| International Standard Version | NET Bible |
| 1Manasseh began to reign at the age of twelve years, and continued to reign for 55 years in Jerusalem. | 1Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned for fifty-five years in Jerusalem. |
| 2But he practiced what the LORD considered to be evil by behaving detestably, as did the nations whom the LORD expelled in front of the Israelis. | 2He did evil in the sight of the LORD and committed the same horrible sins practiced by the nations whom the LORD drove out ahead of the Israelites. |
| 3He re-established the high places that his father Hezekiah had demolished, he built altars to the Baals, erected Asherim, and worshipped and served the armies of heaven. | 3He rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he set up altars for the Baals and made Asherah poles. He bowed down to all the stars in the sky and worshiped them. |
| 4He also built altars in the LORD's Temple, about which the LORD had spoken "My name will reside in Jerusalem forever." | 4He built altars in the LORD's temple, about which the LORD had said, "Jerusalem will be my permanent home." |
| 5He built altars for all the armies of heaven in the two courtyards of the LORD's Temple. | 5In the two courtyards of the LORD's temple he built altars for all the stars in the sky. |
| 6He burned his sons as an offering in the Ben-hinnom Valley, practiced fortune-telling, witchcraft, sorcery, and communicated with mediums and separatists. He did a lot of things that the LORD considered to be evil, thus provoking him. | 6He passed his sons through the fire in the Valley of Ben-Hinnom and practiced divination, omen reading, and sorcery. He set up a ritual pit to conjure up underworld spirits and appointed magicians to supervise it. He did a great amount of evil in the sight of the LORD and angered him. |
| 7He also placed an image that he had carved in God's Temple, the place about which God had told to David and to his son Solomon, "I will place my name in this Temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel," | 7He put an idolatrous image he had made in God's temple, about which God had said to David and to his son Solomon, "This temple in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, will be my permanent home. |
| 8and "I won't let Israel's foothold slip on the land that I've given to your ancestors, if only they will be careful to keep everything that I commanded them in the Law, in the statutes, and in the ordinance through Moses." | 8I will not make Israel again leave the land I gave to their ancestors, provided that they carefully obey all I commanded them, the whole law, the rules and regulations given to Moses." |
| 9This is how Manasseh deceived Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to practice more evil than the nations whom the LORD had eliminated in front of the Israelis. | 9But Manasseh misled the people of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem so that they sinned more than the nations whom the LORD had destroyed ahead of the Israelites. |
| 10The LORD kept on speaking to Manasseh and to his people, but they paid no attention to him, | 10The LORD confronted Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention. |
| 11so the LORD brought in the army commanders who worked for the king of Assyria, who captured Manasseh with hooks, bound him in bronze chains, and took him off to Babylon. | 11So the LORD brought against them the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria. They seized Manasseh, put hooks in his nose, bound him with bronze chains, and carried him away to Babylon. |
| 12But when he was in trouble, he sought the face of the LORD his God, humbled himself magnificently before the God of his ancestors, | 12In his pain Manasseh asked the LORD his God for mercy and truly humbled himself before the God of his ancestors. |
| 13and prayed to him. Moved by Manasseh's entreaties, the LORD heard his supplications and brought him back to his kingdom in Jerusalem. That's how Manasseh learned that the LORD is God. | 13When he prayed to the LORD, the LORD responded to him and answered favorably his cry for mercy. The LORD brought him back to Jerusalem to his kingdom. Then Manasseh realized that the LORD is the true God. |
| 14Later on, Manasseh reinforced the outer wall to the City of David on the west side overlooking the Gihon Valley as far as the Fish Gate. He encircled the Ophel, raising it to a great height. | 14After this Manasseh built up the outer wall of the City of David on the west side of the Gihon in the valley to the entrance of the Fish Gate and all around the terrace; he made it much higher. He placed army officers in all the fortified cities in Judah. |
| 15He also eliminated the foreign gods and idols from the LORD's Temple, along with all of the altars that he had built in Jerusalem and on the mountain where the LORD's Temple was located, and he discarded them outside the city. | 15He removed the foreign gods and images from the LORD's temple and all the altars he had built on the hill of the LORD's temple and in Jerusalem; he threw them outside the city. |
| 16He set up an altar to the LORD, sacrificed peace offerings on it, and ordered Judah to serve the LORD God of Israel. | 16He erected the altar of the LORD and offered on it peace offerings and thank offerings. He told the people of Judah to serve the LORD God of Israel. |
| 17Even so, the people continued to sacrifice in the high places, but only to the LORD their God. | 17The people continued to offer sacrifices at the high places, but only to the LORD their God. |
| 18Now as to the rest of Manasseh's accomplishments, including his prayer to God and what the seers had to say to him in the name of the LORD God of Israel, they are included among the Acts of the Kings of Israel. | 18The rest of the events of Manasseh's reign, including his prayer to his God and the words the prophets spoke to him in the name of the LORD God of Israel, are recorded in the Annals of the Kings of Israel. |
| 19His prayer, how God was moved by him, all of his sin and unfaithfulness, and a record of the sites where he constructed high places, erected Asherim and carved images before he humbled himself are written in the Acts of the Seers. | 19The Annals of the Prophets include his prayer, give an account of how the LORD responded to it, record all his sins and unfaithful acts, and identify the sites where he built high places and erected Asherah poles and idols before he humbled himself. |
| 20So Manasseh died, as had his ancestors, and they buried him in his own palace while his son Amon became king in his place. | 20Manasseh passed away and was buried in his palace. His son Amon replaced him as king. |
| 21Amon was 22 years old when he became king, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. | 21Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned for two years in Jerusalem. |
| 22He practiced what the LORD considered to be evil, just as his father Manasseh had done, sacrificing to and serving all the carved images that his father Manasseh had made, | 22He did evil in the sight of the LORD, just like his father Manasseh had done. He offered sacrifices to all the idols his father Manasseh had made, and worshiped them. |
| 23except that he never humbled himself to the LORD like his father Manasseh had done. In fact, Amon multiplied his own guilt | 23He did not humble himself before the LORD as his father Manasseh had done. Amon was guilty of great sin. |
| 24until his servants finally conspired against him and executed him in his own palace. | 24His servants conspired against him and killed him in his palace. |
| 25But the people of the land executed all of the conspirators against King Amon and installed his son Josiah as king to succeed him. | 25The people of the land executed all who had conspired against King Amon, and they made his son Josiah king in his place. |
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