2 Kings 21:3-15 — Legacy Standard Bible

³Indeed, ^ahe rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and ^bhe erected altars for Baal and made an ¹Asherah, as Ahab king of Israel had done, and ^cworshiped all the host of heaven and served them. ⁴^aAnd he built altars in the house of Yahweh, of which Yahweh had said, “^bIn Jerusalem I will put My name.” ⁵Indeed, he built altars for ^aall the host of heaven in ^bthe two courts of the house of Yahweh. ⁶^aHe even made his son pass through the fire, ^bpracticed soothsaying and interpreted omens, and dealt with mediums and spiritists. He did much that was evil in the sight of Yahweh provoking Him to anger. ⁷Then ^ahe put the graven image of Asherah, which he had made, in the house of which Yahweh had said to David and to Solomon his son, “^bIn this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever. ⁸“And I ^awill not make the foot of Israel wander anymore from the land which I gave their fathers, if only they will be careful to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the law that My servant Moses commanded them.” ⁹But they did not listen, and Manasseh ^aled them astray in order to do more evil than the nations whom Yahweh destroyed before the sons of Israel.

Yahweh Brings Calamity on Israel

¹⁰Then Yahweh spoke by the hand of His slaves the prophets, saying, ¹¹“^aBecause Manasseh king of Judah has done these abominations—^bhe has done evil more than all the Amorites did who were before him—and ^chas also made Judah sin ^dwith his idols, ¹²therefore thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I am bringing such calamity on Jerusalem and Judah, that whoever hears of it, ^aboth his ears will tingle. ¹³‘^aAnd I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria and the level of the house of Ahab, and I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish—he wipes it and turns it upside down. ¹⁴‘And I will abandon the remnant of My inheritance and give them into the hand of their enemies, and they will become as plunder and spoil to all their enemies; ¹⁵because they have done what is evil in My sight, and have been provoking Me to anger since the day their fathers came out of Egypt, even to this day.’”