1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to rule. He ruled Judah for fifty-five years from Jerusalem. His mother was Hephzibah. 2 He did many things that Yahweh said were evil. He imitated the disgusting things that were formerly done by the people of the nations that Yahweh had expelled from the land of Israel as his people advanced. 3 He rebuilt the shrines for worshiping Yahweh that his father had destroyed because they were not in the place that Yahweh had said they should worship him. He built altars for worshiping Baal. He made a statue of the goddess Asherah, like Ahab the king of Israel had done previously. And Manasseh worshiped [DOU] the stars. 4 He put altars for worshiping pagan gods in the temple of Yahweh, about which Yahweh had said, “Jerusalem is the place where only I [MTY] should be worshiped.” 5 He built altars for worshiping the stars in the two courtyards outside the temple. 6 He even offered his son to be a sacrifice that would be completely burned on the altar. He performed rituals to practice sorcery and magic rituals to find out what would happen in the future. He also went to people who consulted the spirits of dead people to find out what would happen in the future. He did things that Yahweh said are extremely evil, things that caused Yahweh to become very angry.

7 He placed the statue of the goddess Asherah in the temple, the place about which Yahweh had said to David and his son Solomon, “My temple will be here in Jerusalem. This is the place that I have chosen from all the territory of the twelve tribes of Israel, where I alone am to be worshiped. 8 And if the Israeli people obey all my commands and all the laws that I gave to Moses, the man who served me very well, I will not allow them to be expelled from the land that I gave to their ancestors.” 9 But the people did not heed Yahweh. And Manasseh persuaded them to commit sins that are more evil than the sins that were committed by the people of the nations that Yahweh had expelled from the land as the Israeli people advanced.

10  These are some of the things that the prophets said many times, messages that Yahweh had given them: 11 “Manasseh, the king of Judah, has done these abominable things, things that are much worse than the things that the Amor people-group did in this land long ago. He has persuaded the people of Judah to sin by worshiping idols. 12 Therefore, this is what I, Yahweh, the God whom you Israeli people worship, say: ‘I will cause disaster to come to Jerusalem and the rest of Judah. It will be terrible, with the result that everyone who hears about it will be stunned [MTY]. 13 I will judge and punish [MET] the people of Jerusalem like I punished the family of King Ahab of Israel. I will ◄wipe Jerusalem clean/remove all the people from Jerusalem►, like [MET] people wipe a plate and then turn it upside down to show that they are now satisfied. 14 And I will abandon the people who remain alive, and I will allow their enemies to conquer them and steal everything valuable from their land. 15 I will do this because my people have done things that I say are very evil, things which have caused me to become very angry. They have caused me to become angry continually, ever since the time that their ancestors left Egypt.’ ”

16 Manasseh commanded his officials to kill many innocent people in Jerusalem, with the result that their blood flowed in the streets. He did this in addition to persuading the people of Judah to sin against Yahweh by worshiping idols.

17  If you want to know more about all the things that Manasseh did, they are written in the book named 'The History of the Kings of Judah.' 18 Manasseh died [EUP] and was buried in the garden outside his palace, the garden that Uzza had made. Then his son Amon became the king.

19 Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king. He ruled Judah from Jerusalem for only two years. His mother's name was Meshullemeth. She was from Jotbah town, and was the granddaughter of Haruz. 20 He did many things that Yahweh said were evil, like his father Manasseh had done. 21 He imitated the behavior of his father, and he worshiped the same idols that his father had worshiped [DOU]. 22 He abandoned Yahweh, the God whom his ancestors had worshiped, and did not behave as Yahweh wanted him to. 23 Then one day some of his officials made plans to kill him. They assassinated him in the palace.

24 But the people of Judah killed those who had assassinated King Amon, and they appointed his son Josiah to be their king.

25  If you want to read about [RHQ] the other things that Amon did, they are written in the book named 'The History of the Kings of Judah.' 26 Amon was also buried in the tomb in the garden that Uzza had made. Then his son Josiah became the king.