King Manasseh of Judah
(2 Kings 21.1-92 172 18)1 Manasseh was 12 years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled 55 years from Jerusalem. 2 Manasseh disobeyed the Lord by following the disgusting customs of the nations that the Lord had forced out of Israel. 3 He rebuilt the local shrines that his father Hezekiah had torn down. He built altars for the god Baal and set up sacred poles for worshiping the goddess Asherah. And he continued to worship the stars.
4 In the temple, where only the Lord was supposed to be worshiped, Manasseh built altars for the worship of pagan gods 5 and the stars. He placed these altars in both courtyards of the temple 6-7 and even set up a stone image of a foreign god. Manasseh practiced magic and witchcraft; he asked fortunetellers for advice and sacrificed his own sons in Hinnom Valley. He did many other sinful things and made the Lord very angry.
Years ago, God had told David and Solomon:
Jerusalem is the place I prefer above all others in Israel. It belongs to me, and there in the temple I will be worshiped forever. 8 If my people will faithfully obey all the laws and teaching I gave to my servant Moses, I will never again force them to leave the land I gave to their ancestors.
9 But the people of Judah and Jerusalem listened to Manasseh and did even more sinful things than the nations the Lord had wiped out.
10 The Lord tried to warn Manasseh and the people about their sins, but they ignored the warning. 11 So he let Assyrian army commanders invade Judah and capture Manasseh. They put a hook in his nose and tied him up in chains, and they took him to Babylon. 12 While Manasseh was held captive there, he asked the Lord God to forgive him and to help him. 13 The Lord listened to Manasseh's prayer and saw how sorry he was, and so he let him go back to Jerusalem and rule as king. Manasseh knew from then on that the Lord was God.
14 Later, Manasseh rebuilt the eastern section of Jerusalem's outer wall and made it taller. This section went from Gihon Valley north to Fish Gate and around the part of the city called Mount Ophel. He also assigned army officers to each of the fortified cities in Judah.
15 Manasseh also removed the idols and the stone image of the foreign god from the temple, and he gathered the altars he had built near the temple and in other parts of Jerusalem. He threw all these things outside the city. 16 Then he repaired the Lord's altar and offered sacrifices to thank him and sacrifices to ask his blessing. He gave orders that everyone in Judah must worship the Lord God of Israel. 17 The people obeyed Manasseh, but they worshiped the Lord at their own shrines.
18 Everything else Manasseh did while he was king, including his prayer to the Lord God and the warnings from his prophets, is written in The History of the Kings of Israel. 19 Hozai wrote a lot about Manasseh, including his prayer and God's answer. But Hozai also recorded the evil things Manasseh did before turning back to God, as well as a list of places where Manasseh set up idols, and where he built local shrines and places to worship Asherah. 20 Manasseh died and was buried near the palace, and his son Amon became king.
King Amon of Judah
(2 Kings 21.19-26)21 Amon was 22 years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled from Jerusalem for 2 years. 22 Amon disobeyed the Lord, just as his father Manasseh had done, and he worshiped and offered sacrifices to the idols his father had made. 23 Manasseh had turned back to the Lord, but Amon refused to do that. Instead, he sinned even more than his father.
24 Some of Amon's officials plotted against him and killed him in his palace. 25 But the people of Judah killed the murderers of Amon and made his son Josiah king.
Mambo Manase we Juda
(2 Bomambo 21:1-9)1 Manase wakabe ana makole ali gumi lina makole mabili (12) tjibaka tjaakatangisa busa, wakabusa kwe makole ali makumi mashanu ana makole mashanu (55) mu Jerusalema. 2 Wakathama mbipo mumesho a Yahwe, etobela zwiyito zwakabipa zwe zwitjaba zwakabe zwatatiwa na Yahwe bezwitatila kutjena ne Baiziraela. 3 Wakamusa magalo apezhugwi akabe akolomogwa ndi tate babe Hezekiya kakale kamusa zwibeso zwa bo Bhaale, kamisa phanda dze ndzimukadzi Ashera, kanamata zose zwe zhuzhugwi. 4 Wakabaka zwibeso zwe midzimu mu Ng'umba ya Yahwe, ipo Yahwe pa bakati, “Zina langu lowogalila tjatjose mu Jerusalema.” 5 Mu zwibata nge bubili zwe Ng'umba ya Yahwe wakabaka zwibeso kuti kuthigamigwe midzimu ye nyenyedzi 6 Wakapisa bakololo babe ebathama zwibhayilo mu nkuku we nkololo wa Hinomi, kathama mishingo ye malipa neye midzimu eshinga ne mashabi ne baloyi. Wakathama mbipo isi shoma mu mesho a Yahwe ngono kathama kuti bazhale bushongola. 7 Wakabiga ifano tje ndzimu wakabezhiwa mu Ng'umba ye Ndzimu, iyo Ndzimu yawakadwa Dafite na Solomoni nkololo uwe uti, “Mu Ng'umba iyeyi, ne mu Jerusalema iyo yandakashalula mu zwitjaba zose zwe Iziraela, ndowobiga zina langu muili nge kusingapele, 8 kakale anditowothama kuti Baiziraela babhude mu shango yandakapa bobatategulu babo, koga ha bangabe ne njele bakalondolodza tjandakababudza kakale bakalondolodza milayo yabapiwa ne nlanda wangu Mushe.” 9 Koga Manase kapambusa bathu be Juda ne bagali be Jerusalema, bakathama bubi gunopinda gwe zwitjaba izo Yahwe zwabakalobesa mbeli kwe bathu be Iziraela.
