בֶּן־שְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה מְנַשֶּׁה בְמָלְכוֹ וַחֲמִשִּׁים וְחָמֵשׁ שָׁנָה מָלַךְ בִּירוּשָׁלִָם

Menashe was twelve years old when he became king; he ascended to the throne as a child, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. Menashe’s reign was the longest of all the kings of Israel.

וַיַּעַשׂ הָרַע בְּעֵינֵי ה' כְּתוֹעֲבוֹת הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר הוֹרִישׁ ה' מִפְּנֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל

He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, in accordance with the abominations of the nations that the Lord had dispossessed before the children of Israel. He reverted to the practice of the sins of the Canaanites.

וַיָּשָׁב וַיִּבֶן אֶת־הַבָּמוֹת אֲשֶׁר נִתַּץ יְחִזְקִיָּהוּ אָבִיו וַיָּקֶם מִזְבְּחוֹת לַבְּעָלִים וַיַּעַשׂ אֲשֵׁרוֹת וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ לְכָל־צְבָא הַשָּׁמַיִם וַיַּעֲבֹד אֹתָם

He rebuilt the private shrines erected for the service of God that Yehizkiyahu his father had smashed, and he established new altars for the Be’alim, a far more egregious act, and made images of sacred trees.And he prostrated himself to the entire host of the heavens, and worshipped them.

וּבָנָה מִזְבְּחוֹת בְּבֵית ה'אֲשֶׁר אָמַר ה' בִּירוּשָׁלִַם יִהְיֶה־שְּׁמִי לְעוֹלָם

Furthermore, he built altars for foreign cults in the House of the Lord, in the place of which the Lord said: In Jerusalem My name will be forever.

וַיִּבֶן מִזְבְּחוֹת לְכָל־צְבָא הַשָּׁמָיִם בִּשְׁתֵּי חַצְרוֹת בֵּית־ה'

He built altars for the entire host of the heavens in the two courtyards, the outer courtyard and the inner courtyard, of the House of the Lord.

וְהוּא הֶעֱבִיר אֶת־בָּנָיו בָּאֵשׁ בְּגֵי בֶן־הִנֹּם וְעוֹנֵן וְנִחֵשׁ וְכִשֵּׁף וְעָשָׂה אוֹב וְיִדְּעוֹנִי הִרְבָּה לַעֲשׂוֹת הָרַע בְּעֵינֵי ה' לְהַכְעִיסוֹ

He passed his sons through the fire in the Valley of the Son of Hinom, and he engaged in soothsaying, he sought to predict the future based on the appearance of the clouds or the changing of the seasons, as well as engaging in divination and witchcraft, and dealt with mediums and oracles, raising the spirits of the dead in order to discern the future; he performed much evil in the eyes of the Lord, to anger Him. This is referring mainly to sins of idolatry and related practices, with regard to which he breached all the boundaries of the service of God.

וַיָּשֶׂם אֶת־פֶּסֶל הַסֶּמֶל אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה בְּבֵית הָאֱלֹהִים אֲשֶׁר אָמַר אֱלֹהִים אֶל־דָּוִיד וְאֶל־שְׁלֹמֹה בְנוֹ בַּבַּיִת הַזֶּה וּבִירוּשָׁלִַם אֲשֶׁר בָּחַרְתִּי מִכֹּל שִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אָשִׂים אֶת־שְׁמִי לְעֵילוֹם

He placed the idol of the image that he had made in the House of God, which is the dwelling place of which God had said to David, and to Solomon his son: In this house, and in the city of Jerusalem, which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel, I will place My name forever [le’eilom]. Although le’eilom has the same meaning as le’olam, forever, this is perhaps also a play on words alluding to the idea that sometimes God is hidden [ne’elam] in the world [olam].

וְלֹא אֹסִיף לְהָסִיר אֶת־רֶגֶל יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵעַל הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר הֶעֱמַדְתִּי לאֲבוֹתֵיכֶם רַק אִם־יִשְׁמְרוּ לַעֲשׂוֹת אֵת כָּל־אֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתִים לְכָל־הַתּוֹרָה וְהַחֻקִּים וְהַמִּשְׁפָּטִים בְּיַד־מֹשֶׁה

I will not again remove the foot of Israel from upon the land which I have provided to your fathers to use. Israel will no longer be a nation of nomads, as they were before they came to Canaan, but they will remain on their land. However, this guarantee is conditional: Provided that they take care to perform everything that I commanded them, the entire Torah and the statutes and the ordinances by means of Moses.

