Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're
taking this journey together to read the Bible
in a year. Today's reading is from 2 Chronicles,
chapters 33 and 34. Chapter 33. Manasseh was
12 years old when he became king, and he reigned
55 years in Jerusalem. But he did evil in the
sight of the Lord, according to the abominations
of the nations whom the Lord had cast out before
the children of Israel. for he rebuilt the high
places which Hezekiah his father had broken down.
He raised up altars for the Baals and made wooden
images, and he worshipped all the hosts of heaven
and served them. He also built altars in the
house of the Lord, of which the Lord had said,
In Jerusalem shall my name be forever. And he
built altars for all the hosts of heaven in the
two courts of the house of the Lord. Also he
caused his sons to pass through the fire in the
valley of the son of Hinnom. He practiced soothsaying,
used witchcraft and sorcery, and consulted mediums
and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight
of the Lord to provoke him to anger. He even
set a carved image The idol which he had made
in the house of God, of which God had set to
David and to Solomon his son, in this house and
in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all
the tribes of Israel, I will put my name forever,
and I will not again remove the foot of Israel
from the land which I have appointed for your
fathers, only if they are careful to do all that
I have commanded them, according to the whole
law and the statutes and the ordinances by the
hand of Moses. So Manasseh seduced Judah and
the inhabitants of Jerusalem to do more evil,
than the nations whom the Lord had destroyed
before the children of Israel. And the Lord spoke
to Manasseh and his people, but they would not
listen. Therefore the Lord brought upon them
the captains of the army of the king of Assyria,
who took Manasseh with hooks, bound him with
bronze fetters, and carried him off to Babylon.
Now when he was in affliction, he implored the
Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before
the God of his fathers, and prayed to him, and
he received his entreaty, heard his supplication,
and brought him back to Jerusalem into his kingdom.
Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God. After
this, he built a wall outside the city of David
on the west side of Gihon in the valley as far
as the entrance of the fish gate. And it enclosed
Ophel, and he raised it to a very great height.
Then he put military captains in all the fortified
cities of Judah. He took away the foreign gods
and the idol from the house of the Lord and all
the altars that he had built in the mount of
the house of the Lord and in Jerusalem, and he
cast them out of the city. He also repaired the
altar of the Lord, sacrificed peace offerings
and thank offerings on it, and commanded Judah
to serve the Lord God of Israel. Nevertheless,
the people still sacrificed on high places, but
only to the Lord their God. Now the rest of the
acts of Manasseh, his prayer to his God, and
the words of the seers who spoke to him in the
name of the Lord God of Israel, indeed they are
written in the book of the kings of Israel. also
his prayer and how God received his entreaty,
and all his sin and trespass, and the sites where
he built high places and set up wooden images
and carved images. Before he was humbled, indeed
they are written among the sayings of Hosea.
So Manasseh rested with his fathers, and they
buried him in his own house. Then his son Ammon
reigned in his place. Ammon was 22 years old
when he became king, and he reigned two years
in Jerusalem. But he did evil in the sight of
the Lord, as his father Manasseh had done. For
Amon sacrificed all the carved images which his
father Manasseh had made and served them. And
he did not humble himself before the Lord, as
his father Manasseh had humbled himself, but
Amon trespassed more and more. Then his servants
conspired against him and killed him in his own
house. But the people of the land executed all
those who had conspired against king Amon. Then
the people of the land made his son Josiah king
in his place. Josiah was eight years old when
he became king, and he reigned thirty -one years
in Jerusalem. And he did what was right in the
sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of
his father David. He did not turn aside to the
right hand or to the left. For in the eighth
year of his reign, while he was still young,
he began to seek the God of his father David.
And in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah
and Jerusalem of the high places, the wooden
images, the carved images, and the molded images.
