2 Chronicles 33
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 33
Manasseh’s Rule. 1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he ascended the throne, and he reigned for fifty-five years in Jerusalem. 2 He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord by following the abominable practices of the nations that the Lord had driven out in favor of the Israelites.
3 Manasseh rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had torn down, erected altars to the Baals, made sacred poles, and prostrated himself before all the host of heaven and served them. 4 He built altars in the temple of the Lord about which the Lord had said: “My name shall be in Jerusalem forever.”
5 Manasseh also built altars for all the host of heaven[a] in the two courts of the house of the Lord. 6 Further, he immolated his sons by fire in the Valley of Ben-hinnom, practiced soothsaying, divination, and sorcery, and had dealings with mediums and wizards. Thus he perpetrated great evil in the sight of the Lord and aroused his anger.
7 Manasseh took the carved image of the idol that he had made and placed it in the house of God, concerning which God had said to David and to Solomon his son: “In this house, and in Jerusalem, the city which I chose out of all the tribes of Israel, I will establish my name forever. 8 I will never again allow the feet of Israel to be removed from the land which I assigned to your ancestors, provided that they are careful to observe all that I commanded them in regard to the entire law, the statutes, and the ordinances given through Moses.”
9 However, Manasseh led Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem astray so that they did far greater evil than the nations which the Lord had destroyed in favor of the Israelites. 10 The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they refused to listen.
11 Manasseh’s Conversion. Therefore, the Lord brought against them the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria. They took Manasseh captive with hooks, shackled him with chains, and brought him to Babylon.[b] 12 In his distress, he entreated the mercy of the Lord, his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his ancestors. 13 After praying to him, the Lord was moved by his entreaty. Having accepted his supplication, he restored him to his kingdom in Jerusalem. Then Manasseh fully understood that the Lord is indeed God.
14 Afterward, Manasseh built an outer wall for the City of David, to the west of Gihon in the valley, and he extended it up to the entrance by the Fish Gate and encircling Ophel, raising it to a great height. He also stationed military commanders in all the fortified towns of Judah. 15 Furthermore, he removed the foreign gods and the idol from the house of the Lord, as well as all the altars that he had built on the mountain of the house of the Lord and in Jerusalem, and he cast them outside the city.
16 Manasseh also restored the altar of the Lord, and upon that altar he sacrificed peace offerings and thanksgiving offerings, while at the same time commanding Judah to serve the Lord, the God of Israel. 17 Though the people continued to sacrifice at the high places, they now did so only to the Lord, their God.
18 The rest of the acts of Manasseh, his prayer to his God, and the prophecies of the seers[c] who spoke to him, in the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, can be found in the annals of the kings of Israel. 19 His prayer and how God was moved by his entreaty, all his sins and his infidelity, and the sites where he built high places and set up sacred poles and idols before he humbled himself, can be found recorded in the chronicles of the seers.[d] 20 Manasseh slept with his ancestors, and he was buried in the garden of his palace. His son Amon succeeded him.
21 Amon. Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for two years. 22 He did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Manasseh had done. Amon sacrificed to all the idols that his father Manasseh had made, and he worshiped them.
23 Amon did not humble himself before the Lord as his father Manasseh had done. On the contrary, Amon only increased his guilt. 24 His servants conspired against him, and they assassinated him in the palace. 25 However, the people of the land killed all those who had conspired against King Amon, and then they proclaimed his son Josiah as his successor.
Footnotes
- 2 Chronicles 33:5 Host of heaven: the reference is to the astral divinities of the pagan world, and especially of Babylonia.
- 2 Chronicles 33:11 We would expect the name of Nineveh, not of Babylon. Rather than suspecting some confusion, we should see a confirmation of the accurate information of the writer. Manasseh may in fact have gone to Babylon, for it is known that at that period the Assyrian sovereigns frequently stayed in Babylon, in whose fidelity, they had little confidence.
- 2 Chronicles 33:18 The seers: the prophets.
- 2 Chronicles 33:19 Chronicles of the seers: most Hebrew manuscripts read “Hozai,” an unknown prophet. Perhaps the Uzza of 2 Ki 21:18 is meant. The prayer of Manasseh to his God is not the “prayer of Manasseh” that is contained in the extracanonical appendix to the Latin Bible.