וַיֶּתַע מְנַשֶּׁה אֶת־יְהוּדָה וְיֹשְׁבֵי יְרוּשָׁלִָם לַעֲשׂוֹת רָע מִן־הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר הִשְׁמִיד ה' מִפְּנֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל

Menashe led Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem astray, to perform more evil than the nations that the Lord had destroyed from before the children of Israel. Under his baneful influence, their deeds were even worse than those of the Canaanites, since this idolatrous worship was fresh and novel to them, and therefore they were more enthusiastic in their worship than those who had performed these rites for many years; they were more devoted to the pagan idols than the gentiles.

וַיְדַבֵּר ה' אֶל־מְנַשֶּׁה וְאֶל־עַמּוֹ וְלֹא הִקְשִׁיבוּ

The Lord spoke to Menashe by means of His prophets, and He delivered words of rebuke to His people, but they did not listen.

וַיָּבֵא ה' עֲלֵיהֶם אֶת־שָׂרֵי הַצָּבָא אֲשֶׁר לְמֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר וַיִּלְכְּדוּ אֶת־מְנַשֶּׁה בַּחֹחִים וַיַּאַסְרֻהוּ בַּנְחֻשְׁתַּיִם וַיּוֹלִיכֻהוּ בָּבֶלָה

The Lord brought upon them the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria. This does not appear to have been a large-scale war, nor does it seem that the king of Assyria sought to destroy Menashe. Rather, the ministers whom the Assyrian king had appointed over Samaria and its environs decided on their own to set out on a limited offensive campaign, which turned out to be very successful. God brought against the king those captains, and they captured Menashe with fetters, or rings, with which animals are led. They placed these rings around the king’s neck, both in order to hold him firmly captive and also to humiliate him. And they bound him in shackles, and led him to Babylon, for him to give a reckoning before the king of Assyria.

וּכְהָצֵר לוֹ חִלָּה אֶת־פְּנֵי ה' אֱלֹהָיו וַיִּכָּנַע מְאֹד מִלִּפְנֵי אֱלֹהֵי אֲבֹתָיו

In his distress, he came to realize that he could rely only upon his Father in Heaven. Therefore, he implored the Lord his God, and utterly humbled himself before the God of his fathers.

וַיִּתְפַּלֵּל אֵלָיו וַיֵּעָתֶר לוֹ וַיִּשְׁמַע תְּחִנָּתוֹ וַיְשִׁיבֵהוּ יְרוּשָׁלִַם לְמַלְכוּתוֹ וַיֵּדַע מְנַשֶּׁה כִּי ה' הוּא הָאֱלֹהִים

He prayed to Him, and He acceded to his entreaty; God accepted his prayer and heard his supplication, and returned him to Jerusalem to his kingdom. Menashe knew that the Lord, He is God. Ultimately, the king repented and returned to God.

וְאַחֲרֵי־כֵן בָּנָה חוֹמָה חִיצוֹנָה לְעִיר־דָּוִיד מַעְרָבָה לְגִיחוֹן בַּנַּחַל וְלָבוֹא בְשַׁעַר הַדָּגִים וְסָבַב לָעֹפֶל וַיַּגְבִּיהֶהָ מְאֹד וַיָּשֶׂם שָׂרֵי־חַיִל בְּכָל־הֶעָרִים הַבְּצֻרוֹת בִּיהוּדָה

Another detail is provided about King Menashe that is not mentioned elsewhere in the Bible: Thereafter he, Menashe, built an outer wall to the City of David, west of Gihon, in the ravine. This was an additional wall around Jerusalem, of which nothing remains today; it was probably designed to enclose another part of the city and reached the area which is nowadays known as Mount Zion. This wall was approaching the Fish Gate and going around the wall to the Ofel, a fortress or an elevated, fortified area, and Menashe greatly elevated it, the wall. He placed military commanders in all the fortified cities of Judah.

וַיָּסַר אֶת־אֱלֹהֵי הַנֵּכָר וְאֶת־הַסֶּמֶל מִבֵּית ה' וְכָל־הַמִּזְבְּחוֹת אֲשֶׁר בָּנָה בְּהַר בֵּית־ה' וּבִירוּשָׁלִָם וַיַּשְׁלֵךְ חוּצָה לָעִיר

He, Menashe, after having repented, removed the strange gods and the image from the House of the Lord, and all the altars that he had built on the mountain of the House of the Lord, and in Jerusalem, and cast them outside the city.

