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.