Manasseh Rules Judah

21 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king. And he ruled fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. ² Manasseh did what was sinful in the eyes of the Lord. He did the sinful things that were done by the nations whom the Lord drove out from the people of Israel. ³ He built again the high places which his father Hezekiah had destroyed. He built altars for Baal and made an object out of wood to worship the false goddess Asherah. He did as Ahab king of Israel had done. He worshiped all the stars of heaven and served them. ⁴ He built altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “In Jerusalem I will put My name.” ⁵ Manasseh built altars for all the stars of heaven in the two open spaces of the Lord’s house. ⁶ He gave his son as a burnt gift, used witchcraft and told the future. He listened to those who spoke with spirits and used their secret ways. He did things that were very sinful in the eyes of the Lord, and made the Lord angry. ⁷ Then Manasseh put the object he had made for Asherah into the house of the Lord. But the Lord had said to David and to his son Solomon, “I have chosen this house and Jerusalem from all the families of Israel. Here I will put My name forever. ⁸ I will not make the feet of Israel travel any more from the land I gave to their fathers. But they must obey all that I have told them, and all the Law that My servant Moses told to them.” ⁹ But they did not listen. Manasseh led them to sin more than the nations whom the Lord destroyed from in front of the people of Israel.

¹⁰ Now the Lord spoke through His servants who tell what will happen in the future. He said, ¹¹ “Manasseh king of Judah has done these sinful things. He has sinned more than all the Amorites who were before him. And he has made Judah sin with his false gods. Because he has done this, ¹² the Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘See, I am bringing such trouble upon Jerusalem and Judah, that the ears of whoever hears it will be painful. ¹³ I will punish Jerusalem as I did Samaria and as I did the family of Ahab. I will dry Jerusalem as one dries a dish, rubbing it and turning it upside-down. ¹⁴ I will leave alone all who are left of My people, and give them to those who hate them. They will become something taken after the battle by those who fight against them. ¹⁵ Because they have done what is bad in My eyes. They have been making Me angry since the day their fathers came from Egypt until this day.’”

¹⁶ Manasseh killed many who were without guilt. He filled Jerusalem with blood from one end to another. He sinned and made Judah sin, by doing what is sinful in the eyes of the Lord. ¹⁷ Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh and his sins are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah. ¹⁸ Manasseh died and was buried in the garden of his own house, in the garden of Uzza. And his son Amon became king in his place.

Amon Rules Judah

¹⁹ Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king. He ruled for two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Meshullemeth the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah. ²⁰ Amon did what was sinful in the eyes of the Lord, as his father Manasseh had done. ²¹ He walked in all the ways that his father had walked. He worshiped false gods like his father had. ²² So he turned away from the Lord, the God of his fathers. He did not walk in the way of the Lord. ²³ And the servants of Amon made plans against him, and killed the king in his own house. ²⁴ Then the people of the land killed all those who had made plans against King Amon. And they made Josiah his son king in his place. ²⁵ Now the rest of the acts of Amon are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah. ²⁶ He was buried in his grave in the garden of Uzza. And his son Josiah became king in his place.

Josiah Rules Judah

22 Josiah was eight years old when he became king. He ruled for thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath. ² Josiah did what is right in the eyes of the Lord. He walked in all the way of his father David. He did not turn aside to the right or to the left.

Hilkiah Finds the Book of the Law

³ In the eighteenth year of King Josiah, the king sent Shaphan the writer, the son of Azaliah, son of Meshullam, to the house of the Lord. He said, ⁴ “Go up to Hilkiah the head religious leader, that he may add up the money brought into the Lord’s house which the door-keepers have gathered from the people. ⁵ Let the money be given to the workmen who are watching over the work on the Lord’s house. And let them give it to the workmen who are doing the work on the Lord’s house. ⁶ Have them pay the builders and the men who work with wood and with stone. Have them use it for buying wood and cut stone needed to work on the house. ⁷ But do not make them tell you how the money was spent that was given to them. For they are honest men.”

⁸ Then Hilkiah the head religious leader said to Shaphan the writer, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it. ⁹ Then Shaphan the writer came to the king and told him, “Your servants have taken all the money found in the house. And they have given it to the workmen who are watching over the work on the Lord’s house.” ¹⁰ Then Shaphan the writer told the king, “Hilkiah the religious leader has given me a book.” And Shaphan read it in front of the king. ¹¹ When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes. ¹² Then he told Hilkiah the religious leader, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Achbor the son of Micaiah, Shaphan the writer, and Asaiah the king’s servant, ¹³ “Go, ask the Lord for me and all Judah about the words of this book that has been found. For the Lord is very angry with us, because our fathers have not listened to the words of this book. They have not done all that is written for us to do.”

¹⁴ So Hilkiah the religious leader, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan and Asaiah went to Huldah the woman who spoke for God. She was the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, son of Harhas, and watched over the clothes of the house. (She lived in the Second Part of Jerusalem.) They spoke to her. ¹⁵ She said to them, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says. Tell the man who sent you to me ¹⁶ that the Lord says, ‘See, I will bring trouble upon this place and upon its people. All the words of the book which the king of Judah has read will come true ¹⁷ because they have turned away from Me and have burned special perfume to other gods. They have made Me angry with all the work of their hands. So My anger burns against this place, and it will not be stopped.’ ¹⁸ But tell the king of Judah who sent you to ask of the Lord, ‘This is what the Lord God of Israel says about the words you have heard. ¹⁹ “You heard how I spoke against this place and against its people. I said that they should be destroyed and laid waste. They should be hated and destroyed. But when you heard this, you were sorry in your heart. You put away your pride before the Lord. You have torn your clothes and cried before Me, and I have heard you,” says the Lord. ²⁰ “So I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace. Your eyes will not see all the trouble which I will bring upon this place.”’” So they returned to the king and told him what was said.