2 Kings 21

Bible in Basic English (BBE)

1 Ref Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king; for fifty-five years he was ruling in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Hephzi-bah.

2 Ref He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, copying the disgusting ways of those nations whom the Lord had sent out before the children of Israel.

3 Ref He put up again the high places which had been pulled down by Hezekiah his father; he made altars for Baal, and an Asherah, as Ahab, king of Israel, had done; he was a worshipper and servant of all the stars of heaven.

4 Ref And he put up altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, In Jerusalem will I put my name.

5 Ref And he put up altars for all the stars of heaven in the two outer squares of the house of the Lord.

6 Ref And he made his son go through the fire, and made use of secret arts and signs for reading the future; he gave positions to those who had control of spirits and to wonder-workers; he did much evil in the eyes of the Lord, moving him to wrath.

7 Ref He put the image of Asherah which he had made in the house of which the Lord had said to David and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, the town which I have made mine out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my name for ever.

8 Ref And never again will I send the feet of Israel wandering from the land which I gave to their fathers; if only they will take care to do all my orders, and keep all the law which my servant Moses gave them.

9 Ref But they did not give ear; and Manasseh made them do more evil than those nations did, whom the Lord gave up to destruction before the children of Israel.

10 Ref And the Lord said, by his servants the prophets,

11 Ref Because Manasseh, king of Judah, has done these disgusting things, doing more evil than all the Amorites before him, and making Judah do evil with his false gods,

12 Ref For this cause, says the Lord, the God of Israel, I will send such evil on Jerusalem and Judah that the ears of all to whom the news comes will be burning.

13 Ref And over Jerusalem will be stretched the line of Samaria and the weight of Ahab; Jerusalem will be washed clean as a plate is washed, and turned over on its face.

14 Ref And I will put away from me the rest of my heritage, and give them up into the hands of their haters, who will take their property and their goods for themselves;

15 Ref Because they have done evil in my eyes, moving me to wrath, from the day when their fathers came out of Egypt till this day.

16 Ref More than this, Manasseh took the lives of upright men, till Jerusalem from one end to the other was full of blood; in addition to his sin in making Judah do evil in the eyes of the Lord.

17 Ref Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and all he did, and his sins, are they not recorded in the book of the history of the kings of Judah?

18 Ref So Manasseh went to rest with his fathers, and was put into the earth in the garden of his house, in the garden of Uzza; and Amon his son became king in his place.

19 Ref Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, ruling in Jerusalem for two years; his mother's name was Meshullemeth, the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah.

20 Ref He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, as Manasseh his father had done.

21 He went in all the ways of his father, being a servant and worshipper of the false gods to which his father had been a servant;

22 Ref Turning away from the Lord, the God of his fathers, and not walking in his ways.

23 Ref And the servants of Amon made a secret design against him, and put the king to death in his house.

24 Ref But the people of the land put to death all those who had taken part in the design against the king, and made Josiah his son king in his place.

25 Ref Now the rest of the acts which Amon did, are they not recorded in the book of the history of the kings of Judah?

26 Ref He was put in his last resting-place in the garden of Uzza, and Josiah his son became king in his place.

American Standard-ASV1901 (ASV)

1 Ref Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign; and he reigned five and fifty years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Hephzibah.

2 Ref And he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, after the abominations of the nations whom Jehovah cast out before the children of Israel.

3 Ref For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he reared up altars for Baal, and made an Asherah, as did Ahab king of Israel, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them.

4 Ref And he built altars in the house of Jehovah, whereof Jehovah said, In Jerusalem will I put my name.

5 Ref And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of Jehovah.

6 Ref And he made his son to pass through the fire, and practised augury, and used enchantments, and dealt with them that had familiar spirits, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of Jehovah, to provoke him to anger.

7 Ref And he set the graven image of Asherah, that he had made, in the house of which Jehovah said to David and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever;

8 Ref neither will I cause the feet of Israel to wander any more out of the land which I gave their fathers, if only they will observe to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the law that my servant Moses commanded them.

9 Ref But they hearkened not: and Manasseh seduced them to do that which is evil more than did the nations whom Jehovah destroyed before the children of Israel.

