TORAH
FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES
NEVI'IM
PROPHETS
KETUVIM
WRITINGS

II - Chapter 33

1Menashe was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Yerushalayim.

אבֶּן־שְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה מְנַשֶּׁה בְמָלְכוֹ וַחֲמִשִּׁים וְחָמֵשׁ שָׁנָה מָלַךְ בִּירוּשָׁלָ ִם׃

2He did what was displeasing to Hashem, following the abhorrent practices of the nations that Hashem had dispossessed before the Israelites.

va-YA-as ha-RA b'-ay-NAY a-do-NAI k'-to-a-VOT ha-go-YIM a-SHER ho-REESH a-do-NAI mi-p'-NAY b'-NAY yis-ra-AYL

בוַיַּעַשׂ הָרַע בְּעֵינֵי יְהֹוָה כְּתוֹעֲבוֹת הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר הוֹרִישׁ יְהֹוָה מִפְּנֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃

33:2   Following the abhorrent practices of the nations

Before entering the Land of Israel, Hashem tells the Children of Israel that remaining in the land is dependent upon their moral character. He warns them not to learn from or mimic the abominations of the peoples already living there, since doing so will lead to expulsion from the land, just as the nations originally living there were expelled (Deuteronomy 18:9-12). King Menashe explicitly violates this command, causing the People of Israel to follow “the abhorrent practices of the nations.” As such, God responds by declaring that He will send away the remainder of the Nation of Israel and allow their enemies to defeat them (II Kings 21:14).

3He rebuilt the shrines that his father Chizkiyahu had demolished; he erected altars for the Baals and made sacred posts. He bowed down to all the host of heaven and worshiped them,

גוַיָּשָׁב וַיִּבֶן אֶת־הַבָּמוֹת אֲשֶׁר נִתַּץ יְחִזְקִיָּהוּ אָבִיו וַיָּקֶם מִזְבְּחוֹת לַבְּעָלִים וַיַּעַשׂ אֲשֵׁרוֹת וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ לְכָל־צְבָא הַשָּׁמַיִם וַיַּעֲבֹד אֹתָם׃

4and he built altars [to them] in the House of Hashem, of which Hashem had said, “My name will be in Yerushalayim forever.”

דוּבָנָה מִזְבְּחוֹת בְּבֵית יְהֹוָה אֲשֶׁר אָמַר יְהֹוָה בִּירוּשָׁלַ ִם יִהְיֶה־שְּׁמִי לְעוֹלָם׃

5He built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the House of Hashem.

הוַיִּבֶן מִזְבְּחוֹת לְכָל־צְבָא הַשָּׁמָיִם בִּשְׁתֵּי חַצְרוֹת בֵּית־יְהֹוָה׃

6He consigned his sons to the fire in the Valley of Ben-hinnom, and he practiced soothsaying, divination, and sorcery, and consulted ghosts and familiar spirits; he did much that was displeasing to Hashem in order to vex Him.

ווְהוּא הֶעֱבִיר אֶת־בָּנָיו בָּאֵשׁ בְּגֵי בֶן־הִנֹּם וְעוֹנֵן וְנִחֵשׁ וְכִשֵּׁף וְעָשָׂה אוֹב וְיִדְּעוֹנִי הִרְבָּה לַעֲשׂוֹת הָרַע בְּעֵינֵי יְהֹוָה לְהַכְעִיסוֹ׃

7He placed a sculptured image that he made in the House of Hashem, of which Hashem had said to David and to his son Shlomo, “In this House and in Yerushalayim, which I chose out of all the tribes of Yisrael, I will establish My name forever.

זוַיָּשֶׂם אֶת־פֶּסֶל הַסֶּמֶל אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה בְּבֵית הָאֱלֹהִים אֲשֶׁר אָמַר אֱלֹהִים אֶל־דָּוִיד וְאֶל־שְׁלֹמֹה בְנוֹ בַּבַּיִת הַזֶּה וּבִירוּשָׁלַ ִם אֲשֶׁר בָּחַרְתִּי מִכֹּל שִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אָשִׂים אֶת־שְׁמִי לְעֵילוֹם׃

8And I will never again remove the feet of Yisrael from the land that I assigned to their fathers, if only they observe faithfully all that I have commanded them—all the teaching and the laws and the rules given by Moshe.”

