列王紀下21:1-18

21:1 瑪拿西登基的時候年十二歲，在耶路撒冷作王五十五年。他母親名叫協西巴。
21:2 瑪拿西行耶和華眼中看為惡的事，效法耶和華在以色列人面前趕出的外邦人所行可憎的事。
21:3 重新建築他父希西家所毀壞的邱壇，又為巴力築壇，做亞舍拉像，效法以色列王亞哈所行的，且敬拜事奉天上的萬象；
21:4 在耶和華殿宇中築壇。耶和華曾指著這殿說：「我必立我的名在耶路撒冷。」
21:5 他在耶和華殿的兩院中為天上的萬象築壇，
21:6 並使他的兒子經火，又觀兆，用法術，立交鬼的和行巫術的，多行耶和華眼中看為惡的事，惹動他的怒氣；
21:7 又在殿內立雕刻的亞舍拉像。耶和華曾對大衛和他兒子所羅門說：「我在以色列眾支派中所選擇的耶路撒冷和這殿，必立我的名，直到永遠。
21:8 以色列人若謹守遵行我一切所吩咐他們的和我僕人摩西所吩咐他們的一切律法，我就不再使他們挪移離開我所賜給他們列祖之地。」
21:9 他們卻不聽從。瑪拿西引誘他們行惡，比耶和華在以色列人面前所滅的列國更甚。
21:10 耶和華藉他僕人眾先知說：
21:11 「因猶大王瑪拿西行這些可憎的惡事比先前亞摩利人所行的更甚，使猶大人拜他的偶像，陷在罪裡；
21:12 所以耶和華─以色列的上帝如此說：我必降禍與耶路撒冷和猶大，叫一切聽見的人無不耳鳴。
21:13 我必用量撒馬利亞的準繩和亞哈家的線鉈拉在耶路撒冷上，必擦淨耶路撒冷，如人擦盤，將盤倒扣。
21:14 我必棄掉所餘剩的子民（原文是產業），把他們交在仇敵手中，使他們成為一切仇敵擄掠之物；
21:15 是因他們自從列祖出埃及直到如今，常行我眼中看為惡的事，惹動我的怒氣。」
21:16 瑪拿西行耶和華眼中看為惡的事，使猶大人陷在罪裡，又流許多無辜人的血，充滿了耶路撒冷，從這邊直到那邊。
21:17 瑪拿西其餘的事，凡他所行的和他所犯的罪都寫在猶大列王記上。
21:18 瑪拿西與他列祖同睡，葬在自己宮院烏撒的園內；他兒子亞們接續他作王。

 

Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. ² He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. ³ He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he also erected altars to Baal and made an Asherah pole, as Ahab king of Israel had done. He bowed down to all the starry hosts and worshiped them. ⁴ He built altars in the temple of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “In Jerusalem I will put my Name.” ⁵ In the two courts of the temple of the Lord, he built altars to all the starry hosts. ⁶ He sacrificed his own son in the fire, practiced divination, sought omens, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger.

⁷ He took the carved Asherah pole he had made and put it in the temple, 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 forever. ⁸ I will not again make the feet of the Israelites wander from the land I gave their ancestors, if only they will be careful to do everything I commanded them and will keep the whole Law that my servant Moses gave them.” ⁹ But the people did not listen. Manasseh led them astray, so that they did more evil than the nations the Lord had destroyed before the Israelites.

¹⁰ The Lord said through his servants the prophets: ¹¹ “Manasseh king of Judah has committed these detestable sins. He has done more evil than the Amorites who preceded him and has led Judah into sin with his idols. ¹² Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I am going to bring such disaster on Jerusalem and Judah that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle. ¹³ I will stretch out over Jerusalem the measuring line used against Samaria and the plumb line used against the house of Ahab. I will wipe out Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. ¹⁴ I will forsake the remnant of my inheritance and give them into the hands of enemies. They will be looted and plundered by all their enemies; ¹⁵ they have done evil in my eyes and have aroused my anger from the day their ancestors came out of Egypt until this day.”

¹⁶ Moreover, Manasseh also shed so much innocent blood that he filled Jerusalem from end to end—besides the sin that he had caused Judah to commit, so that they did evil in the eyes of the Lord.

¹⁷ As for the other events of Manasseh’s reign, and all he did, including the sin he committed, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? ¹⁸ Manasseh rested with his ancestors and was buried in his palace garden, the garden of Uzza. And Amon his son succeeded him as king.

 

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    看到好王並沒有將好的信仰傳承下去，讓人覺得好可惜！不過這也不是惋惜不惋惜的事情，事後我們不能做什麼，只能成為我們將來的警戒，成為後來之人的指引，這是歷史很重要的功能。若說歷史可以鑑往知來，那麼人不讀歷史，就不知道將來要如何走了！