Study Desk

He returned and rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed. He erected altars for Baal and made a pole of Asherah worship just as Ahab king of Israel had made, and he bowed down to all of the host of heaven and served them.

He made his son pass through the fire, practiced soothsaying and divination, and dealt with mediums and spiritists. He increased the doing of evil in the eyes of Yahweh to provoke him.

He put the image of the Asherah that he had made in the temple which Yahweh had said to David and to Solomon his son, "In this temple and in Jerusalem which I have chosen from all of the tribes of Israel, I will put my name forever.

So Yahweh spoke by the hand of his servants the prophets, saying,

"Because Manasseh the king of Judah committed these detestable things and did evil more than the Amorites did who were before him and caused even Judah to sin with his idols,

Moreover, Manasseh shed very much innocent blood until he filled Jerusalem from one end to another, apart from his sin which he caused Judah to sin by doing evil in the eyes of Yahweh.

The remainder of the acts of Manasseh and all that he did and his sin that he committed, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?

Then Manasseh slept with his ancestors and was buried in the garden of his palace, in the garden of Uzza. Amon his son became king in his place.

Amon was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. The name of his mother was Meshullemeth the daughter of Haruz from Jotbah.

He did evil in the eyes of Yahweh as Manasseh his father had done.

He walked in all of the way which his father had walked, and he served the idols which his father had served and bowed down to them.

He abandoned Yahweh the God of his ancestors and did not walk in the way of Yahweh.

The servants of Amon conspired against him and killed the king in his palace.

But the people of the land killed all who conspired against the king and made Josiah his son king in his place.

They buried him in his tomb in the garden of Uzza, and Josiah his son became king in place of him.

Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. The name of his mother was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah from Bozkath.

He did right in the eyes of Yahweh, and he walked in all of the way of David his ancestor and did not turn aside to the right or to the left.

When the king heard the words of the scroll of the Torah, he tore his clothes.

Then the king stood by the pillar, and he made a covenant before Yahweh, to go after Yahweh and to keep his commands and his warnings and his statutes, with all of his heart and with his all of his soul, to keep the words of this covenant written on this scroll. Then all of the people joined in the covenant.

He defiled the Topheth which is in the Valley of Ben-Hinnom, to prevent anyone causing his sons or his daughters to pass through the fire for Molech.