He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight,(A) imitating the detestable practices of the nations that the Lord had dispossessed before the Israelites.(B) He rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had destroyed(C) and reestablished the altars for Baal. He made an Asherah,(D) as King Ahab of Israel had done;(E) he also bowed in worship to all the stars in the sky(F) and served them. He built altars in the Lord’s temple,(G) where the Lord had said, “Jerusalem is where I will put my name.”(H) He built altars to all the stars in the sky(I) in both courtyards of the Lord’s temple.(J) He sacrificed his son in the fire,[a](K) practiced witchcraft and divination, and consulted mediums and spiritists.(L) He did a huge amount of evil in the Lord’s sight, angering him.(M)

Manasseh set up the carved image of Asherah, which he made, in the temple that the Lord had spoken about to David and his son Solomon: “I will establish my name forever in this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.(N)

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Footnotes

  1. 21:6 Lit He made his son pass through the fire

He did evil(A) in the eyes of the Lord, following the detestable practices(B) of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. He rebuilt the high places(C) his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he also erected altars to Baal(D) and made an Asherah pole,(E) as Ahab king of Israel had done. He bowed down to all the starry hosts(F) and worshiped them. He built altars(G) in the temple of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “In Jerusalem I will put my Name.”(H) In the two courts(I) of the temple of the Lord, he built altars to all the starry hosts. He sacrificed his own son(J) in the fire, practiced divination,(K) sought omens, and consulted mediums and spiritists.(L) He did much evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing(M) his anger.

He took the carved Asherah pole(N) he had made and put it in the temple,(O) of which the Lord had said to David and to his son Solomon, “In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my Name(P) forever.

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