The kingdom
Manasse: The King's Apostasy and Repentance
King Manasseh leads Judah into deep idolatry and is taken captive to Babylon by the commanders of the Assyrian army. In his distress, he humbles himself before God, is brought back to Jerusalem, removes the idols, and restores the Lord's altar. 2 Chronicles 33:1-20
2 Chronicles 33,1-20
1Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem.
בֶּן־שְׁתֵּ֥ים עֶשְׂרֵ֛ה שָׁנָ֖ה מְנַשֶּׁ֣ה בְמָלְכ֑וֹ וַחֲמִשִּׁ֤ים וְחָמֵשׁ֙ שָׁנָ֔ה מָלַ֖ךְ בִּירוּשָׁלָֽ͏ִם׃
2He did what was evil in the eyes of the LORD, following the detestable practices of the nations the LORD had driven out before the people of Israel.
וַיַּ֥עַשׂ הָרַ֖ע בְּעֵינֵ֣י יְהוָ֑ה כְּתֽוֹעֲבוֹת֙ הַגּוֹיִ֔ם אֲשֶׁר֙ הוֹרִ֣ישׁ יְהוָ֔ה מִפְּנֵ֖י בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
3He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had torn down, raised altars to the Baals, made Asherah poles, and bowed down to all the host of heaven and served them.
וַיָּ֗שָׁב וַיִּ֙בֶן֙ אֶת־הַבָּמ֔וֹת אֲשֶׁ֥ר נִתַּ֖ץ יְחִזְקִיָּ֣הוּ אָבִ֑יו וַיָּ֨קֶם מִזְבְּח֤וֹת לַבְּעָלִים֙ וַיַּ֣עַשׂ אֲשֵׁר֔וֹת וַיִּשְׁתַּ֙חוּ֙ לְכָל־צְבָ֣א הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וַֽיַּעֲבֹ֖ד אֹתָֽם׃
4He built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, "My name will be in Jerusalem forever."
וּבָנָ֥ה מִזְבְּח֖וֹת בְּבֵ֣ית יְהוָ֑ה אֲשֶׁר֙ אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֔ה בִּירוּשָׁלַ֥͏ִם יִֽהְיֶה־שְּׁמִ֖י לְעוֹלָֽם׃
5In both courts of the house of the LORD he built altars to all the host of heaven.
וַיִּ֥בֶן מִזְבְּח֖וֹת לְכָל־צְבָ֣א הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם בִּשְׁתֵּ֖י חַצְר֥וֹת בֵּית־יְהוָֽה׃
6He made his own sons pass through the fire in the Valley of Ben Hinnom; he practiced soothsaying and divination and witchcraft, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did a great deal of evil in the eyes of the LORD, provoking him to anger.
וְהוּא֩ הֶעֱבִ֨יר אֶת־בָּנָ֤יו בָּאֵשׁ֙ בְּגֵ֣י בֶן־הִנֹּ֔ם וְעוֹנֵ֤ן וְנִחֵשׁ֙ וְֽכִשֵּׁ֔ף וְעָ֥שָׂה א֖וֹב וְיִדְּעוֹנִ֑י הִרְבָּ֗ה לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת הָרַ֛ע בְּעֵינֵ֥י יְהוָ֖ה לְהַכְעִיסֽוֹ׃
7He took the carved image he had made and set it up in the house of God, of which God had said to David and to his son Solomon, "In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my name forever.
וַיָּ֕שֶׂם אֶת־פֶּ֥סֶל הַסֶּ֖מֶל אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשָׂ֑ה בְּבֵ֣ית הָאֱלֹהִ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֨ר אָמַ֤ר אֱלֹהִים֙ אֶל־דָּוִיד֙ וְאֶל־שְׁלֹמֹ֣ה בְנ֔וֹ בַּבַּ֨יִת הַזֶּ֜ה וּבִֽירוּשָׁלִַ֗ם אֲשֶׁ֤ר בָּחַ֙רְתִּי֙ מִכֹּל֙ שִׁבְטֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אָשִׂ֥ים אֶת־שְׁמִ֖י לְעֵילֽוֹם׃
8I will never again remove Israel from the land I assigned to your fathers, if only they are careful to do all that I commanded them—the whole law, the statutes, and the ordinances given through Moses."
