Manasseh King of Judah
1Manasseh was 12 years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for 55 years. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. 2Manasseh 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 out to make room for the Israelites. 3Manasseh rebuilt the high places. His father Hezekiah had destroyed them. Manasseh also set up altars to the god named Baal. He made a pole used to worship the female god named Asherah. Ahab, the king of Israel, had done those same things. Manasseh even bowed down to all the stars. And he worshiped them. 4He built altars in the Lord’s temple. The Lord had said about his temple, “I will put my Name there in Jerusalem.” 5In the two courtyards of the Lord’s temple Manasseh built altars to honor all the stars. 6He sacrificed his own son in the fire to another god. He practiced all kinds of evil magic. He got messages from those who had died. He talked to the spirits of the dead. He did many things that were evil in the eyes of the Lord. Manasseh made the Lord very angry.
7Manasseh had carved a pole used to worship the female god named Asherah. He put it in the temple. The Lord had spoken to David and his son Solomon about the temple. He had said, “My Name will be in this temple and in Jerusalem forever. Out of all the cities in the tribes of Israel I have chosen Jerusalem. 8I gave this land to your people who lived long ago. I will not make the Israelites wander away from it again. But they must be careful to do everything I commanded them. They must obey the whole Law that my servant Moses gave them.” 9But the people didn’t pay any attention. Manasseh led them astray. They did more evil things than the nations the Lord had destroyed. He had destroyed them to make room for the Israelites.
10The Lord spoke through his servants the prophets. He said, 11“Manasseh, the king of Judah, has committed terrible sins. I hate them. Manasseh has done more evil things than the Amorites who were in the land before him. And he has led Judah to commit sin by worshiping his statues of gods. 12I am the Lord, the God of Israel. I tell you, ‘I am going to bring trouble on Jerusalem and Judah. It will be so horrible that the ears of everyone who hears about it will tingle. 13I will measure out punishment against Jerusalem, just as I did against Samaria. I used a plumb line against the royal family of Ahab. I used it to prove that they did not measure up to my standards. I will use the same plumb line against Jerusalem. I will wipe out Jerusalem, just as someone wipes a dish. I will wipe it and turn it upside down. 14I will desert those who remain among my people. I will hand them over to their enemies. All their enemies will rob them. 15That’s because my people have done what is evil in my sight. They have made me very angry. They have done that from the day their own people came out of Egypt until this day.’ ”
16Manasseh also spilled the blood of many people who weren’t guilty of doing anything wrong. He spilled so much blood that he filled Jerusalem with it from one end of the city to the other. And he caused Judah to commit sin. So they also did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord.
17The other events of the rule of Manasseh are written down. That includes the sin he committed. Everything he did is written in the official records of the kings of Judah. 18Manasseh joined the members of his family who had already died. He was buried in his palace garden. It was called the garden of Uzza. Manasseh’s son Amon became the next king after him.
Amon King of Judah
19Amon was 22 years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for two years. His mother’s name was Meshullemeth. She was the daughter of Haruz. She was from Jotbah. 20Amon did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Manasseh had done. 21He lived the way his father had lived. He worshiped the statues of the gods his father had worshiped. He bowed down to them. 22He deserted the Lord, the God of his people. He didn’t obey the Lord.
23Amon’s officials made plans against him. They murdered the king in his palace. 24Then the people of the land killed all those officials who had made plans against King Amon. Then the people of the land made his son Josiah king in his place.
25The other events of the rule of Amon are written down. Everything he did is written in the official records of the kings of Judah. 26Amon was buried in his grave in the garden of Uzza. Amon’s son Josiah became the next king after him.
Kong Manasse af Juda
1Manasse var 12 år gammel, da han blev konge i Juda, og han regerede i Jerusalem i 55 år. Hans mors navn var Hefziba. 2Han gjorde, hvad der var ondt i Herrens øjne, for han dyrkede afguderne på samme afskyelige måde som de folk, Herren i sin tid jog ud af landet for at skaffe plads til sit folk.
