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2 Chronicles 33 4-2 Chronicles 33 10
He built altars in the Lord’ s temple. The Lord had said about his temple,“ My Name will remain in Jerusalem forever.”In the two courtyards of the Lord’ s temple Manasseh built altars to honor all the stars in the sky.He sacrificed his children in the fire to other gods. He did it in the Valley of Ben Hinnom. He practiced all kinds of evil magic. He took part in worshiping evil powers. He got messages from people who had died. He talked to the spirits of people who have died. He did many things that were evil in the eyes of the Lord. Manasseh made the Lord very angry.Manasseh had carved a statue of a god. He put it in God’s temple. God had spoken to David and his son Solomon about the temple. He had said,“ My Name will be in this temple and in Jerusalem forever. Out of all the cities in the tribes of Israel I have chosen Jerusalem.I gave this land to your people who lived long ago. I will not make the Israelites leave it again. But they must be careful to do everything I commanded them. They must follow all the laws, directions, and rules I gave them through Moses.”But Manasseh led Judah and the people of Jerusalem astray. They did more evil things than the nations the Lord had destroyed to make room for the Israelites.The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people. But they didn’t pay any attention to him.
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2 Kings 23 32
Jehoahaz did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord. He did just as the kings who had ruled before him had done.
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Jeremiah 22:13-17
The Lord says,“ How terrible it will be for King Jehoiakim! He builds his palace by mistreating his people. He builds its upstairs rooms with money gained by sinning. He makes his own people work for nothing. He does not pay them for what they do.He says,‘ I will build myself a great palace. It will have large rooms upstairs.’ So he makes big windows in it. He covers its walls with cedar boards. He decorates it with red paint.“ Jehoiakim, does having more and more cedar boards make you a king? Your father Josiah had enough to eat and drink. He did what was right and fair. So everything went well with him.He stood up for those who were poor or needy. So everything went well with him. That is what it means to know me,” announces the Lord.“ Jehoiakim, the only thing on your mind is to get rich by cheating others. You would even kill people who are not guilty of doing anything wrong. You would mistreat them. You would take everything they own.”
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Jeremiah 26:20-23
Uriah was another man who prophesied in the name of the Lord. He was from Kiriath Jearim. He was the son of Shemaiah. Uriah prophesied against this city and this land. He said the same things Jeremiah did.King Jehoiakim and all his officers and officials heard Uriah’s words. So the king decided to put him to death. But Uriah heard about it. He was afraid. And he ran away to Egypt.So King Jehoiakim sent Elnathan to Egypt. He also sent some other men along with him. Elnathan was the son of Akbor.Those men brought Uriah out of Egypt. They took him to King Jehoiakim. Then the king had Uriah struck down with a sword. He had Uriah’s body thrown into one of the graves of the ordinary people.
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2 Chronicles 33 22-2 Chronicles 33 23
Amon did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Manasseh had done. Amon worshiped and offered sacrifices to all the statues of gods that Manasseh had made.He didn’t make himself humble in the Lord’ s sight as his father Manasseh had done. So Amon became even more guilty.
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Ezekiel 19:5-9
“‘ The mother lion looked and waited. But all her hope was gone. So she got another one of her cubs. She made him into a strong lion.He prowled with the lions. He became very strong. He learned to tear apart what he caught. And he became a man- eater.He broke down their forts. He completely destroyed their towns. The land and all those who were in it were terrified when he roared.Then nations came against him. They came from all around him. They spread out their net to catch him. He was trapped in their pit.They used hooks to pull him into a cage. They brought him to the king of Babylon. They put him in prison. So his roar was not heard anymore on the mountains of Israel.
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Jeremiah 36:23-26
Jehudi read three or four sections from the scroll. Then the king cut them off with a secretary’s knife. He threw them into the fire pot. He did that until the entire scroll was burned up in the fire.The king and some of his attendants heard all these words. But they weren’t afraid. They didn’t tear their clothes.Elnathan, Delaiah and Gemariah begged the king not to burn the scroll. But he wouldn’t listen to them.Instead, the king commanded three men to arrest Baruch the secretary and Jeremiah the prophet. But the Lord had hidden them. The three men were Jerahmeel, Seraiah and Shelemiah. Jerahmeel was a member of the royal court. Seraiah was the son of Azriel. And Shelemiah was the son of Abdeel.
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2 Chronicles 28 22-2 Chronicles 28 25
When King Ahaz was in trouble, he became even more unfaithful to the Lord.Ahaz offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus. They had won the battle over him. Ahaz thought,“ The gods of the kings of Aram have helped them. So I’ll sacrifice to those gods. Then they’ll help me.” But those gods only caused his ruin. In fact, those gods caused the ruin of the whole nation of Israel.Ahaz gathered together everything that belonged to God’s temple. He cut all of it in pieces. Ahaz shut the doors of the Lord’ s temple. He set up altars at every street corner in Jerusalem.In every town in Judah he built high places. Sacrifices were burned there to other gods. That made the Lord, the God of his people, very angry.
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Jeremiah 36:31
I will punish him and his children and his attendants. I will punish them for their sinful ways. I will bring on them all the trouble I said I would. And I will bring it on the people of Jerusalem and Judah. They have not listened to me.” ’ ”