They broke down the altars of the Baals, in his
presence and the incense altars which were above
them he cut down and the wooden images the carved
images and the molded images he broke in pieces
and made dust of them and scattered it on the
graves of those who had sacrificed to them he
also burned the bones of the priests on their
altars and cleansed judah and jerusalem and so
he did in the cities of manasseh ephraim and
simeon as far as Naphtali and all around with
axes. When he had broken down the altars and
the wooden images, had beaten the carved images
into powder and cut down all the incense altars
throughout all the land of Israel, he returned
to Jerusalem. In the eighteenth year of his reign,
when he had purged the land and the temple, he
sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, Masaiah the
governor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz,
the recorder, to repair the house of the Lord
his God. When they came to Hilkiah the high priest,
they delivered the money that was brought into
the house of God, which the Levites who kept
the doors had gathered from the hand of Manasseh
and Ephraim, from all the remnant of Israel,
from all Judah and Benjamin, and which they had
brought back to Jerusalem. Then they put it in
the hand of the four men who had the oversight
of the house of the Lord. And they gave it to
the workmen who worked in the house of the Lord
to repair and restore the house. They gave it
to the craftsmen and builders to buy hewn stone
and timber for beams and to floor the houses
which the kings of Judah had destroyed. And the
men did the work faithfully. Their overseers
were Jahad and Obadiah the Levites of the sons
of Merari and Zechariah and Mishulam of the sons
of the Quatites to supervise. Others of the Levites,
all of whom were skillful with instruments of
music, were over the burden bearers and were
overseers of all who did work in any kind of
service. And some of the Levites were scribes,
officers, and gatekeepers. Now when they brought
out the money that was brought into the house
of the Lord, Hilkiah the priest found the book
of the law of the Lord given by Moses. Then Hilkiah
answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, I have
found the book of the law in the house of the
Lord. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan. So
Shaphan carried the book to the king, bringing
the king word, saying, All that was committed
to your servants they are doing. And they have
gathered the money that was found in the house
of the Lord and have delivered it into the hand
of the overseers and the workmen. Then Shaphan
the scribe told the king, saying, Helkiah the
priest has given me a book. And Shaphan read
it before the king. Thus it happened, when the
king heard the words of the law, that he tore
his clothes. Then the king commanded Hilkiah,
Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Abdon the son of Micah,
Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah a servant of the
king, saying, Go inquire of the Lord for me and
for those who are left in Israel and Judah concerning
the words of the book that is found. For great
is the wrath of the Lord that is poured out on
us, because our fathers have not kept the word
of the Lord, to do according to all that is written
in this book. So Hilkiah and those the king had
appointed went to Huldah the prophetess, the
wife of Shalom the son of Tukhat, the son of
Hasra, keeper of the wardrobe. She dwelt in Jerusalem
in the second quarter, and they spoke to her
to that effect. Then she answered them, Thus
says the Lord God of Israel, Tell the man who
sent you to me, Thus says the Lord, behold i
will bring calamity on this place and on its
inhabitants all the curses that are written in
the book which they have read before the king
of judah because they have forsaken me and burnt
incense to other gods that they might provoke
me to anger with all the works of their hands
therefore my wrath will be poured out on this
place and not be quenched but as for the king
of judah who sent you to inquire of the lord
in this manner you shall speak to him thus says
the lord god of israel concerning the words which
you have heard Because your heart was tender,
and you humbled yourself before God when you
heard his words against this place and against
its inhabitants, and you humbled yourself before
me, and you tore your clothes and wept before
me, I also have heard you, says the Lord. Surely
I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall
be gathered to your grave in peace, and your
eyes shall not see all the calamity which I will
bring on this place and its inhabitants. So they
brought back word to the king. Then the king
sent and gathered all the elders of Judah and
Jerusalem. The king went up to the house of the
Lord with all the men of Judah and the inhabitants
of Jerusalem, the priests and the Levites and
all the people, great and small. And he read
in their hearing all the words of the book of
the covenant which had been found in the house
of the Lord. Then the king stood in his place
and made a covenant before the Lord to follow
the Lord and to keep his commandments and his
testimonies and his statutes with all his heart
and all his soul. to perform the words of the
covenant that were written in this book, and
he made all who were present in Jerusalem and
Benjamin take a stand. So the inhabitants of
Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God,
the God of their fathers. Thus Josiah removed
all the abominations from all the country that
belonged to the children of Israel, and made
all who were present in Israel diligently serve
the Lord their God. All his days they did not
depart from following the Lord, God of their
fathers. I hope you enjoyed today's reading as
much as I did and I look forward to seeing you
again tomorrow to continue on our journey. God
bless you and have a great day.