וְלֹ֣א אוֹסִ֗יף לְהָסִיר֙ אֶת־רֶ֣גֶל יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל מֵעַל֙ הֽ͏ָאֲדָמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר הֶֽעֱמַ֖דְתִּי לַאֲבֹֽתֵיכֶ֑ם רַ֣ק ׀ אִם־יִשְׁמְר֣וּ לַעֲשׂ֗וֹת אֵ֚ת כָּל־אֲשֶׁ֣ר צִוִּיתִ֔ים לְכָל־הַתּוֹרָ֛ה וְהַֽחֻקִּ֥ים וְהַמִּשְׁפָּטִ֖ים בְּיַד־מֹשֶֽׁה׃
9But Manasseh led Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem astray, so that they did more evil than the nations the LORD had destroyed before the people of Israel.
וַיֶּ֣תַע מְנַשֶּׁ֔ה אֶת־יְהוּדָ֖ה וְיֹשְׁבֵ֣י יְרוּשָׁלָ֑͏ִם לַעֲשׂ֣וֹת רָ֔ע מִן־הַ֨גּוֹיִ֔ם אֲשֶׁר֙ הִשְׁמִ֣יד יְהוָ֔ה מִפְּנֵ֖י בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ פ
10The LORD spoke to Manasseh and to his people, but they paid no attention.
וַיְדַבֵּ֧ר יְהוָ֛ה אֶל־מְנַשֶּׁ֥ה וְאֶל־עַמּ֖וֹ וְלֹ֥א הִקְשִֽׁיבוּ׃
11So the LORD brought against them the army commanders of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh captive with hooks, bound him with bronze shackles, and carried him off to Babylon.
וַיָּבֵ֨א יְהוָ֜ה עֲלֵיהֶ֗ם אֶת־שָׂרֵ֤י הַצָּבָא֙ אֲשֶׁר֙ לְמֶ֣לֶךְ אַשּׁ֔וּר וַיִּלְכְּד֥וּ אֶת־מְנַשֶּׁ֖ה בַּחֹחִ֑ים וַיַּֽאַסְרֻ֙הוּ֙ בַּֽנְחֻשְׁתַּ֔יִם וַיּוֹלִיכֻ֖הוּ בָּבֶֽלָה׃
12In his distress he sought the favor of the LORD his God and humbled himself deeply before the God of his fathers.
וּכְהָצֵ֣ר ל֔וֹ חִלָּ֕ה אֶת־פְּנֵ֖י יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהָ֑יו וַיִּכָּנַ֣ע מְאֹ֔ד מִלִּפְנֵ֖י אֱלֹהֵ֥י אֲבֹתָֽיו׃
13He prayed to him, and the LORD was moved by his plea and heard his petition. He brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD is God.
וַיִּתְפַּלֵּ֣ל אֵלָ֗יו וַיֵּעָ֤תֶר לוֹ֙ וַיִּשְׁמַ֣ע תְּחִנָּת֔וֹ וַיְשִׁיבֵ֥הוּ יְרוּשָׁלַ֖͏ִם לְמַלְכוּת֑וֹ וַיֵּ֣דַע מְנַשֶּׁ֔ה כִּ֥י יְהוָ֖ה ה֥וּא הָֽאֱלֹהִֽים׃
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 around the Ophel, and he made it very high. He also stationed military commanders in all the fortified cities of Judah.
