2 Kings 21:1-26
1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Hephzibah.
2 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, after the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.
3 For he built up again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he reared up altars for Baal, and made a grove, as did Ahab king of Israel; and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them.
4 And he built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD said, In Jerusalem will I put my name.
5 And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD.
6 And he made his son pass through the fire, and observed times, and used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards: he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.
7 And he set a graven image of the grove that he had made in the house, of which the LORD said to David, and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever:
8 Neither will I make the feet of Israel move any more out of the land which I gave their fathers; only if they will observe to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the law that my servant Moses commanded them.
9 But they hearkened not: and Manasseh seduced them to do more evil than did the nations whom the LORD destroyed before the children of Israel.
10 And the LORD spake by his servants the prophets, saying,
11 Because Manasseh king of Judah hath done these abominations, and hath done wickedly above all that the Amorites did, which were before him, and hath made Judah also to sin with his idols:
12 Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Behold, I am bringing such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle.
13 And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab: and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish, wipinga it, and turning it upside down.
14 And I will forsake the remnant of mine inheritance, and deliver them into the hand of their enemies; and they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies;
15 Because they have done that which was evil in my sight, and have provoked me to anger, since the day their fathers came forth out of Egypt, even unto this day.
16 Moreover Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; beside his sin wherewith he made Judah to sin, in doing that which was evil in the sight of the LORD.
17 Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and all that he did, and his sin that he sinned, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
18 And Manasseh slept with his fathers, and was buried in the garden of his own house, in the garden of Uzza: and Amon his son reigned in his stead.
19 Amon was twenty and two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Meshullemeth, the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah.
20 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, as his father Manasseh did.
21 And he walked in all the way that his father walked in, and served the idols that his father served, and worshipped them:
22 And he forsook the LORD God of his fathers, and walked not in the way of the LORD.
23 And the servants of Amon conspired against him, and slew the king in his own house.
24 And the people of the land slew all them that had conspired against king Amon; and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his stead.
25 Now the rest of the acts of Amon which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
26 And he was buried in his sepulchre in the garden of Uzza: and Josiahb his son reigned in his stead.
The Last Kings of *Israel and *Judah
Book of 2 Kings
Philip Smith
Chapter 21
Manasseh’s rule as king of *Judah
v1 Manasseh was 12 years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for 55 years. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. v2 Manasseh *sinned against the *Lord. The *Lord had forced some nations out of his country when the *Israelites originally came there. Manasseh imitated the acts that those nations did. They were acts that cause disgust. v3 Manasseh’s father Hezekiah had destroyed the places where people *worshipped on the hills. But Manasseh built them again. He set up *altars to give honour to the god called *Baal. Manasseh made an image of the female god Asherah, as King Ahab of *Israel had done. Manasseh also *worshipped the stars. v4 The *Lord had said that he would be present at the *temple in Jerusalem. But Manasseh built *altars in the *Lord’s *temple. v5 These were *altars where people could *worship the stars. Manasseh built them in both the yards in the *Lord’s *temple. v6 Manasseh *sacrificed his son as a *burnt offering. Manasseh practised magic and he tried to know about the future. He tried to get advice from people who pretended to tell about the future. And he tried to get advice from wicked *spirits. Manasseh *sinned greatly against the *Lord and he made the *Lord very angry.
v7 Manasseh put the image of the female god Asherah into the *Lord’s *temple. The *Lord had spoken about that place to David and Solomon (David’s son). The *Lord had said, ‘I have chosen this *temple in Jerusalem out of all the territory called *Israel. I will always be present here. v8 The *Israelites must obey all my commands. They must obey all the law that my servant Moses gave to them. If the *Israelites do that, they will not have to leave their country. I gave this country to their *ancestors.’ v9 But the people did not listen and they did not obey. Manasseh led them to do great *sins. They did more wicked things than the nations that the *Lord had destroyed. The *Lord had forced those nations out of the country when the *Israelites originally came there.
