Study Desk

He also burned his own children for a sacrifice in the Valley of Ben Hinnom. He also used magic by doing soothsaying, divination, and sorcery. He talked with mediums and wizards. He did many things that the Lord said were evil and made him angry.

When these troubles came to him, Manasseh begged for help from the Lord his God. He humbled himself before the God of his ancestors.

Manasseh prayed to God and begged him for help. God heard his begging and felt sorry for him, so he let Manasseh return to Jerusalem and to his throne. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was the true God.

After that happened, Manasseh built an outer wall for the City of David. This wall went to the west of Gihon Spring in Kidron Valley, to the entrance of the Fish Gate, and around the hill of Ophel. He made the wall very tall. Then he put officers in all the fortresses in Judah.

Then he set up the Lord 's altar and offered fellowship offerings and thank offerings on it. He gave a command for all the people of Judah to serve the Lord , the God of Israel.

Manasseh's prayer and how God listened and felt sorry for him are written in The Book of the Seers. Also all his sins, the wrongs he did before he humbled himself, and the places where he built high places and set up the Asherah poles are written in The Book of the Seers.

Amon was 22 years old when he became king of Judah. He was king for two years in Jerusalem.

Amon did evil before the Lord , just as his father Manasseh had done. Amon offered sacrifices for all the carved idols and statues that Manasseh his father made. Amon worshiped those idols.

Josiah was eight years old when he became king. He was king for 31 years in Jerusalem.

As Josiah watched, the people broke down the altars for the Baal gods. Then he cut down the incense altars that stood high above the people. He broke the idols that were carved and the idols that were made from molds. He beat the idols into powder and sprinkled the powder on the graves of the people who had offered sacrifices to the Baal gods.

Josiah did the same for the towns in the areas of Manasseh, Ephraim, Simeon, and all the way to Naphtali. He did the same for the ruins near all these towns.

Josiah broke down the altars and the Asherah poles. He beat the idols into powder. He cut down all the incense altars used for Baal worship in all the country of Israel. Then he went back to Jerusalem.

These men came to Hilkiah the high priest. They gave him the money that people gave for God's Temple. The Levite doorkeepers had collected this money from the people of Manasseh, Ephraim, and from all the Israelites who were left. They also collected this money from all Judah, Benjamin, and all the people living in Jerusalem.

They gave the money to carpenters and builders to buy large rocks that were already cut, and to buy wood. The wood was used to rebuild the buildings and to make beams for the buildings. In the past, the kings of Judah did not take care of the Temple buildings. The buildings had become old and ruined.

The king said, "Go, ask the Lord for me and for the people who are left in Israel and in Judah. Ask about the words in the book that was found. The Lord is very angry with us because our ancestors did not obey the Lord 's word. They did not do everything this book says to do."

Then King Josiah called for all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem to come and meet with him.

He spoke to the Levites who taught the Israelites and who were made holy for service to the Lord . He said to the Levites, "Put the Holy Box in the Temple that Solomon built. Solomon was David's son. David was king of Israel. Don't carry the Holy Box from place to place on your shoulders again. Now serve the Lord your God and his people, the Israelites.

Make yourselves ready for service in the Temple by your tribes. Do the jobs that King David and his son King Solomon gave you to do.

Stand in the Holy Place with a group of Levites. Do this for each different tribe of the people so that you can help them.

Josiah gave the Israelites 30,000 sheep and goats to kill for the Passover sacrifices. He also gave 3000 cattle to the people. All these animals were from King Josiah's own animals.