2 Kings 21:1-15 ▼

1 Manasseh was a son of twelve years in his reigning, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. And the name of his mother was Hephzi-bah.

2 And he did evil in the eyes of YHWH, according to the abominations of the nations whom YHWH had cast out before the sons of Israel.

3 And he turned and built the high places that Hezekiah his father had destroyed, and he raised up altars for Baal and made an Asherah pole, as had done Ahab king of Israel, and he worshiped all the host of the heavens and served them.

4 And He built altars in the house of YHWH, of which YHWH had said, “In Jerusalem I will put My Name.”

5 And he built altars for all the host of the heavens in the two courts of the house of YHWH.

6 And he made his son pass through the fire, and he practiced divination and used witchcraft and consulted a medium and spiritists. He multiplied to do evil in the eyes of YHWH, to provoke Him to anger.

7 And he set a carved image of Asherah that He had made in the house of which YHWH had said to David and to Solomon his son, “In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever.

8 And I will not add to make wander the feet of Israel from the land that I gave to their fathers, only if they are careful to do according to all that I have commanded them and according to all the law that My servant Moses commanded them.”

9 And they did not listen, and Manasseh led them astray to do more evil than the nations whom YHWH had destroyed before the sons of Israel.

10 And YHWH spoke by His servants the prophets, saying,

11 “Because that Manasseh king of Judah has done these abominations, he has acted more wickedly than all that the Amorite did who were before him, and also he has caused Judah to sin with his idols.

12 Therefore thus says YHWH, God of Israel: ‘Behold, I am bringing in calamity upon Jerusalem and Judah, that everyone who hears it, the two of his ears will tingle.

13 And I will stretch out over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samaria and the plumb line of the house of Ahab, and I will wipe out Jerusalem as one wipes the bowl, wiping it and turning it upon its face.

14 And I will forsake the remnant of My inheritance, and I will give them into the hand of their enemies, and they shall become plunder and spoil to all their enemies,

15 because that they have done evil in My eyes and have provoked Me to anger since the day that their fathers came out of Egypt and up to this day.’”