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ユダの王マナセ
1マナセが王となったのは十二歳の時で、五十五年間エルサレムで治めました。 2ただし、それは主の目に悪とされることでした。イスラエルの民がこの地に入った時、主が滅ぼした異教の国々の偶像を求め、それを民に拝ませるようにしむけたのです。 3彼は、父ヒゼキヤ王が取り壊した異教の神バアルの祭壇を築き直し、恥ずべき偶像を造り、日や月や星を拝みました。 4-5事もあろうに、主を礼拝するはずの神殿の庭にまで異教の祭壇を築き、日や月や星を礼拝したのです。 6また、彼らはベン・ヒノムの谷で、わが子をいけにえとしてささげました。さらに、霊媒師や占い師、魔術師などに伺いを立て、ありとあらゆる悪を行って、主の激しい怒りを引き起こしました。 7よりによって、神の神殿に偶像を置いたのですから。神はかつて、神殿について、ダビデとその子ソロモンに語りました。「わたしはこの神殿と、イスラエル全土からわたしが選んだエルサレムでほめたたえられる。 8もしあなたがたが、わたしがモーセによって与えたすべての律法と定めに従うなら、あなたがたの先祖に与えたこの地から二度と追い出すようなことはしない。」
9しかし、マナセはユダとエルサレムの人々をそそのかして、イスラエルの民がこの地に入った時に主が滅ぼした民よりももっと悪いことを行わせたのです。 10王も民も、主の警告をまったく聞こうとしませんでした。 11そこで神はアッシリヤ軍を出動させ、ユダに攻め込ませました。アッシリヤ軍はマナセを鉤で引っかけて捕らえ、青銅の足かせにつないで車に乗せ、バビロンへ引いて行きました。 12その時になって王はようやく本心に立ち返り、へりくだって神に助けを求めました。 13神はその願いを聞き入れ、彼の求めに答えて、マナセをエルサレムの自分の王国に戻しました。こうしてマナセは、主こそ神であることを知ったのです。
14こののち、マナセ王はダビデの町の西の外側に城壁を築き直しました。その城壁は、キデロンの谷にあるギホンの泉の西側から魚の門にまで達し、ひときわ高く築き上げられた「とりでの丘」を取り巻いていました。また、ユダで城壁のある町にはすべて軍の司令官を配置しました。 15さらに、外国の神々と偶像を神殿から取り除き、神殿が建っている山の上と、エルサレムに築いたすべての祭壇を取り壊し、町の外へ投げ捨てました。 16それから、主の祭壇を築き直し、そのうえで和解のいけにえと感謝のいけにえをささげ、ユダの民に、イスラエルの神、主だけを礼拝するよう命じました。 17それでもなお、民は高台の祭壇にいけにえをささげましたが、それは主に供えられたものでした。
18マナセ王のその他の業績、王が神にささげた祈り、預言者たちを通しての神の答えについては、『イスラエル諸王の年代記』に記されています。 19王の祈りと、それが神に聞き届けられたこと、および悔い改める前に犯した罪や失敗についての報告は、預言者たちの言行録に包み隠さず記されています。その中には、王が偶像の宮を築いたり、恥ずべき像や刻んだ像を置いたりした場所が挙げてあります。
ユダの王アモン
20-21マナセ王が死んで宮殿の地下に葬られ、その子アモンが新しく王となりました。アモンは二十二歳で王となり、わずか二年間、エルサレムで治めました。 22その治世は、父マナセ王の初期に劣らず悪いもので、父王が行っていたように、あらゆる偶像にいけにえをささげました。 23しかも、父のようには態度を変えてへりくだることをせず、ますます大きな罪を犯しました。 24そのため、ついに彼の家臣たちが宮殿の中で王を殺しました。 25しかし、愛国心に燃えた民衆は、暗殺者をみな殺して、アモンの子ヨシヤを新しい王としました。
Manasseh King of Judah
1Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. 2He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. 3He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had demolished; he also erected altars to the Baals and made Asherah poles. He bowed down to all the starry hosts and worshiped them. 4He built altars in the temple of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “My Name will remain in Jerusalem forever.” 5In both courts of the temple of the Lord, he built altars to all the starry hosts. 6He sacrificed his children in the fire in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, practiced divination and witchcraft, sought omens, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger.
7He took the image he had made and put it in God’s temple, of which God had said to David and to his son Solomon, “In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my Name forever. 8I will not again make the feet of the Israelites leave the land I assigned to your ancestors, if only they will be careful to do everything I commanded them concerning all the laws, decrees and regulations given through Moses.” 9But Manasseh led Judah and the people of Jerusalem astray, so that they did more evil than the nations the Lord had destroyed before the Israelites.
10The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention. 11So the Lord brought against them the army commanders of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh prisoner, put a hook in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon. 12In his distress he sought the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his ancestors. 13And when he prayed to him, the Lord was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God.
14Afterward he rebuilt the outer wall of the City of David, west of the Gihon spring in the valley, as far as the entrance of the Fish Gate and encircling the hill of Ophel; he also made it much higher. He stationed military commanders in all the fortified cities in Judah.
15He got rid of the foreign gods and removed the image from the temple of the Lord, as well as all the altars he had built on the temple hill and in Jerusalem; and he threw them out of the city. 16Then he restored the altar of the Lord and sacrificed fellowship offerings and thank offerings on it, and told Judah to serve the Lord, the God of Israel. 17The people, however, continued to sacrifice at the high places, but only to the Lord their God.
18The other events of Manasseh’s reign, including his prayer to his God and the words the seers spoke to him in the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, are written in the annals of the kings of Israel.33:18 That is, Judah, as frequently in 2 Chronicles 19His prayer and how God was moved by his entreaty, as well as all his sins and unfaithfulness, and the sites where he built high places and set up Asherah poles and idols before he humbled himself—all these are written in the records of the seers.33:19 One Hebrew manuscript and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts of Hozai 20Manasseh rested with his ancestors and was buried in his palace. And Amon his son succeeded him as king.
Amon King of Judah
21Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem two years. 22He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, as his father Manasseh had done. Amon worshiped and offered sacrifices to all the idols Manasseh had made. 23But unlike his father Manasseh, he did not humble himself before the Lord; Amon increased his guilt.
24Amon’s officials conspired against him and assassinated him in his palace. 25Then the people of the land killed all who had plotted against King Amon, and they made Josiah his son king in his place.