וַיִּבֶן אֶת־מִזְבַּח ה' וַיִּזְבַּח עָלָיו זִבְחֵי שְׁלָמִים וְתוֹדָה וַיֹּאמֶר לִיהוּדָה לַעֲבוֹד אֶת־ה' אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל

He built the altar of the Lord, and slaughtered upon it peace offerings and thanks offerings, and commanded Judah to worship the Lord, God of Israel. He repented from his former behavior and instructed others to do the same.

אֲבָל עוֹד הָעָם זֹבְחִים בַּבָּמוֹת רַק לַה' אֱלֹהֵיהֶם

But even after the king returned to God, the people continued to slaughter at the private shrines, albeit to the Lord their God. Menashe lacked the power to restore the service of God to the only legitimate center of worship in Jerusalem, as his father Hizkiya had successfully done.

וְיֶתֶר דִּבְרֵי מְנַשֶּׁה וּתְפִלָּתוֹ אֶל־אֱלֹהָיו וְדִבְרֵי הַחֹזִים הַמְדַבְּרִים אֵלָיו בְּשֵׁם ה' אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הִנָּם עַל־דִּבְרֵי מַלְכֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל

The rest of the deeds of Menashe, and his prayer to his God, and the words of the seers, the prophets, who spoke to him in the name of the Lord, God of Israel, behold, they are written and described in detail among the deeds of the kings of Israel.

וּתְפִלָּתוֹ וְהֵעָתֶר לוֹ וכָל־חַטָּאתוֹ וּמַעְלוֹ וְהַמְּקֹמוֹת אֲשֶׁר בָּנָה בָהֶם בָּמוֹת וְהֶעֱמִיד הָאֲשֵׁרִים וְהַפְּסִלִים לִפְנֵי הִכָּנְעוֹ הִנָּם כְּתוּבִים עַל דִּבְרֵי חוֹזָי

His, Menashe’s, prayer that He acceded to him, accepted, and also, in contrast, all his sins and his trespasses, the places where he built shrines and positioned the sacred trees and the idols before he humbled himself, all these, behold, they are written in the words of My seers, prophets. These matters are recorded in several books written by the prophets of God.

וַיִּשְׁכַּב מְנַשֶּׁה עִם־אֲבֹתָיו וַיִּקְבְּרֻהוּ בֵּיתוֹ וַיִּמְלֹךְ אָמוֹן בְּנוֹ תַּחְתָּיו

Menashe lay with his fathers, and they buried him in his own house. Since he was held in lesser regard toward the end of his days, he was not buried in the tombs of the kings. Amon his son reigned in his stead.

בֶּן־עֶשְׂרִים וּשְׁתַּיִם שָׁנָה אָמוֹן בְּמָלְכוֹ וּשְׁתַּיִם שָׁנִים מָלַךְ בִּירוּשָׁלִָם

Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem.

וַיַּעַשׂ הָרַע בְּעֵינֵי ה' כַּאֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה מְנַשֶּׁה אָבִיו וּלְכָל־הַפְּסִילִים אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה מְנַשֶּׁה אָבִיו זִבַּח אָמוֹן וַיַּעַבְדֵם

He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, like his father Menashe had done; Amon slaughtered offerings to all the idols that Menashe his father had made, and he served them. Amon continued in his father’s path, but not from where his penitent father had left off, as described above. Rather, Amon followed Menashe’s previous sinful ways.

וְלֹא נִכְנַע מִלִּפְנֵי ה' כְּהִכָּנַע מְנַשֶּׁה אָבִיו כִּי הוּא אָמוֹן הִרְבָּה אַשְׁמָה

He did not humble himself before the Lord, as Menashe his father had humbled himself, rather, Amon incurred much guilt. Although he did not live a long life, Amon’s sins were even more severe than those of his father. The Sages offer various traditions or speculations with regard to the most repulsive sins committed by Amon.

וַיִּקְשְׁרוּ עָלָיו עֲבָדָיו וַיְמִיתֻהוּ בְּבֵיתוֹ

His servants conspired against him, and put him to death in his house.

וַיַּכּוּ עַם־הָאָרֶץ אֵת כָּל־הַקֹּשְׁרִים עַל־הַמֶּלֶךְ אָמוֹן וַיַּמְלִיכוּ עַם־הָאָרֶץ אֶת־יֹאשִׁיָּהוּ בְנוֹ תַּחְתָּיו

But afterward, the people of the land smote all the conspirators against King Amon. Perhaps King Amon’s deeds had been so outrageous that they led certain men to rebel and assassinate him. However, the people still supported the kingdom of David, and therefore the people of the land crowned Yoshiyahu his son king in his stead. Yoshiyahu would be the last great king of the Kingdom of Judah, and, it follows, of the remnant of Israel.