Manasseh Reigns over Judah

33 ^(A)Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. ^2 (B)And he did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, according to the abominations of the nations whom Yahweh dispossessed before the sons of Israel. ³ Indeed, ^(C)he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had torn down; and ^(D)he erected altars for the Baals and made ^[a]Asherim, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them. ^4 (E)And he built altars in the house of Yahweh, of which Yahweh had said, “^(F)In Jerusalem My name shall be forever.” ⁵ Indeed, he built altars for all the host of heaven in ^(G)the two courts of the house of Yahweh. ^6 (H)He even made his sons pass through the fire in the valley of Ben-hinnom; and he practiced soothsaying, interpreted omens, practiced sorcery, and ^(I)dealt with mediums and spiritists. He did much that was evil in the sight of Yahweh, provoking Him to anger. ⁷ Then he put ^(J)the graven image of the ^[b]idol, which he had made, in the house of God, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, “^(K)In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever. ⁸ And I will not again remove the foot of Israel from the land ^(L)which I have set up for your fathers, if only they will be careful to do all that I have commanded them according to all the law, the statutes and the judgments given by the hand of Moses.” ⁹ Thus Manasseh led Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem astray in order to do more evil than the nations whom Yahweh destroyed before the sons of Israel.