3Han genopbyggede de offersteder rundt omkring på højene, som hans far, Hizkija, havde brudt ned. Han opførte altre for Ba’al og frugtbarhedssymboler for gudinden Ashera, sådan som Israels kong Ahab tidligere havde gjort, og han tilbad stjernerne. 4-5Selv på tempelpladsen i Jerusalem—det sted, som Herren havde sagt, han på en særlig måde ville være knyttet til—opførte han altre til ære for solen, månen og stjernerne, både i den indre og ydre forgård. 6Ja, Manasse gik så vidt, at han brændte sin søn på alteret som offer til afguderne. Han var stærkt engageret i okkultisme og sort magi, og han søgte kontakt med ånderne ved hjælp af medier og spiritisme. Han gjorde en masse ting, som fremkaldte Herrens vrede. 7Den udskårne Asherapæl, som Manasse lod fremstille, blev rejst i Herrens hus, det sted, om hvilket Herren havde sagt til David og Salomon: „Jeg vil altid være knyttet til dette hus og denne by, Jerusalem, som jeg har udvalgt blandt alle andre byer i landet.21,7 Jf. 1.Kong. 9,3. 8Hvis Israels folk blot omhyggeligt vil følge de love og forskrifter, jeg gav til min tjener Moses, vil jeg ikke jage dem ud af det land, jeg gav deres forfædre.”
9Men folket var ulydigt. Kong Manasse lokkede dem til at begå endnu værre synder end de ugudelige folk, der havde boet i landet før dem.
10Da udtalte Herren dom over dem gennem sine tjenere, profeterne: 11„Kong Manasses ondskab overgår langt amoritternes ondskab, det folk, som oprindeligt boede i landet. Han har forledt Judas folk til afgudsdyrkelse. 12Derfor skal Jerusalem og Juda opleve en så alvorlig katastrofe, at de, som hører om den, vil blive lamslået af skræk. 13Jeg vil straffe Jerusalem, sådan som jeg straffede Samaria. Jeg vil udrydde Manasses kongeslægt, som jeg udryddede kong Ahabs slægt. Jeg vil rense ud i Jerusalem, som man gør en skål ren og derefter vender bunden i vejret på den. 14Jeg vil forkaste den sidste rest af mit ejendomsfolk og give dem i deres fjenders hånd. Ja, fjenderne skal få lov at gå på rov iblandt dem og udplyndre dem fuldstændigt, 15for de har været ulydige imod mig og gjort oprør lige siden dengang, jeg førte deres forfædre ud af Egypten.”
16Kong Manasse førte ikke alene an i afgudsdyrkelsen, men han iværksatte en grufuld massakre på så mange uskyldige mennesker, at Jerusalem blev fyldt med blod. 17Andre enkeltheder fra kong Manasses onde regime er beskrevet i Judas kongers krønikebog. 18Da han døde, blev han begravet i Uzzas have, som var en del af parken ved hans palads. Hans søn Amon blev konge efter ham.
Kong Amon af Juda
19Amon var 22 år gammel, da han blev konge, og han regerede i Jerusalem i to år. Hans mor hed Meshullemet og var datter af Harutz fra byen Jotba. 20Han gjorde, hvad der var ondt i Herrens øjne ligesom sin far, Manasse. 21Han fulgte i sin fars spor og ofrede til de samme afguder. 22Han vendte ryggen til Herren, sine forfædres Gud, og nægtede på alle områder at adlyde Herrens befalinger. 23Hans egne embedsmænd lavede en sammensværgelse imod ham og myrdede ham i hans eget palads, 24men en gruppe borgere dræbte attentatmændene og udråbte Amons søn Josias til konge. 25Amons øvrige liv og virke er beskrevet i Judas kongers krønikebog. 26Som sin far blev han begravet i Uzzas have, hvorefter hans søn Josias blev konge i hans sted.