Manasseh began to rule when he was 12 years old. If he began to rule after his father’s death, then Manasseh was born 3 years after his father’s illness. However, some people think that Manasseh ruled together with his father for some years. If they are right, Manasseh was born before his father’s illness. Of course, Manasseh did not rule alone until his father died.
After Hezekiah’s death, Manasseh’s true character became clear. Hezekiah had made great changes in *Judah, but he could not change the attitude of people’s hearts. People could not continue to *worship false gods in public during Hezekiah’s rule. But Manasseh’s rule gave them a new opportunity to establish their evil religions. Probably those people that had opposed Hezekiah’s changes persuaded Manasseh to do wrong things. Manasseh ruled for 55 years. That was longer than any other king ruled in *Judah. Part of that time he was a prisoner in Babylon (2 Chronicles 33:11).
Earlier, Manasseh’s father had destroyed places where people *worshipped. But Manasseh built those places again. He made *altars to give honour to *Baal and *Baal’s wife Asherah. He put the image of Asherah in the *Lord’s *temple. Manasseh also put *altars to *worship the stars there. It was a very terrible *sin to establish these false religions in the *Lord’s holy *temple. Manasseh even *sacrificed his own son. That murder shows how wicked Manasseh’s religion was. He also practised magic. And he went to people that pretended to tell about the future. That too is against God’s law (Deuteronomy 18:10-14). Manasseh did more wicked things than any other king did.
v10 The *Lord spoke by means of his servants, the *prophets. v11 ‘Manasseh, the king of *Judah, has done these things that cause disgust. He has done more wicked things than the *Amorites, who were there before him. He has led *Judah’s people into *sin by means of his *idols. v12 Therefore this is what the *Lord, the God of *Israel, says. I will bring about a great *disaster in Jerusalem and *Judah. Everyone that hears about it will receive a great shock. v13 I will make a judgement about Jerusalem’s people. I will do it by the same standards that I used for Samaria and Ahab’s family. I will remove the people from Jerusalem. Then it will be as empty as a dish that someone has wiped. When you wipe a dish, you turn it round completely. Jerusalem will be like that, because I will destroy it. v14 I will not help the people that are still alive. I will give them to their enemies. Those enemies will *conquer them and the enemies will take all their possessions. v15 I will do that because they have *sinned against me. They have made me angry since the day when their *ancestors came out of Egypt. And they still continue to make me angry today.’
v16 Manasseh killed many innocent people. There were so many murders that the blood seemed to flow through the streets in Jerusalem. Manasseh also made the people in *Judah *worship *idols. So they *sinned against the *Lord.
v17 You can read about the other events during Manasseh’s rule. And you can read about all his deeds, including his *sins. That information is in the book that contains the history of *Judah’s kings. v18 Manasseh died. And the people buried him in the garden at the palace. That was Uzza’s garden. Manasseh’s son Amon became king after him.
By means of the *prophets, God warned the people that he would punish them. He would do that in the same manner as he had punished the people in the northern *kingdom. God would remove the inhabitants from Jerusalem. Jerusalem had become like a dirty dish. In order to clean that dish, nothing can remain in it. And so everyone would have to leave Jerusalem. God would allow the people’s enemies to *capture them. The enemies would take all the people’s possessions.
In the end, God had to punish *Judah. The *sins had become too terrible. They were even worse than the *sins of the original inhabitants of the country. God destroyed those nations when he gave their country to the *Israelites. And now the people in *Judah were carrying on the same *sins, and worse *sins too. Their punishment was certain. The Bible says, ‘If we continue to *sin, there is no *sacrifice for *sin. We can only expect punishment from God… The *Lord will be the judge over his people. It is a terrible thing to suffer God’s punishment.’ (Hebrews 10:26-31).
