King Manasseh of Judah
(2 Kings 21.1-92 172 18)1 Manasseh was 12 years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled 55 years from Jerusalem. 2 Manasseh disobeyed the Lord by following the disgusting customs of the nations that the Lord had forced out of Israel. 3 He rebuilt the local shrines that his father Hezekiah had torn down. He built altars for the god Baal and set up sacred poles for worshiping the goddess Asherah. And he continued to worship the stars.
4 In the temple, where only the Lord was supposed to be worshiped, Manasseh built altars for the worship of pagan gods 5 and the stars. He placed these altars in both courtyards of the temple 6-7 and even set up a stone image of a foreign god. Manasseh practiced magic and witchcraft; he asked fortunetellers for advice and sacrificed his own sons in Hinnom Valley. He did many other sinful things and made the Lord very angry.
Years ago, God had told David and Solomon:
Jerusalem is the place I prefer above all others in Israel. It belongs to me, and there in the temple I will be worshiped forever. 8 If my people will faithfully obey all the laws and teaching I gave to my servant Moses, I will never again force them to leave the land I gave to their ancestors.
9 But the people of Judah and Jerusalem listened to Manasseh and did even more sinful things than the nations the Lord had wiped out.
10 The Lord tried to warn Manasseh and the people about their sins, but they ignored the warning. 11 So he let Assyrian army commanders invade Judah and capture Manasseh. They put a hook in his nose and tied him up in chains, and they took him to Babylon. 12 While Manasseh was held captive there, he asked the Lord God to forgive him and to help him. 13 The Lord listened to Manasseh's prayer and saw how sorry he was, and so he let him go back to Jerusalem and rule as king. Manasseh knew from then on that the Lord was God.
14 Later, Manasseh rebuilt the eastern section of Jerusalem's outer wall and made it taller. This section went from Gihon Valley north to Fish Gate and around the part of the city called Mount Ophel. He also assigned army officers to each of the fortified cities in Judah.
15 Manasseh also removed the idols and the stone image of the foreign god from the temple, and he gathered the altars he had built near the temple and in other parts of Jerusalem. He threw all these things outside the city. 16 Then he repaired the Lord's altar and offered sacrifices to thank him and sacrifices to ask his blessing. He gave orders that everyone in Judah must worship the Lord God of Israel. 17 The people obeyed Manasseh, but they worshiped the Lord at their own shrines.
18 Everything else Manasseh did while he was king, including his prayer to the Lord God and the warnings from his prophets, is written in The History of the Kings of Israel. 19 Hozai wrote a lot about Manasseh, including his prayer and God's answer. But Hozai also recorded the evil things Manasseh did before turning back to God, as well as a list of places where Manasseh set up idols, and where he built local shrines and places to worship Asherah. 20 Manasseh died and was buried near the palace, and his son Amon became king.
King Amon of Judah
(2 Kings 21.19-26)21 Amon was 22 years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled from Jerusalem for 2 years. 22 Amon disobeyed the Lord, just as his father Manasseh had done, and he worshiped and offered sacrifices to the idols his father had made. 23 Manasseh had turned back to the Lord, but Amon refused to do that. Instead, he sinned even more than his father.
24 Some of Amon's officials plotted against him and killed him in his palace. 25 But the people of Judah killed the murderers of Amon and made his son Josiah king.
منسى ملك يهوذا
(2مل 21:1-18)1 كانَ منَسَّى ابنَ اثنَتَي عَشْرَةَ سنَةً حينَ ملَكَ، وملَكَ خمسا وخمسينَ سنَةً بأورُشليمَ. 2 وفعَلَ الشَّرَّ في نظَرِ الرّبِّ واتَّبَعَ مَعصياتِ الأُمَمِ الّذينَ طرَدَهُمُ الرّبُّ مِنْ وجهِ بَني إِسرائيلَ. 3 فعادَ وبَنى المَعابِدَ على المُرتَفَعاتِ الّتي كانَ هدَمَها حِزقيَّا أبوهُ، وأقامَ مذابِـحَ لِلبَعلِ، ونصَبَ تَماثيلَ لأشيرةَ، وسجَدَ لِجميعِ كواكِبِ السَّماءِ وعبَدَها. 4 وبَنى مذابِـحَ لِلأصنامِ في الهَيكلِ الّذي قالَ عَنهُ الرّبُّ: «في أورُشليمَ يكونُ اسمي إلى الأبدِ». 5 وبَنى مذابِـحَ لِجميعِ كواكِبِ السَّماءِ في الدَّارَينِ اللَّتَينِ في الهَيكلِ. 6 وأحرَقَ بَنيهِ في النَّارِ في وادي هِنُّومَ قُربانا لِلآلِهَةِ، ومارَسَ العَرافةَ والسِّحرَ والشَّعوَذَةَ، واستَخدَمَ الجانَ والسَّحَرَةَ وأكثَرَ مِنْ فِعلِ الشَّرِّ في نظَرِ الرّبِّ، فأثارَ غضَبَهُ. 7 وأقامَ الصَّنَمَ الّذي صنَعَهُ في الهَيكلِ الّذي قالَ اللهُ عَنهُ لِداوُدَ ولِسليمانَ ابنِهِ: «في هذا الهَيكلِ وفي أورُشليمَ الّتي اختَرتُها مِنْ جميعِ أرضِ بَني إِسرائيلَ أجعَلُ اسمي إلى الأبدِ. 8 ولا أعودُ أُزَحزِحُ قدَمَ بَني إِسرائيلَ عَنِ الأرضِ الّتي أعطَيتُها لآبائِهِم، شَرطَ أن يعمَلوا بِـجميعِ ما أوصَيتُهُم بهِ على لسانِ موسى ويعمَلوا بِكُلِّ ما جاءَ في الشَّريعةِ مِنْ فرائِضَ وأحكامٍ». 9 وضَلَّلَ منَسَّى شعبَ يَهوذا وسُكَّانَ أورُشليمَ، ففَعَلوا مِنَ الشَّرِّ ما كانَ أقبَحَ ممَّا فعَلَتْهُ الأُمَمُ الّذينَ أبادَهُمُ الرّبُّ مِنْ أمامِ بَني إِسرائيلَ. 10 فكَلَّمَ الرّبُّ منَسَّى وشعبَهُ فلم يَسمَعوا، 11 فجَلَبَ الرّبُّ علَيهِم قادَةَ جيشِ مَلِكِ أشُّورَ، فأخَذوا منَسَّى في الأصفادِ وقَيَّدوهُ بِسَلاسلَ مِنْ نُحاسٍ وجاؤوا بهِ إلى بابِلَ. 12 ولما اشتَدَّ علَيهِ الضِّيقُ طلَبَ رِضى الرّبِّ إلهِهِ وإلهِ آبائِهِ، وتضرَّعَ أمامَهُ. 13 وصلَّى إليهِ فاستَجابَ لَه وسَمِعَ لِتَضَرُّعِهِ، ورَدَّهُ إلى أورُشليمَ مَلِكا، فعَلِمَ أنَّ الرّبَّ هوَ الإلهُ.
14 وبَعدَ هذا، أعادَ منَسَّى بِناءَ السُّورِ الخارِجيِّ لِمدينةِ داوُدَ، غربـيَّ جيحونَ في الوادي، باتِّجاهِ مَدخَلِ بابِ السَّمَكِ وسَوَّرَ بهِ مدينةَ عوفَلَ ورفَعَهُ جِدًّا. وعَيَّنَ قادَةَ حربٍ في جميعِ مُدُنِ يَهوذا المُحَصَّنَةِ. 15 وأزالَ الآلِهَةَ الغريـبَةَ مِنَ الهَيكلِ والصَّنَمَ الّذي أقامَهُ هُناكَ، كما أزالَ جميعَ المذابِـحِ الّتي كانَ بَناها في جبَلِ هَيكلِ الرّبِّ وفي أورُشليمَ، وألقى بِهذا كُلِّهِ خارِجَ المدينةِ. 16 ورَمَّمَ مذبَحَ الرّبِّ وقدَّمَ علَيهِ ذبائِـحَ سلامةٍ وشُكْرٍ، وأمرَ شعبَ يَهوذا بأنْ يعبُدوا الرّبَّ إلهَ إِسرائيلَ. 17 وكانَ الشَّعبُ ما يَزالونَ يُقَرِّبونَ ذَبائِحَهُم على المُرتَفَعاتِ، لكِنْ لِلرّبِّ إلهِهِم.
نهاية عهد منسى
18 وما تبَقَّى مِنْ أخبارِ منَسَّى، وصلاتِهِ إلى إلهِهِ، وكلامِ الرَّائينَ الّذينَ كلَّموهُ بِاسمِ الرّبِّ إلهِ إِسرائيلَ، مُدَوَّنٌ في سِفرِ مُلوكِ إِسرائيلَ. 19 وصلاتُهُ والاستِجابةُ لها، وجميعُ خطاياهُ ومَعاصيهِ، والمَواضِعُ الّتي بَنى فيها مذابِـحَ على المُرتَفَعاتِ وأقامَ أنصابا وتَماثيلَ لأشيرةَ، قَبلَ أنْ يَتَّضِعَ أمامَ الرّبِّ، كُلُّ هذا مُدَوَّنٌ في سِفرِ أخبارِ الرَّائينَ. 20 وماتَ منَسَّى ودُفِنَ في حديقةِ قصرِهِ، وملَكَ آمونُ ابنُهُ مكانَهُ.
آمون ملك يهوذا
(2مل 21:19-26)21 وكانَ آمونُ ابنَ اثنَتَينِ وعِشرينَ سنَةً حينَ ملَكَ، وملَكَ سَنَتينِ بأورُشليمَ. 22 وفعَلَ الشَّرَّ في نظَرِ الرّبِّ كما فعَلَ منَسَّى أبوهُ، وقَرَّبَ الذَّبائِـحَ لِجَميعِ الأصنامِ الّتي عَمِلَها أبوهُ وعبَدَها. 23 ولم يَتَّضِعْ آمونُ أمامَ الرّبِّ كما فعَلَ أبوهُ، بل أكثَرَ مِنْ فِعلِ الشَّرِّ. 24 فتآمَرَ علَيهِ رِجالُ حاشيَتِهِ وقَتَلوهُ في قصرِهِ. 25 فقَتلَ شعبُ يَهوذا جميعَ الّذينَ تَـآمروا علَيهِ وقَتَلوهُ، وأقاموا يوشيَّا ابنَهُ مَلِكا مكانَهُ.
