1
Manasseh
was twelve years old when he began to reign and reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name
was Hephzibah.
2
And he did
that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, after the abominations of the Gentiles, whom the LORD cast out before the sons of Israel.
3
For he built up again the high places which Hezekiah, his father, had destroyed, and he raised up altars for Baal and made a grove, as Ahab, king of Israel, had done; and he worshipped all the host of heaven and served those things.
4
Likewise, he built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, In Jerusalem I will put my name.
5
And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD.
6
And he made his son pass through the fire and observed times and used enchantments and dealt with spiritists and diviners and multiplied much wickedness in the sight of the LORD, to provoke
him to anger.
7
And he set a graven image of the grove that he had made in the house, of which the LORD had 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;
8
neither 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 slave Moses commanded them.
9
But they did not hearken, and Manasseh caused them to err and to do more evil than did the Gentiles whom the LORD destroyed before the sons of Israel.
10
And the LORD spoke by his slaves, the prophets, saying,
11
Because Manasseh, king of Judah, has done these abominations
and has done more evil than all that the Amorites did, who
were before him and has also made Judah sin with his idols;