Manasseh

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

Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for fifty-five years. His mother's name was Hephzibah.

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

He did what was evil in God's eyes. He copied the awful things done by the nations God had pushed out of the land before Israel came.

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

His father Hezekiah had torn down the hilltop worship places. Manasseh built them again. He set up altars for a false god named Baal. He made a tall wooden pole for the goddess Asherah, just like Ahab, a king of Israel, had done. He bowed down to the sun, moon, and stars and served them.

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

He built altars inside the temple, God's house in Jerusalem. God had said about that place, "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 the LORD.

In both open yards of God's house, he built altars for the sun, moon, and stars.

6And he made his son pass through the fire, and observed times, and used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards: he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.

He put his own son into the fire as an offering. He tried to read signs to tell the future. He used magic spells. He went to people who claimed to speak with the dead. He did much evil in God's eyes, and it made God angry.

7And he set a graven image of the grove that he had made in the house, of which the LORD said to David, and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever:

He had a carved Asherah pole made. He set it up inside the temple. But God had said to David and to David's son Solomon, "I will put my name forever in this house and in Jerusalem. I chose this city out of all the tribes of Israel.

8Neither will I make the feet of Israel move any more out of the land which I gave their fathers; only if 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.

If the people carefully do everything I have told them, and follow all the law my servant Moses gave them, I will never again make them wander away from the land I gave their fathers."

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

But the people did not listen. Manasseh led them the wrong way. They did worse things than the nations God had destroyed before Israel came.

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

So God spoke through his servants the prophets. Prophets were people who told others what God said. God said this:

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

"Manasseh, king of Judah, has done all these awful things. He has acted worse than the Amorites who lived here before him. He has made Judah sin with his idols.

12Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Behold, I am bringing such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle.

So this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says. I am bringing such trouble on Jerusalem and Judah that everyone who hears about it will be stunned.

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.

I measured Samaria for ruin, and I measured Ahab's family the same way. Now I will measure Jerusalem that way too. I will wipe Jerusalem clean like a person wipes a bowl and turns it upside down.

14And I will forsake 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;

I will turn away from the few of my people who are left. I will hand them over to their enemies. Their enemies will take everything they own.

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

This is because they have done what is evil in my eyes. They have made me angry from the day their fathers left Egypt until now."

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

Manasseh also killed many people who had done nothing wrong. He filled Jerusalem with their blood from one end to the other. He did all this on top of leading Judah into sin and doing evil in God's eyes.

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?

The other things Manasseh did, and the sin he committed, are written down. You can read them in the record book 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.

Manasseh died like his fathers before him. He was buried in the garden by his own house, the garden of Uzza. His son Amon became king after him.

26Notwithstanding the LORD turned not from the fierceness of his great wrath, wherewith his anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations that Manasseh had provoked him withal.

Even so, the LORD did not turn away from his great anger. He was still angry with Judah because of all the wrong things Manasseh had done.

27And the LORD said, I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel, and will cast off this city Jerusalem which I have chosen, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there.

The LORD had said, "I will push Judah away from me, just as I pushed Israel away. I will turn away from Jerusalem, the city I chose. I will turn away from the temple, where I said my name would be."

1In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant three years: then he turned and rebelled against him.

While Jehoiakim was king, Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, attacked. Jehoiakim had to obey him for three years. Then Jehoiakim turned against him and stopped obeying.

2And the LORD sent against him bands of the Chaldees, and bands of the Syrians, and bands of the Moabites, and bands of the children of Ammon, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by his servants the prophets.

The LORD sent groups of fighters against Jehoiakim. They came from Babylon, Syria, Moab, and Ammon. They came to ruin Judah. This is what the LORD had said would happen. He said it through his prophets, the men who spoke his words to people.

3Surely at the commandment of the LORD came this upon Judah, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did;

This came upon Judah because the LORD said so. He sent them away from himself. It was because of the sins of Manasseh, an earlier king, and all he did.