And it was not enough for Manasseh to *sin because of his evil religion. He also became a murderer. In fact, Manasseh killed many innocent people. They probably included those people that opposed his *sins. In the *Jews’ tradition, they say that Manasseh sawed the *prophet Isaiah in half. (Some people think that Hebrews 11:37 is referring to Isaiah’s death.)
In 2 Chronicles 33:11-13, we read that later Manasseh *repented of his *sin. That happened after Assyria’s army had taken him as a prisoner. They took him to Babylon. And because of his troubles, Manasseh became very humble. He prayed to God, who answered his prayer. God allowed Manasseh to return to Jerusalem, and there was a complete change in Manasseh’s attitudes. Manasseh removed the *idols that he had made. He *worshipped the *Lord, and he ordered the people to *worship the *Lord too. Manasseh allowed the people to *worship on the hills, but he would not let them *worship false gods even there. The changes that Manasseh made were astonishing. God can rescue even the most wicked people from their *sins. But they must be completely humble. They must *repent in a sincere manner. And they must invite God into their lives.
In 2 Kings, however, the writer does not mention that Manasseh *repented. The changes that Manasseh made were great. But still, they could not change the *Lord’s judgement against *Judah. Manasseh changed the people’s actions, but he could not change the attitude of their hearts. As soon as Manasseh died, the people began to *worship their *idols again.
People buried Manasseh in the garden of the palace. Perhaps people could not bury him in the royal graves because he had too many *sins for that. The result of Manasseh’s rule was that God punished *Judah.
Amon’s rule as king of *Judah
v19 Amon was 22 years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for 2 years. His mother’s name was Meshullemeth, daughter of Haruz. She was from Jotbah. v20 Amon *sinned against the *Lord, as his father Manasseh had done. v21 Amon did what his father had done. Amon *worshipped the *idols that his father had *worshipped. Amon bent his body down to show honour to them. v22 He stopped *worshipping the *Lord, his *ancestors’ God. He did not obey the *Lord’s commands.
v23 Amon’s officials plotted against him. They murdered him in the palace. v24 Then, as a punishment, *Judah’s people killed the officials who had murdered King Amon. The people made his son Josiah king.
v25 You can read about the other events during Amon’s rule. And you can read what he did. This information is in the history of *Judah’s kings. v26 The people buried Amon in the grave in Uzza’s garden. Josiah his son became king after him.
Amon was as bad as his father was. But unlike Manasseh, Amon never *repented. We learn that fact from 2 Chronicles 33:23. Manasseh had made things better after he came back from Babylon (2 Chronicles 33:15-16). However, Amon brought back the old ways in which to *worship. He allowed people to *worship *idols again. And he himself *worshipped all those *idols.
After just two years, Amon’s officials murdered him. Then the people in *Judah killed those officials as a punishment. Amon’s son Josiah became king after him. We do not know why the officials plotted against Amon.
Israel ~ the nation of people that are Jacob’s descendants; the country where those people belong; the northern part of their kingdom after it divided.
descendants ~ future members of a family or a nation; people who belong to the same family during later centuries.
kingdom ~ a country or nation that a king or queen rules.
Judah ~ one of the tribes in the nation called Israel; the southern part of that kingdom after it divided.
tribe ~ a group of people that share the same ancestors, language, and customs.
Israel ~ the nation of people that are Jacob’s descendants; the country where those people belong; the northern part of their kingdom after it divided.
kingdom ~ a country or nation that a king or queen rules.
ancestor ~ a previous member of a family, especially someone who was important during a past century.
descendants ~ future members of a family or a nation; people who belong to the same family during later centuries.
sin ~ an action that is wrong or wicked, which is against God’s moral law; something that is against a law in a religion.
Lord ~ the name of God. We use this word to translate two different words in the original language. One word means ‘He is always God.’ The other word means ‘master’.
Israelites ~ people that belonged to the nation called Israel.