2 Chroniques 33
Segond 21
Règne de Manassé
33 Manassé avait 12 ans lorsqu'il devint roi et il régna 55 ans à Jérusalem. 2 Il fit ce qui est mal aux yeux de l'Eternel, en imitant les pratiques abominables des nations que l'Eternel avait dépossédées devant les Israélites. 3 Il reconstruisit les hauts lieux que son père Ezéchias avait démolis, il érigea des autels en l’honneur des Baals et il fit des poteaux sacrés. Il se prosterna devant tous les corps célestes et les servit. 4 Il construisit des autels dans la maison de l'Eternel, alors que l'Eternel avait dit: «C'est à Jérusalem que mon nom résidera pour toujours.» 5 Il construisit des autels en l’honneur de tous les corps célestes dans les deux parvis de la maison de l'Eternel. 6 Il fit passer ses fils par le feu dans la vallée des fils de Hinnom, il pratiqua la divination et l’occultisme, il s'adonna à la magie et il mit en place des gens capables d’invoquer les esprits et des spirites. Il fit de plus en plus ce qui est mal aux yeux de l'Eternel, provoquant ainsi sa colère. 7 Il mit la statue de l'idole qu'il avait fabriquée dans la maison de Dieu, alors que Dieu avait dit à David et à son fils Salomon: «C'est dans cette maison et c'est à Jérusalem, que j'ai choisie parmi toutes les tribus d'Israël, que je veux éternellement établir mon nom. 8 Je n’éloignerai plus les pas des Israélites du territoire que j'ai destiné à vos ancêtres, à condition seulement qu'ils veillent à mettre en pratique tous les commandements que je leur ai donnés, en suivant toute la loi, les prescriptions et les règles transmises par Moïse.» 9 Mais Manassé égara Juda et les habitants de Jérusalem à un tel point qu’ils firent plus encore le mal que les nations que l'Eternel avait détruites devant les Israélites. 10 L'Eternel parla à Manassé et à son peuple, mais ils n'y firent pas attention.
11 Alors l'Eternel fit venir contre eux les chefs de l'armée du roi d'Assyrie. Ils capturèrent Manassé et lui mirent des crochets, l’attachèrent avec des chaînes en bronze et le conduisirent à Babylone. 12 Lorsqu'il fut dans la détresse, il implora l'Eternel, son Dieu, et il s'humilia profondément devant le Dieu de ses ancêtres. 13 Il lui adressa des prières et l'Eternel se laissa fléchir: il exauça ses supplications et le ramena à Jérusalem dans son royaume. Manassé reconnut alors que c’est l'Eternel qui est Dieu.
14 Après cela, il construisit à l’extérieur de la ville de David, à l'ouest, vers Guihon dans la vallée, une muraille qui se prolongeait jusqu'à la porte des poissons et faisait le tour de la colline de l’Ophel. Il la fit très haute. Il mit aussi des chefs militaires dans toutes les villes fortifiées de Juda.
15 Il enleva les dieux étrangers et l'idole de la maison de l'Eternel, ainsi que tous les autels qu'il avait construits sur la montagne de la maison de l'Eternel et à Jérusalem, et il les jeta à l’extérieur de la ville. 16 Il restaura l'autel de l'Eternel, y offrit des sacrifices de communion et de reconnaissance et ordonna à Juda de servir l'Eternel, le Dieu d'Israël. 17 Certes, le peuple offrait encore des sacrifices sur les hauts lieux, mais seulement en l’honneur de l'Eternel, son Dieu.
18 Le reste des actes de Manassé, la prière qu’il a adressée à son Dieu et les paroles des voyants qui lui ont parlé au nom de l'Eternel, le Dieu d'Israël, cela se trouve dans les annales des rois d'Israël. 19 Sa prière et la manière dont Dieu l'a exaucé, tous ses péchés et ses infidélités, les endroits où il a construit des hauts lieux et dressé des poteaux sacrés et des sculptures sacrées avant de s’humilier, cela est décrit dans les annales de Hozaï.
20 Manassé se coucha avec ses ancêtres et on l'enterra dans son palais. Son fils Amon devint roi à sa place.
Règne d’Amon
21 Amon avait 22 ans lorsqu'il devint roi et il régna 2 ans à Jérusalem.
22 Il fit ce qui est mal aux yeux de l'Eternel, comme l’avait fait son père Manassé. Il offrit des sacrifices à toutes les sculptures sacrées que son père Manassé avait fabriquées et les servit. 23 En revanche, il ne s'humilia pas devant l'Eternel comme l’avait fait son père Manassé, car lui, Amon, accumula la culpabilité. 24 Ses serviteurs conspirèrent contre lui et le firent mourir chez lui, 25 mais la population du pays frappa tous ceux qui avaient conspiré contre le roi Amon et proclama son fils Josias roi à sa place.
Version Segond 21 Copyright © 2007 Société Biblique de Genève by Société Biblique de Genève