חוְלֹא אוֹסִיף לְהָסִיר אֶת־רֶגֶל יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵעַל הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר הֶעֱמַדְתִּי לַאֲבֹתֵיכֶם רַק אִם־יִשְׁמְרוּ לַעֲשׂוֹת אֵת כָּל־אֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתִים לְכָל־הַתּוֹרָה וְהַחֻקִּים וְהַמִּשְׁפָּטִים בְּיַד־מֹשֶׁה׃

9Menashe led Yehuda and the inhabitants of Yerushalayim astray into evil greater than that done by the nations that Hashem had destroyed before the Israelites.

טוַיֶּתַע מְנַשֶּׁה אֶת־יְהוּדָה וְיֹשְׁבֵי יְרוּשָׁלָ ִם לַעֲשׂוֹת רָע מִן־הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר הִשְׁמִיד יְהֹוָה מִפְּנֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃

10Hashem spoke to Menashe and his people, but they would not pay heed,

יוַיְדַבֵּר יְהֹוָה אֶל־מְנַשֶּׁה וְאֶל־עַמּוֹ וְלֹא הִקְשִׁיבוּ׃

11so Hashem brought against them the officers of the army of the king of Assyria, who took Menashe captive in manacles, bound him in fetters, and led him off to Babylon.

יאוַיָּבֵא יְהֹוָה עֲלֵיהֶם אֶת־שָׂרֵי הַצָּבָא אֲשֶׁר לְמֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר וַיִּלְכְּדוּ אֶת־מְנַשֶּׁה בַּחֹחִים וַיַּאַסְרֻהוּ בַּנְחֻשְׁתַּיִם וַיּוֹלִיכֻהוּ בָּבֶלָה׃

12In his distress, he entreated Hashem his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers.

יבוּכְהָצֵר לוֹ חִלָּה אֶת־פְּנֵי יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהָיו וַיִּכָּנַע מְאֹד מִלִּפְנֵי אֱלֹהֵי אֲבֹתָיו׃

13He prayed to Him, and He granted his prayer, heard his plea, and returned him to Yerushalayim to his kingdom. Then Menashe knew that Hashem alone was Hashem.

יגוַיִּתְפַּלֵּל אֵלָיו וַיֵּעָתֶר לוֹ וַיִּשְׁמַע תְּחִנָּתוֹ וַיְשִׁיבֵהוּ יְרוּשָׁלַ ִם לְמַלְכוּתוֹ וַיֵּדַע מְנַשֶּׁה כִּי יְהֹוָה הוּא הָאֱלֹהִים׃

14Afterward he built the outer wall of the City of David west of Gichon in the wadi on the way to the Fish Gate, and it encircled Ophel; he raised it very high. He also placed army officers in all the fortified towns of Yehuda.

ידוְאַחֲרֵי־כֵן בָּנָה חוֹמָה חִיצוֹנָה לְעִיר־דָּוִיד מַעְרָבָה לְגִיחוֹן בַּנַּחַל וְלָבוֹא בְשַׁעַר הַדָּגִים וְסָבַב לָעֹפֶל וַיַּגְבִּיהֶהָ מְאֹד וַיָּשֶׂם שָׂרֵי־חַיִל בְּכָל־הֶעָרִים הַבְּצֻרוֹת בִּיהוּדָה׃

15He removed the foreign gods and the image from the House of Hashem, as well as all the altars that he had built on the Mount of the House of Hashem and in Yerushalayim, and dumped them outside the city.

טווַיָּסַר אֶת־אֱלֹהֵי הַנֵּכָר וְאֶת־הַסֶּמֶל מִבֵּית יְהֹוָה וְכָל־הַמִּזְבְּחוֹת אֲשֶׁר בָּנָה בְּהַר בֵּית־יְהֹוָה וּבִירוּשָׁלָ ִם וַיַּשְׁלֵךְ חוּצָה לָעִיר׃

16He rebuilt the mizbayach of Hashem and offered on it sacrifices of well-being and thanksgiving, and commanded the people of Yehuda to worship God of Yisrael.