10 Ref And Jehovah spake by his servants the prophets, saying,

11 Ref Because Manasseh king of Judah hath done these abominations, and hath done wickedly above all that the Amorites did, that were before him, and hath made Judah also to sin with his idols;

12 Ref therefore thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, Behold, I bring such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle.

13 Ref And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab; and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down.

14 Ref And I will cast off the remnant of mine inheritance, and deliver them into the hand of their enemies; and they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies;

15 Ref because they have done that which is evil in my sight, and have provoked me to anger, since the day their fathers came forth out of Egypt, even unto this day.

16 Ref Moreover Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; besides his sin wherewith he made Judah to sin, in doing that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah.

17 Ref Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and all that he did, and his sin that he sinned, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

18 Ref And Manasseh slept with his fathers, and was buried in the garden of his own house, in the garden of Uzza: and Amon his son reigned in his stead.

19 Ref Amon was twenty and two years old when he began to reign; and he reigned two years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Meshullemeth the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah.

20 Ref And he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, as did Manasseh his father.

21 And he walked in all the way that his father walked in, and served the idols that his father served, and worshipped them:

22 Ref and he forsook Jehovah, the God of his fathers, and walked not in the way of Jehovah.

23 Ref And the servants of Amon conspired against him, and put the king to death in his own house.

24 Ref But the people of the land slew all them that had conspired against king Amon; and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his stead.

25 Ref Now the rest of the acts of Amon which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

26 Ref And he was buried in his sepulchre in the garden of Uzza: and Josiah his son reigned in his stead.

World English Bible (WEB)

1 Ref Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign; and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Hephzibah.

2 Ref He did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, after the abominations of the nations whom Yahweh cast out before the children of Israel.

3 Ref For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he reared up altars for Baal, and made an Asherah, as did Ahab king of Israel, and worshiped all the host of the sky, and served them.

4 Ref He built altars in the house of Yahweh, of which Yahweh said, In Jerusalem will I put my name.

5 Ref He built altars for all the host of the sky in the two courts of the house of Yahweh.

6 Ref He made his son to pass through the fire, and practiced sorcery, and used enchantments, and dealt with those who had familiar spirits, and with wizards: he worked much evil in the sight of Yahweh, to provoke him to anger.

7 Ref He set the engraved image of Asherah, that he had made, in the house of which Yahweh said to David and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, will I put my name forever;

8 Ref neither will I cause the feet of Israel to wander any more out of the land which I gave their fathers, if only they will observe to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the law that my servant Moses commanded them.

9 Ref But they didn't listen: and Manasseh seduced them to do that which is evil more than did the nations whom Yahweh destroyed before the children of Israel.

10 Ref Yahweh spoke by his servants the prophets, saying,

11 Ref Because Manasseh king of Judah has done these abominations, and has done wickedly above all that the Amorites did, who were before him, and has made Judah also to sin with his idols;

12 Ref therefore thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, Behold, I bring such evil on Jerusalem and Judah, that whoever hears of it, both his ears shall tingle.

13 Ref I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab; and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down.

14 Ref I will cast off the remnant of my inheritance, and deliver them into the hand of their enemies; and they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies;

15 Ref because they have done that which is evil in my sight, and have provoked me to anger, since the day their fathers came forth out of Egypt, even to this day.

16 Ref Moreover Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, until he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; besides his sin with which he made Judah to sin, in doing that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh.

17 Ref Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and all that he did, and his sin that he sinned, aren't they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

18 Ref Manasseh slept with his fathers, and was buried in the garden of his own house, in the garden of Uzza: and Amon his son reigned in his place.

19 Ref Amon was twenty-two years old when he began to reign; and he reigned two years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Meshullemeth the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah.

20 Ref He did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, as did Manasseh his father.

21 He walked in all the way that his father walked in, and served the idols that his father served, and worshiped them:

22 Ref and he forsook Yahweh, the God of his fathers, and didn't walk in the way of Yahweh.

23 Ref The servants of Amon conspired against him, and put the king to death in his own house.

24 Ref But the people of the land killed all those who had conspired against king Amon; and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his place.

25 Ref Now the rest of the acts of Amon which he did, aren't they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

26 Ref He was buried in his tomb in the garden of Uzza: and Josiah his son reigned in his place.

Chapter 21 of 25

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