Israel ~ the nation of people that are Jacob’s descendants; the country where those people belong; the northern part of their kingdom after it divided.
descendants ~ future members of a family or a nation; people who belong to the same family during later centuries.
kingdom ~ a country or nation that a king or queen rules.
worship ~ to praise God (or a false god); to give honour to God (or a false god) by sacrifice, prayer, song or action.
sacrifice ~ something valuable that someone offers to God (or to a false god); to offer something valuable to God (or to a false god).
altar ~ a table where people offer gifts or sacrifices to God, or to a false god.
sacrifice ~ something valuable that someone offers to God (or to a false god); to offer something valuable to God (or to a false god).
Baal ~ a false god.
temple ~ the building that King Solomon built in Jerusalem, and the area that surrounded it. It was the most important place for the worship of the real God. We also use the word ‘temple’ to mean the house of a false god.
worship ~ to praise God (or a false god); to give honour to God (or a false god) by sacrifice, prayer, song or action.
sacrifice ~ something valuable that someone offers to God (or to a false god); to offer something valuable to God (or to a false god).
sacrifice ~ something valuable that someone offers to God (or to a false god); to offer something valuable to God (or to a false god).'burnt offering ~ an animal that people killed. Then they burned the whole animal on an altar. In that way, they offered the animal to God (or to a false god). It was as if the animal suffered the punishment for their sins.
altar ~ a table where people offer gifts or sacrifices to God, or to a false god.
sin ~ an action that is wrong or wicked, which is against God’s moral law; something that is against a law in a religion.
sacrifice ~ something valuable that someone offers to God (or to a false god); to offer something valuable to God (or to a false god).
spirit ~ part of a person, the part that can contact God and that continues to exist after death. The word ‘spirit’ can also mean an angel that may come from either God or the devil. ‘God’s Spirit’ is the Holy Spirit. (The Holy Spirit is God, even as God the Father and Jesus are God. But there are not three Gods; there is only one God.)
angel ~ God’s servant who takes messages from God to people on the earth. Angels live with God in heaven.
ancestor ~ a previous member of a family, especially someone who was important during a past century.
prophet ~ a person that gives a prophecy.
prophecy ~ a message from God (or from a false god) that someone speaks; what someone says will happen in the future.
Amorites ~ a group of people who lived in the Jews’ country. The Amorites were living there in Canaan (Israel) already before the Jews lived there.
Jew ~ a person that belongs to the nation called Israel (especially the southern part called Judah). Or a person who follows that nation’s religion.
Israel ~ the nation of people that are Jacob’s descendants; the country where those people belong; the northern part of their kingdom after it divided.
Judah ~ one of the tribes in the nation called Israel; the southern part of that kingdom after it divided.
descendants ~ future members of a family or a nation; people who belong to the same family during later centuries.
kingdom ~ a country or nation that a king or queen rules.
tribe ~ a group of people that share the same ancestors, language, and customs.
ancestor ~ a previous member of a family, especially someone who was important during a past century.
idol ~ the image of a god to whom people give honour.
disaster ~ an event that makes people suffer very greatly. It may cause great damage and death.
conquer ~ to take control over a country or a group of people by force.
kingdom ~ a country or nation that a king or queen rules.
capture ~ to seize (arrest) someone and to keep that person as a prisoner; to take something by force and to keep it under your control.
Jew ~ a person that belongs to the nation called Israel (especially the southern part called Judah). Or a person who follows that nation’s religion.
Israel ~ the nation of people that are Jacob’s descendants; the country where those people belong; the northern part of their kingdom after it divided.
Judah ~ one of the tribes in the nation called Israel; the southern part of that kingdom after it divided.
descendants ~ future members of a family or a nation; people who belong to the same family during later centuries.
kingdom ~ a country or nation that a king or queen rules.
tribe ~ a group of people that share the same ancestors, language, and customs.
ancestor ~ a previous member of a family, especially someone who was important during a past century.
repent ~ to feel sorry because of sin and to stop that wrong behaviour. To decide to do what God wants.
sin ~ an action that is wrong or wicked, which is against God’s moral law; something that is against a law in a religion.