טזויכן [וַיִּבֶן] אֶת־מִזְבַּח יְהֹוָה וַיִּזְבַּח עָלָיו זִבְחֵי שְׁלָמִים וְתוֹדָה וַיֹּאמֶר לִיהוּדָה לַעֲבוֹד אֶת־יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃

17To be sure, the people continued sacrificing at the shrines, but only to Hashem their God.

יזאֲבָל עוֹד הָעָם זֹבְחִים בַּבָּמוֹת רַק לַיהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵיהֶם׃

18The other events of Menashe's reign, and his prayer to his God, and the words of the seers who spoke to him in the name of God of Yisrael are found in the chronicles of the kings of Yisrael.

יחוְיֶתֶר דִּבְרֵי מְנַשֶּׁה וּתְפִלָּתוֹ אֶל־אֱלֹהָיו וְדִבְרֵי הַחֹזִים הַמְדַבְּרִים אֵלָיו בְּשֵׁם יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הִנָּם עַל־דִּבְרֵי מַלְכֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃

19His prayer and how it was granted to him, the whole account of his sin and trespass, and the places in which he built shrines and installed sacred posts and images before he humbled himself are recorded in the words of Hozai.

יטוּתְפִלָּתוֹ וְהֵעָתֶר־לוֹ וְכָל־חַטָּאתוֹ וּמַעְלוֹ וְהַמְּקֹמוֹת אֲשֶׁר בָּנָה בָהֶם בָּמוֹת וְהֶעֱמִיד הָאֲשֵׁרִים וְהַפְּסִלִים לִפְנֵי הִכָּנְעוֹ הִנָּם כְּתוּבִים עַל דִּבְרֵי חוֹזָי׃

20Menashe slept with his fathers and was buried on his palace grounds; his son Amon succeeded him as king.

כוַיִּשְׁכַּב מְנַשֶּׁה עִם־אֲבֹתָיו וַיִּקְבְּרֻהוּ בֵּיתוֹ וַיִּמְלֹךְ אָמוֹן בְּנוֹ תַּחְתָּיו׃

21Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned two years in Yerushalayim.

כאבֶּן־עֶשְׂרִים וּשְׁתַּיִם שָׁנָה אָמוֹן בְּמָלְכוֹ וּשְׁתַּיִם שָׁנִים מָלַךְ בִּירוּשָׁלָ ִם׃

22He did what was displeasing to Hashem, as his father Menashe had done. Amon sacrificed to all the idols that his father Menashe had made and worshiped them.

כבוַיַּעַשׂ הָרַע בְּעֵינֵי יְהֹוָה כַּאֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה מְנַשֶּׁה אָבִיו וּלְכָל־הַפְּסִילִים אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה מְנַשֶּׁה אָבִיו זִבַּח אָמוֹן וַיַּעַבְדֵם׃

23He did not humble himself before Hashem, as his father Menashe had humbled himself; instead, Amon incurred much guilt.

כגוְלֹא נִכְנַע מִלִּפְנֵי יְהֹוָה כְּהִכָּנַע מְנַשֶּׁה אָבִיו כִּי הוּא אָמוֹן הִרְבָּה אַשְׁמָה׃

24His courtiers conspired against him and killed him in his palace.

כדוַיִּקְשְׁרוּ עָלָיו עֲבָדָיו וַיְמִיתֻהוּ בְּבֵיתוֹ׃

25But the people of the land struck down all who had conspired against King Amon; and the people of the land made his son Yoshiyahu king in his stead.

כהוַיַּכּוּ עַם־הָאָרֶץ אֵת כָּל־הַקֹּשְׁרִים עַל־הַמֶּלֶךְ אָמוֹן וַיַּמְלִיכוּ עַם־הָאָרֶץ אֶת־יֹאשִׁיָּהוּ בְנוֹ תַּחְתָּיו׃