וְאַחֲרֵי־כֵ֡ן בָּנָ֣ה חוֹמָ֣ה חִֽיצוֹנָ֣ה ׀ לְעִיר־דָּוִ֡יד מַעְרָבָה֩ לְגִיח֨וֹן בַּנַּ֜חַל וְלָב֨וֹא בְשַׁ֤עַר הַדָּגִים֙ וְסָבַ֣ב לָעֹ֔פֶל וַיַּגְבִּיהֶ֖הָ מְאֹ֑ד וַיָּ֧שֶׂם שָֽׂרֵי־חַ֛יִל בְּכָל־הֶעָרִ֥ים הַבְּצֻר֖וֹת בִּיהוּדָֽה׃
15He removed the foreign gods and the image from the house of the LORD, along with all the altars he had built on the temple hill and in Jerusalem, and he threw them outside the city.
וַ֠יָּסַר אֶת־אֱלֹהֵ֨י הַנֵּכָ֤ר וְאֶת־הַסֶּ֙מֶל֙ מִבֵּ֣ית יְהוָ֔ה וְכָל־הַֽמִּזְבְּח֗וֹת אֲשֶׁ֥ר בָּנָ֛ה בְּהַ֥ר בֵּית־יְהוָ֖ה וּבִירוּשָׁלָ֑͏ִם וַיַּשְׁלֵ֖ךְ ח֥וּצָה לָעִֽיר׃
16Then he restored the altar of the LORD and sacrificed fellowship offerings and thank offerings on it, and he told Judah to serve the LORD, the God of Israel.
*ויכן **וַיִּ֙בֶן֙ אֶת־מִזְבַּ֣ח יְהוָ֔ה וַיִּזְבַּ֣ח עָלָ֔יו זִבְחֵ֥י שְׁלָמִ֖ים וְתוֹדָ֑ה וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ לִֽיהוּדָ֔ה לַעֲב֕וֹד אֶת־יְהוָ֖ה אֱלֹהֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
17The people, however, still sacrificed at the high places, though only to the LORD their God.
אֲבָל֙ ע֣וֹד הָעָ֔ם זֹבְחִ֖ים בַּבָּמ֑וֹת רַ֖ק לַיהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵיהֶֽם׃
18The rest of the acts of Manasseh, his prayer to his God, and the words of the seers who spoke to him in the name of the LORD, the God of Israel, are recorded in the annals of the kings of Israel.
וְיֶ֨תֶר דִּבְרֵ֣י מְנַשֶּׁה֮ וּתְפִלָּת֣וֹ אֶל־אֱלֹהָיו֒ וְדִבְרֵי֙ הַֽחֹזִ֔ים הַֽמְדַבְּרִ֣ים אֵלָ֔יו בְּשֵׁ֥ם יְהוָ֖ה אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל הִנָּ֕ם עַל־דִּבְרֵ֖י מַלְכֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
19His prayer and how God was moved by his plea, all his sins and unfaithfulness, and the sites where he built high places and set up the Asherah poles and the idols before he humbled himself—all these are written in the records of the seers.[^1]
[^1]: Or *in the records of Hozai*; the Hebrew word can be read as a personal name.
וּתְפִלָּת֣וֹ וְהֵֽעָתֶר־לוֹ֮ וְכָל־חַטָּאת֣וֹ וּמַעְלוֹ֒ וְהַמְּקֹמ֗וֹת אֲשֶׁר֩ בָּנָ֨ה בָהֶ֤ם בָּמוֹת֙ וְהֶעֱמִיד֙ הָאֲשֵׁרִ֣ים וְהַפְּסִלִ֔ים לִפְנֵ֖י הִכָּנְע֑וֹ הִנָּ֣ם כְּתוּבִ֔ים עַ֖ל דִּבְרֵ֥י חוֹזָֽי׃
20Manasseh rested with his fathers and was buried at his palace. And his son Amon succeeded him as king.
וַיִּשְׁכַּ֤ב מְנַשֶּׁה֙ עִם־אֲבֹתָ֔יו וַֽיִּקְבְּרֻ֖הוּ בֵּית֑וֹ וַיִּמְלֹ֛ךְ אָמ֥וֹן בְּנ֖וֹ תַּחְתָּֽיו׃ פ