Study Desk

^(C1)Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned for fifty-five years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Hephzibah.

^(C1)He did evil in the sight of the LORD, ^(C2)in accordance with the abominations of the nations whom the LORD ^(F1)dispossessed before the sons of Israel.

For ^(C1)he rebuilt the high places which his father Hezekiah had destroyed; and ^(C2)he erected altars for Baal and made an ^(F1)Asherah, just as Ahab king of Israel had done, and he ^(C3)worshiped all the heavenly ^(F2)lights and served them.

And ^(C1)he built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, "^(C2)In Jerusalem I will put My name."

He built altars for ^(C1)all the heavenly ^(F1)lights in ^(C2)the two courtyards of the house of the LORD.

And ^(C1)he made his son pass through the fire, ^(C2)interpreted signs, practiced divination, and used mediums and spiritists. He did great evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger.

Then ^(C1)he put the carved image of Asherah that he had made in the house of which the LORD had said to David and to his son Solomon, "^(C2)In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever.

"And I ^(C1)will not make the feet of Israel wander anymore from the land which I gave their fathers, if only they will take care to act in accordance with everything that I have commanded them, and with all the Law that My servant Moses commanded them."

But they did not listen, and Manasseh ^(C1)encouraged them to do evil, more than the nations whom the LORD eliminated from the presence of the sons of Israel.

Now the LORD spoke through His servants the prophets, saying,

"^(C1)Since Manasseh king of Judah has committed these abominations, ^(C2)having done more evil than all that the Amorites did who were before him, and ^(C3)has also misled Judah into sin ^(C4)with his idols,

therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Israel says: 'Behold, I am bringing such a disaster on Jerusalem and Judah that whoever hears about it, ^(C1)both of his ears will ring.

'^(C1)I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria and the plummet of the house of Ahab, and I will wipe Jerusalem clean just as one wipes a bowl, wiping it and turning it upside down.

'And I will abandon the remnant of My inheritance and hand them over to their enemies, and they will become as plunder and spoils to all their enemies,

because they have done evil in My sight, and have been provoking Me to anger since the day their fathers came from Egypt, even to this day.'"

^(C1)Furthermore, Manasseh shed very much innocent blood until he had filled Jerusalem ^(F1)from one end to another, besides his sin ^(C2)into which he misled Judah, in doing evil in the sight of the LORD.