2 Kings 21 - New Catholic Bible (NCB)

Chapter 21

Reign of Manasseh. 1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hephzibah.

2 He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, practicing the abominations of the nations whom the Lord cast out before the Israelites. 3 He rebuilt the high places that Hezekiah, his father, had destroyed. He raised up altars to Baal, and he made an Asherah, just as Ahab, the king of Israel, had done. He also worshiped the hosts of heaven[a] and served them. 4 He built altars in the temple of the Lord of which the Lord had stated, “I will place my name in Jerusalem.” 5 He built altars for the hosts of heaven in the two courts of the temple of the Lord. 6 He burned his son in flames, practiced witchcraft, used divination, and cooperated with mediums and wizards. He did horrible things in the sight of the Lord, provoking the Lord to anger. 7 He set up a carved image of the Asherah in the temple about which the Lord had said to David and to Solomon, his son, “In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen from out of the tribes of Israel, I will place my name forever, 8 nor will I make the feet of Israel wander from the land that I have given to their fathers if only they will be careful to do everything that I have commanded them, everything according to the law that Moses, my servant, gave them.”

9 But they would not listen, and Manasseh enticed them to do more evil than the nations that the Lord had destroyed before the Israelites had done.

10 The Lord therefore spoke through his servant, the prophets, saying, 11 “Manasseh, the king of Judah, has committed these abominations, doing worse things than the Amorites who preceded him, causing Judah to sin with his idols. 12 Therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing a terrible disaster upon Jerusalem and Judah that is so bad that the ears of those who hear about it will tingle. 13 [b]I will stretch out over Jerusalem the measuring line that I used against Samaria and the plumb line I used against the house of Ahab. 14 I will wipe out Jerusalem as one wipes out a dish, wiping it out and turning it over. I will abandon the remnant of my inheritance, and I will deliver them into the hands of their enemies. They will be plunder and booty to all of their enemies 15 for they have done what is evil in my sight, provoking me to anger from the day that their fathers came forth from Egypt even up to the present day.”

16 Manasseh had shed so much blood that it covered Jerusalem from one end to the other. He caused Judah to sin, doing what was evil in the sight of the Lord.

17 As for the other deeds of Manasseh, what he did, and the sins that he committed, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

18 Manasseh slept with his fathers, and he was buried in his palace gardens, the Garden of Uzza.

Reign of Amon. Amon, his son, then reigned in his stead. 19 Amon was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Meshullemeth. She was the daughter of Haruz from Jotbah.

20 He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, as his father Manasseh had done. 21 He walked in all of the ways of his father. He served the idols that his father had served, and he worshiped them. 22 He abandoned the Lord, the God of his fathers, and he did not walk in the ways of the Lord.

23 Amon’s servants plotted against him, and they killed him in his own palace. 24 The people of the land then plotted against all of those who killed King Ahab, and the people of the land made Josiah, his son, king in his stead.

25 As for the other deeds of Amon, what he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

26 He was buried in his own grave in the Garden of Uzza, and his son Josiah reigned in his stead.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 21:3 Hosts of heaven: worship of the stars had been introduced as a result of Judah’s becoming a vassal of Assyria (see 2 Ki 17:16).
  2. 2 Kings 21:13 Two customary metaphors for expressing a fate: Jerusalem will be treated as Samaria had been. The dish is abandoned when everything on it has been removed.

You Might Also Like:

2 Kings 21 - Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

21 A son of twelve years [is] Manasseh in his reigning, and fifty and five years he hath reigned in Jerusalem, and the name of his mother [is] Hephzi-Bah; 2 and he doth the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah, according to the abominations of the nations that Jehovah dispossessed from the presence of ...
Read More

2 Kings 21 - Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

21 Manasseh was of twelve years, when he began to reign, and he reigned five and fifty years in Jerusalem; the name of his mother was Hephzibah. 2 And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, after the evils of heathen men, the which men the Lord did away from the face of the sons of Israel. 3 And he w...
Read More

2 Kings 21 - World English Bible (WEB)

21 Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. 2 He did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, after the abominations of the nations whom Yahweh cast out before the children of Israel. 3 For he built again the...
Read More

2 Kings 21 - The Voice (VOICE)

21 Manasseh was 12 years old when he inherited the throne. His reign in Jerusalem lasted 55 years. His mother was Hephzibah. 2 He committed evil in the Eternal’s eyes, like the abhorrent practices of those nations driven out by the Eternal before the Israelites settled in Canaan. 3 Manasseh recons...
Read More

2 Kings 21 - Tree of Life Version (TLV)

Wicked Kings Manasseh and Amon21 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned 55 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hephzi-bah. 2 But he did what was evil in Adonai’s eyes, following the abominations of the nations that Adonai had dispossessed before Bnei-Yisrael. 3 For...
Read More

2 Kings 21 - Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)

Manasseh Reigns over Judah21 Manas′seh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Heph′zibah. 2 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the abominable practices of the nations whom the Lord drove out befor...
Read More

2 Kings 21 - Revised Standard Version (RSV)

Manasseh Reigns over Judah21 Manas′seh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Heph′zibah. 2 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the abominable practices of the nations whom the Lord drove out befor...
Read More

2 Kings 21 - New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised (NRSVA)

Manasseh Reigns over Judah21 Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign; he reigned for fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. 2 He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, following the abominable practices of the nations that the Lord drove out before the peo...
Read More

2 Kings 21 - New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Manasseh Reigns over Judah21 Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign; he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hephzibah.(A)2 He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, following the abominable practices of the nations that the Lord drove out before the people...
Read More

2 Kings 21 - New Living Translation (NLT)

Manasseh Rules in Judah21 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. His mother was Hephzibah. 2 He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, following the detestable practices of the pagan nations that the Lord had driven from the land ahead of the...
Read More

2 Kings 21 - New Life Version (NLV)

Manasseh Rules Judah21 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king. And he ruled fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. 2 Manasseh did what was sinful in the eyes of the Lord. He did the sinful things that were done by the nations whom the Lord drove out from the peop...
Read More

2 Kings 21 - New King James Version (NKJV)

Manasseh Reigns in Judah(A)21 Manasseh (B)was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. 2 And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, (C)according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had cast out before the childr...
Read More

2 Kings 21 - New International Version - UK (NIVUK)

Manasseh king of Judah21 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for fifty-five years. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. 2 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. 3 H...
Read More

2 Kings 21 - New International Version (NIV)

Manasseh King of Judah(A)(B)21 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. His mother’s name was Hephzibah.(C) 2 He did evil(D) in the eyes of the Lord, following the detestable practices(E) of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israel...
Read More

2 Kings 21 - New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

Manasseh King of Judah21 Manasseh was 12 years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for 55 years. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. 2 Manasseh did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord. He followed the practices of the nations. The Lord hated those practices. He had driven those nations ou...
Read More

2 Kings 21 - New English Translation (NET)

Manasseh’s Reign over Judah21 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned for fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother[a] was Hephzibah. 2 He did evil in the sight of[b] the Lord and committed the same horrible sins practiced by the nations[c] whom the Lord drove out before t...
Read More