The XXI. Chapter.
MAnasses was twolue yeare olde, [ A] whan he was made kinge,* 1.1 and reig¦ned fyue and fyftye yeare at Ieru∣salem. His mothers name was Hephziba. And he dyd that which was euell in ye sight of the LORDE (euen after the abhominaciōs of the Heithen, whom the LORDE expelled before the children of Israel) and waxed fro warde,* 1.2 and builded vp the hye places which his father Ezechias had destroyed, and sett vp Baals altares, and made groues (as A∣chab the kynge of Israel dyd) and worship∣ped all the hoost of heauen, and serued them. And buylded altares in the LORDES house, wherof the LORDE sayde: I wyll set my na∣me at Ierusalem. And in both the courtes of the house of the LORDE buylded he altares vnto all the hoost of heauē. And * 1.3 caused his sonne to go thorow the fyre, and regarded byrdes cryenge and tokens, and mayntey∣ned soythsayers, and expounders of tokens, and so moch dyd he of this which was euell in the sight of the LORDE, that he prouoked him vnto wrath.
A groue Idol also which he had made, [ B] set he in the house, wherof the LORDE sayde vnto Dauid and to Salomon his sonne: In this house, and at Ierusalem (* 1.4which I ha∣ue chosen out of all the trybes of Israel) wil I set my name foreuer, and wyl not cause ye fote of Israel to be remoued eny more from the londe, which I gaue vnto their fathers, yee so that they obserue and do acordynge vnto all that I haue charged them, and af∣ter all the lawe that my seruaunt Moses cō∣maunded them. Neuertheles they wolde not herken, but Manasses disceaued them, so yt they dyd worse then the Heithen, whom the LORDE expelled before ye children of Israel.
Then spake the LORDE by his seruauntes the prophetes, and saide: Because that Ma¦nasse the kynge of Iuda hath gone these ab¦hominacions, which are worse then all ye ab∣hominacions that the Amorites haue done which were before them, and hath caused Iu¦da also to synne agaynst their God, therfore thus sayeth the LORDE God of Israel:* 1.5 Be¦holde, [ C] I wyll brynge soch a plage vpon Ie∣rusalem and Iuda, that who so euer heareth it, both his eares shal glowe, and ouer Ieru¦salem wyll I stretch forth the lyne of Sama¦ria, and the weighte of the house of Achab, and wyll wype out Ierusalem, euen as one wypeth a platter, and I wyl ouerthrowe it.