Manasseh King of Judah^(A)(B)

33 Manasseh^(C) was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. ² He did evil in the eyes of the Lord,^(D) following the detestable^(E) practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. ³ He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had demolished; he also erected altars to the Baals and made Asherah poles.^(F) He bowed down^(G) to all the starry hosts and worshiped them. ⁴ He built altars in the temple of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “My Name^(H) will remain in Jerusalem forever.” ⁵ In both courts of the temple of the Lord,^(I) he built altars to all the starry hosts. ⁶ He sacrificed his children^(J) in the fire in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, practiced divination and witchcraft, sought omens, and consulted mediums^(K) and spiritists.^(L) He did much evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger.

⁷ He took the image he had made and put it in God’s temple,^(M) of which God had said to David and to his son Solomon, “In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my Name forever. ⁸ I will not again make the feet of the Israelites leave the land^(N) I assigned to your ancestors, if only they will be careful to do everything I commanded them concerning all the laws, decrees and regulations given through Moses.” ⁹ But Manasseh led Judah and the people of Jerusalem astray, so that they did more evil than the nations the Lord had destroyed before the Israelites.^(O)

¹⁰ The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention. ¹¹ So the Lord brought against them the army commanders of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh prisoner,^(P) put a hook^(Q) in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles^(R) and took him to Babylon. ¹² In his distress he sought the favor of the Lord his God and humbled^(S) himself greatly before the God of his ancestors. ¹³ And when he prayed to him, the Lord was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God.

¹⁴ Afterward he rebuilt the outer wall of the City of David, west of the Gihon^(T) spring in the valley, as far as the entrance of the Fish Gate^(U) and encircling the hill of Ophel;^(V) he also made it much higher. He stationed military commanders in all the fortified cities in Judah.

¹⁵ He got rid of the foreign gods and removed^(W) the image from the temple of the Lord, as well as all the altars he had built on the temple hill and in Jerusalem; and he threw them out of the city. ¹⁶ Then he restored the altar of the Lord and sacrificed fellowship offerings and thank offerings^(X) on it, and told Judah to serve the Lord, the God of Israel. ¹⁷ The people, however, continued to sacrifice at the high places, but only to the Lord their God.

¹⁸ The other events of Manasseh’s reign, including his prayer to his God and the words the seers spoke to him in the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, are written in the annals of the kings of Israel.^{[a] 19} His prayer and how God was moved by his entreaty, as well as all his sins and unfaithfulness, and the sites where he built high places and set up Asherah poles and idols before he humbled^(Y) himself—all these are written in the records of the seers.^{[b](Z) 20} Manasseh rested with his ancestors and was buried^(AA) in his palace. And Amon his son succeeded him as king.

Amon King of Judah^(AB)

²¹ Amon^(AC) was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem two years. ²² He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, as his father Manasseh had done. Amon worshiped and offered sacrifices to all the idols Manasseh had made. ²³ But unlike his father Manasseh, he did not humble^(AD) himself before the Lord; Amon increased his guilt.

²⁴ Amon’s officials conspired against him and assassinated him in his palace. ²⁵ Then the people^(AE) of the land killed all who had plotted against King Amon, and they made Josiah his son king in his place.

36 ¹ And the people^(A) of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah and made him king in Jerusalem in place of his father.

Jehoahaz King of Judah^(B)

² Jehoahaz^[a] was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. ³ The king of Egypt dethroned him in Jerusalem and imposed on Judah a levy of a hundred talents^[b] of silver and a talent^[c] of gold. ⁴ The king of Egypt made Eliakim, a brother of Jehoahaz, king over Judah and Jerusalem and changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. But Necho^(C) took Eliakim’s brother Jehoahaz and carried him off to Egypt.^(D)

Jehoiakim King of Judah^(E)

⁵ Jehoiakim^(F) was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord his God. ⁶ Nebuchadnezzar^(G) king of Babylon attacked him and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon.^{(H) 7} Nebuchadnezzar also took to Babylon articles from the temple of the Lord and put them in his temple^[d] there.^(I)

⁸ The other events of Jehoiakim’s reign, the detestable things he did and all that was found against him, are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. And Jehoiachin his son succeeded him as king.

Jehoiachin King of Judah^(J)

⁹ Jehoiachin^(K) was eighteen^[e] years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months and ten days. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. ¹⁰ In the spring, King Nebuchadnezzar sent for him and brought him to Babylon,^(L) together with articles of value from the temple of the Lord, and he made Jehoiachin’s uncle,^[f] Zedekiah, king over Judah and Jerusalem.

Zedekiah King of Judah^(M)

¹¹ Zedekiah^(N) was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. ¹² He did evil in the eyes of the Lord^(O) his God and did not humble^(P) himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke the word of the Lord. ¹³ He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him take an oath^(Q) in God’s name. He became stiff-necked^(R) and hardened his heart and would not turn to the Lord, the God of Israel. ¹⁴ Furthermore, all the leaders of the priests and the people became more and more unfaithful,^(S) following all the detestable practices of the nations and defiling the temple of the Lord, which he had consecrated in Jerusalem.

The Fall of Jerusalem^(T)(U)

¹⁵ The Lord, the God of their ancestors, sent word to them through his messengers^(V) again and again,^(W) because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place. ¹⁶ But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his words and scoffed^(X) at his prophets until the wrath^(Y) of the Lord was aroused against his people and there was no remedy.^{(Z) 17} He brought up against them the king of the Babylonians,^[g](AA) who killed their young men with the sword in the sanctuary, and did not spare young men^(AB) or young women, the elderly or the infirm.^(AC) God gave them all into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar.^{(AD) 18} He carried to Babylon all the articles^(AE) from the temple of God, both large and small, and the treasures of the Lord’s temple and the treasures of the king and his officials. ¹⁹ They set fire^(AF) to God’s temple^(AG) and broke down the wall^(AH) of Jerusalem; they burned all the palaces and destroyed^(AI) everything of value there.^(AJ)

²⁰ He carried into exile^(AK) to Babylon the remnant, who escaped from the sword, and they became servants^(AL) to him and his successors until the kingdom of Persia came to power. ²¹ The land enjoyed its sabbath rests;^(AM) all the time of its desolation it rested,^(AN) until the seventy years^(AO) were completed in fulfillment of the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah.

²² In the first year of Cyrus^(AP) king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing:

²³ “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: