منسى ملك يهوذا
(2أخ 33:1-10،2أخ 18-20)1 كانَ منَسَّى ابنَ اثنَتَي عَشْرَةَ سَنةً حينَ ملَكَ، ودامَ مُلْكُهُ خمسا وخمسينَ سَنةً بأورُشليمَ. واسمُ أمِّهِ حَفصيـبةُ. 2 وفعَلَ الشَّرَّ في نظَرِ الرّبِّ، فمارَسَ رَجاساتِ الأمَمِ الّذينَ طرَدَهُمُ الرّبُّ مِنْ وجهِ بَني إِسرائيلَ. 3 وعادَ فبَنى على المُرتَفعاتِ تِلكَ المَعابِدَ الّتي هدَمَها حَزَقيَّا أبوهُ، وأقامَ مذابحَ لِلبَعلِ، ونصَبَ تِمثالا لأشيرةَ كما فعَلَ أخابُ مَلِكُ إِسرائيلَ، وسجَدَ لِكواكِبِ السَّماءِ وعبَدَها. 4 وبَنى مذابِـحَ وثَنيَّةً في هَيكلِ الرّبِّ، وهوَ المكانُ الّذي قالَ عَنهُ الرّبُّ: «في أورُشليمَ أجعَلُ اسمي». 5 وبَنى مذابِـحَ لِكواكِبِ السَّماءِ في ساحتَيِّ الهَيكلِ. 6 وأحرقَ ابنَهُ في النَّارِ قُربانا لِلبَعلِ، ومارسَ العَرافَةَ والسِّحرَ، وآمَنَ بِالشَّعوَذَةِ والعَرافَةِ، وأكثَرَ مِنْ فِعْلِ الشَّرِّ في نظَرِ الرّبِّ لإغاظَتِهِ. 7 وأقامَ تِمثالَ عَشتَروتَ في الهَيكلِ، وهوَ الّذي قالَ الرّبُّ عَنهُ لِداوُدَ وسُليمانَ ابنِهِ: «في هذا الهَيكلِ وفي أورُشليمَ الّتي اختَرتُها مِنْ جميعِ مُدُنِ أسباطِ إِسرائيلَ أجعَلُ اسمي إلى الأبدِ. 8 ولا أعودُ أُزَعزِعُ قدَمَ إِسرائيلَ مِنَ الأرضِ الّتي وهَبْت لآبائِكُم، على أنْ يَحفَظوا جميعَ ما أوصَيتُهُم ويعمَلوا بهِ وبِـجميعِ أحكامِ الشَّريعةِ الّتي أمرَهُم بِها عبدي موسى». 9 فلم يَسمَعوا بل أغواهُم منَسَّى، فعَمِلوا ما هوَ أقبَحُ مِنَ الشُّرورِ الّتي عَمِلَها الأمَمُ الّذينَ أبادَهُمُ الرّبُّ مِنْ وجهِ بَني إِسرائيلَ.
10 فقالَ الرّبُّ على ألسِنَةِ عبـيدِهِ الأنبـياءِ: 11 لأنَّ منَسَّى مَلِكَ يَهوذا فعَلَ الأرجاسَ، وعَمِلَ أسوأَ مِما عَمِلَهُ الأموريُّونَ قَبلَهُ، ولأنَّهُ جعَلَ شعبَ يَهوذا يَخطَأُ بِــعِبادةِ الأصنامِ، 12 لِذلِكَ أقولُ أنا الرّبُّ إلهُ إِسرائيلَ: ها أنا جالِبٌ على أورُشليمَ ويَهوذا شَرًّا يَصعَقُ الآذانَ، 13 وأُعاقِبُ أورُشليمَ كما عاقَبْتُ السَّامِرةَ وبَيتَ أخابَ فأمسَحُها كما يُمسَحُ الصَّحنُ ويُقلَبُ بَعدَ مَسْحِهِ رأْسا على عَقِبٍ. 14 وأتخَلَّى عَنْ بَقيَّةِ شعبـي وأُسَلِّمُهُم إلى أعدائِهِم، ويكونونَ فريسةً وغَنيمةً لِجميعِ خُصومِهِم. 15 لأنَّهُم فعَلوا الشَّرَّ في نظَري وأغاظوني، مُنذُ خرَجَ آباؤُهُم مِنْ مِصْرَ إلى هذا اليومِ».
16 ثُمَّ إنَّ منَسَّى سفَكَ الكثيرَ مِنَ الدَّمِ البَريءِ، حتّى مَلأَ أورُشليمَ كُلَّها، فأضافَ بِذلِكَ إلى خطيئَتِهِ الّتي جعَلَ بِها شعبَ يَهوذا يَخطأونَ ويفعَلونَ الشَّرَّ في نظَرِ الرّبِّ.
17 وما بَقيَ مِنْ أخبارِ منَسَّى وأعمالِهِ وخطاياهُ، مُدَوَّنٌ في سِفْرِ أخبارِ الأيّامِ لِمُلوكِ يَهوذا. 18 وماتَ منَسَّى ودُفِنَ في بُستانِ بَيتِهِ، بُستانِ عُزَّا، وملَكَ آمونُ ابنُهُ مكانَهُ.
آمون يخلف منسى
(2أخ 33:21-25)19 وكانَ آمونُ ابنَ اثنَتَينِ وعشرينَ سَنةً حينَ ملَكَ، ودامَ مُلْكُهُ سنَتَينِ بِأورُشليمَ، واسمُ أُمِّهِ مَشُلَّمَةُ بِنتُ حاروصَ مِنْ يَطْبَةَ. 20 وفعَلَ الشَّرَّ في نظَرِ الرّبِّ، كأبـيهِ منَسَّى. 21 واقتَدى بِأبـيهِ في كُلِّ أفعالِهِ، فعَبدَ الأصنامَ وسجدَ لها. 22 وترَكَ الرّبَّ إلهَ آبائِهِ ولم يَسلُكْ في طريقِهِ. 23 وثارَ علَيهِ رِجالُ حاشيتِهِ وقتَلوهُ في بَيتِهِ، 24 فقَتَلَ شعبُ يَهوذا جميعَ الّذينَ ثاروا علَيهِ وأقاموا يوشيَّا ابنَهُ مَلِكا مكانَهُ. 25 وما بَقيَ مِنْ أخبارِ آمونَ وأعمالِهِ مُدَوَّنٌ في سِفْرِ أخبارِ الأيّامِ لِمُلوكِ يَهوذا. 26 ودُفِنَ في قبرِهِ، في بُستانِ عُزَّا، وملَكَ يوشيَّا ابنُهُ مكانَهُ.
King Manasseh of Judah
(2 Chronicles 33.1-20)1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for fifty-five years. His mother was Hephzibah. 2 Following the disgusting practices of the nations whom the Lord had driven out of the land as his people advanced, Manasseh sinned against the Lord. 3 He rebuilt the pagan places of worship that his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he built altars for the worship of Baal and made an image of the goddess Asherah, as King Ahab of Israel had done. Manasseh also worshiped the stars. 4 He built pagan altars in the Temple, the place that the Lord had said was where he should be worshiped. 5 In the two courtyards of the Temple he built altars for the worship of the stars. 6 He sacrificed his son as a burnt offering. He practiced divination and magic and consulted fortunetellers and mediums. He sinned greatly against the Lord and stirred up his anger. 7 He placed the symbol of the goddess Asherah in the Temple, the place about which the Lord had said to David and his son Solomon: “Here in Jerusalem, in this Temple, is the place that I have chosen out of all the territory of the twelve tribes of Israel as the place where I am to be worshiped. 8 And if the people of Israel will obey all my commands and keep the whole Law that my servant Moses gave them, then I will not allow them to be driven out of the land that I gave to their ancestors.” 9 But the people of Judah did not obey the Lord, and Manasseh led them to commit even greater sins than those committed by the nations whom the Lord had driven out of the land as his people advanced.
10 Through his servants the prophets the Lord said, 11 “King Manasseh has done these disgusting things, things far worse than what the Canaanites did; and with his idols he has led the people of Judah into sin. 12 So I, the Lord God of Israel, will bring such a disaster on Jerusalem and Judah that everyone who hears about it will be stunned. 13 I will punish Jerusalem as I did Samaria, as I did King Ahab of Israel and his descendants. I will wipe Jerusalem clean of its people, as clean as a plate that has been wiped and turned upside down. 14 I will abandon the people who survive, and will hand them over to their enemies, who will conquer them and plunder their land. 15 I will do this to my people because they have sinned against me and have stirred up my anger from the time their ancestors came out of Egypt to this day.”
16 Manasseh killed so many innocent people that the streets of Jerusalem were flowing with blood; he did this in addition to leading the people of Judah into idolatry, causing them to sin against the Lord.
17 Everything else that Manasseh did, including the sins he committed, is recorded in The History of the Kings of Judah. 18 Manasseh died and was buried in the palace garden, the garden of Uzza, and his son Amon succeeded him as king.
King Amon of Judah
(2 Chronicles 33.21-25)19 Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for two years. His mother was Meshullemeth, the daughter of Haruz from the town of Jotbah. 20 Like his father Manasseh, he sinned against the Lord; 21 he imitated his father's actions, and he worshiped the idols that his father had worshiped. 22 He rejected the Lord, the God of his ancestors, and disobeyed the Lord's commands.
23 Amon's officials plotted against him and assassinated him in the palace. 24 The people of Judah killed Amon's assassins and made his son Josiah king.
25 Everything else that Amon did is recorded in The History of the Kings of Judah. 26 Amon was buried in the tomb in the garden of Uzza, and his son Josiah succeeded him as king.