Manase unoshandukila milandu iye
10 Ngono Yahwe bakalebeleka na Manase ne bathu babe koga bakasiteedze. 11 Ndizo Yahwe bakazhisa balauli be babhayani be ngwa ya mambo we Asiriya bakabhata Manase nge zwiweko ngono bakansunga nge ketani dze phangula ngono bakan'yisa ku Bhabhiloni. 12 Mukudziyidzika kukwe kazwiyisa pasi ngono kashandukila kuna Yahwe Ndzimu uwe kakumbila bhatsho. 13 Wakabatembezela, ngono Yahwe bakahwa tjililo tjitje ne kukumbila kukwe ngono bakan'yisa kakale ku Jerusalema ku mbuso uwe. Ipapo Manase kaziba kuti Yahwe Ndzimu.
14 Shule kwa ikoku Manase kabaka guma litja kuzhe kwe nzi nkulu wa Dafite kapapha bulefu gwe guma litja kuzhe le nzi nkulu wa Dafite kunomila zhuba kwe Gihoni ku nkuku kunoti ku Nkoba we Hwobe ngono kalipoteledza Ofele. Kabiga balauli be babhayani mu mizi ye matizhilo mu Juda. 15 Kadusa midzimu ne ifano tjaakabe abiga mu Ng'umba ya Yahwe kakolomola kose ne zwibeso zwaakabe abaka mu duthu lakabe lili ilo lakabakwa Ng'umba ya Yahwe ne zwimwe mu magalo mamwe mu Jerusalema, katola zwithu izwezwi zose kanozwilashila kuzhe kwe nzi nkulu. 16 Kudwapo kamusa tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo tja Yahwe ngono kadusila zwibhayilo mutjili zwili zwibhayilo zwe mbakisano ne zwe mboko ngono kalaula Juda kuti bashingile Yahwe Ndzimu we Iziraela. 17 Ne kwakajalo bathu ibo bakadwilila koga bedusila zwibhayilo mu magalo a pezhugwi koga bepisila Yahwe Ndzimu wabo.
Bhelelo le mbuso wa Manase
(2 Bomambo 21:17-18)18 Zose zwe mishingo ya Manase ne ntembezelo uwe ku Ndzimu ne matama e balebesambeli bakabe belebeleka naye mu zina la Yahwe Ndzimu we Iziraela zose zwakakwagwa mu Zwiyitikalo zwabo Mambo be Iziraela. 19 Ntembezelo uwe ne Ndzimu sekwa wakadabila ntembezelo uwe ndiko ne ndongoloso ye jinyo laakathama asathu ashanduka, mbipo yose yaakathama ne magalo a pezhugwi aakabaka ne zwifano zwe ndzimukadzi Ashera zwaakathama kuti zwithigamigwe zose zwakakwagwa mu Thawu dze Balebesambeli. 20 Manase kafa, kabiganyiwa mu ng'umba ye bushe ngono nkololo uwe Amoni kan'gala thaka.
Mambo Amoni we Juda
(2 Bomambo 21:19-26)21 Amoni wakabe ana makole ali makumi mabili (22) tjibaka tjaakatangisa busa, wakabusa makole ali mabili mu Jerusalema. 22 Wakathama mbipo mbeli kwa Yahwe, sa tate babe Manase. Amoni wakabe ethigamila kakale edusila midzimu yakabe yathamwa ndi Manase zwibhayilo. 23 Koga iye aazothama sa tate babe, azozwiyisa pasi mbeli kwa Yahwe kene kuli kushandukila ku bali. Wakabe mbi kupinda tate babe.
24 Balanda ba Amoni bakan'lukila gwanga kuti bambulaye mu ng'umba iye ye bushe. 25 Koga bathu be Juda bakabulaya bose bakabe balukila mambo gwanga, koga bakabiga Josiya nkololo kube mambo.