to end, besides his sin that he caused Judah to commit, by doing what was whack in the eyes of the Lord.

17 As for the rest of Manasseh’s story, all he did, and the sin he committed, is it not written in the book of the Annals of the Kings of Judah,

18 Manasseh passed away and joined his ancestors. He was buried in the garden of his own palace, in the Garden of Uzza. And his son Amon took over as king.

Amon Rules Judah

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

20 He did what was whack in the eyes of the Lord, just like his pops Manasseh had done.

21 He walked in all the ways his pops walked, and served the idols that his pops served, and bowed down to them.

22 He ditched the Lord, the God of his ancestors, and did not walk in the way of the Lord.

23 Now, Amon’s officials conspired against him and assassinated the king in his own palace.

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

25 As for the rest of Amon’s story, what he did, is it not written in the book of the Annals of the Kings of Judah,

26 They buried him in his burial place in the Garden of Uzza. And his son Josiah took over as king.