2 Kings 21
A King Who Filled Jerusalem with Innocent Blood
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Manasseh King of Judah
21:1Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Opsiba.
21:2He did evil in the Lord’s eyes, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord removed before the Israelites.
21:3He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had pulled down, erected an altar for Baal, and made groves as Ahab king of Israel had done. He bowed down to all heaven’s host and served them.
21:4He built an altar in the Lord’s house, as He had said, ‘In Jerusalem I shall place My name.’
21:5He built an altar for all heaven’s host in the two courts of the Lord’s house.
21:6He led his sons through fire, practiced divination from sounds, read omens, and appointed a charmer and knowing ones. He did much evil in the Lord’s eyes, provoking Him.
21:7He placed the carved image of the grove in the house of which the Lord said to David and his son Solomon, ‘In this house and in Jerusalem, which I chose from all Israel’s tribes, I shall place My name there forever.
21:8I shall no longer shake Israel’s foot from the land I gave their fathers, for those who keep everything I commanded according to the whole commandment My servant Moses commanded them.’
21:9But they did not listen. Manasseh led them astray to do evil in the Lord’s eyes beyond the nations whom the Lord obliterated before the Israelites.
The Word of the Prophets Against Jerusalem
21:10The Lord spoke through His servants the prophets:
21:11‘Because Manasseh king of Judah has done these evil abominations, worse than everything the Amorite before him did, and has also caused Judah to sin through their idols,
21:12not so! Thus says the Lord, Israel’s God: Look, I am bringing disasters upon Jerusalem and Judah, so that both ears of everyone hearing shall ring.
21:13I shall stretch over Jerusalem Samaria’s measure and the weight of Ahab’s house. I shall wipe Jerusalem as an alabaster jar is wiped, wiped and overturned on its face.
21:14I shall reject the remnant of My inheritance and hand them into their enemies’ hands. They shall become plunder and booty for all their enemies,
21:15because they did evil in My eyes and provoked Me from the day I brought their fathers out of Egypt until this day.’
21:16Manasseh also poured out very much innocent blood, until he filled Jerusalem from end to end, besides his sins by which he caused Judah to do evil in the Lord’s eyes.
The Death of Manasseh
21:17The rest of Manasseh’s deeds, all that he did, and the sin he committed—are these not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
21:18Manasseh lay down with his fathers and was buried in the garden of his house, in Oza’s garden. His son Amon became king in his place.
Amon King of Judah
21:19Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Mesollam daughter of Arous, from Jeteba.
21:20He did evil in the Lord’s eyes, as his father Manasseh had done.
21:21He walked in every way his father had walked, served the idols his father had served, and bowed down to them.
21:22He abandoned the Lord, the God of his fathers, and did not walk in the Lord’s way.
21:23Amon’s servants conspired against him and put the king to death in his house.
21:24All the people of the land struck down all who had conspired against King Amon. The people of the land made his son Josiah king in his place.
21:25The rest of Amon’s deeds, what he did—look, are these not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
21:26They buried him in his tomb in Oza’s garden. His son Josiah became king in his place.
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Saints Translation · Liturgical reading edition · V1 · working draft awaiting specialist review.