4And also for the innocent blood that he shed: for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; which the LORD would not pardon.

It was also because Manasseh killed people who had done nothing wrong. He filled Jerusalem with their blood. The LORD would not forgive that.

1Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem:

Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for fifty-five years.

2But did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, like unto the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel.

He did what the LORD said was wrong. He copied the awful things done by the nations God had pushed out of the land for Israel.

3For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down, and he reared up altars for Baalim, and made groves, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them.

His father Hezekiah had torn down the worship spots on the hills. Manasseh built them again. He set up altars for the false gods called Baals. He made Asherah poles, which were wooden poles used to worship a false goddess. He bowed down to the sun, moon, and stars, and served them.

4Also he built altars in the house of the LORD, whereof the LORD had said, In Jerusalem shall my name be for ever.

He even built altars inside the LORD's temple. But the LORD had said about that place, "My name will stay in Jerusalem forever."

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

In both courtyards of the temple, he built altars to the sun, moon, and stars.

6And he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom: also he observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.

He burned his own sons in the fire in the Valley of Hinnom. He used magic and tried to read signs to tell the future. He asked spirits of the dead for answers. He did much evil, and this made the LORD angry.

7And he set a carved image, the idol which he had made, in the house of God, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen before all the tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever:

Manasseh took the statue he had carved and put it in God's temple. God had said to David and to his son Solomon about that place, "I picked this temple and this city, Jerusalem, out of all the tribes of Israel. My name will stay here forever.

8Neither will I any more remove the foot of Israel from out of the land which I have appointed for your fathers; so that they will take heed to do all that I have commanded them, according to the whole law and the statutes and the ordinances by the hand of Moses.

I will never again make the people of Israel leave the land I gave their fathers. But they must carefully obey everything I told them through Moses: all the laws and rules."

9So Manasseh made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to err, and to do worse than the heathen, whom the LORD had destroyed before the children of Israel.

So Manasseh led the people of Judah and Jerusalem the wrong way. They did worse things than the nations God had destroyed before Israel came.

10And the LORD spake to Manasseh, and to his people: but they would not hearken.

The LORD spoke to Manasseh and to his people. But they would not listen.

11Wherefore the LORD brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, which took Manasseh among the thorns, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon.

So the LORD brought the army leaders of the king of Assyria against them. They caught Manasseh and put a hook in his nose. They tied him with bronze chains and took him to Babylon.

12And when he was in affliction, he besought the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers,

While he was in trouble, Manasseh begged the LORD his God for help. He bowed himself low before the God his fathers had served.

13And prayed unto him: and he was intreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD he was God.

He prayed, and God listened to him and heard him ask for help. God brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD is God.

14Now after this he built a wall without the city of David, on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, even to the entering in at the fish gate, and compassed about Ophel, and raised it up a very great height, and put captains of war in all the fenced cities of Judah.

After this, Manasseh rebuilt the outer wall of the City of David. It ran from west of the Gihon spring in the valley to the Fish Gate. It went around the hill called Ophel, and he made it much taller. He also put army leaders in every strong, walled city of Judah.

15And he took away the strange gods, and the idol out of the house of the LORD, and all the altars that he had built in the mount of the house of the LORD, and in Jerusalem, and cast them out of the city.

He got rid of the foreign gods and took the statue out of the LORD's temple. He also removed all the altars he had built on the temple hill and in Jerusalem. He threw them all outside the city.

16And he repaired the altar of the LORD, and sacrificed thereon peace offerings and thank offerings, and commanded Judah to serve the LORD God of Israel.

He fixed up the LORD's altar again. On it he gave peace offerings and thank offerings, which were gifts to show friendship and say thank you. He told the people of Judah to serve the LORD, the God of Israel.

17Nevertheless the people did sacrifice still in the high places, yet unto the LORD their God only.

Even so, the people still gave offerings at the worship spots on the hills. But now they gave them only to the LORD their God.