In the ancient city of Jerusalem, a young boy of twelve years, Manasseh, ascended to the throne. His reign would span fifty-five years, the longest of any king of Judah. Despite his long tenure, his reign was not marked with righteousness as the Lord Jehovah had commanded, but by evil and abominations.

Manasseh was influenced by the sinful practices of the nations that the Lord had cast out from before Israel. He built high places of worship again, which his father Hezekiah had destroyed. He erected altars for the Baalim, made Asheroth, and served and worshipped the host of heaven. He even constructed altars in the house of Jehovah, where Jehovah had declared His name would be forever, and made his children to pass through the fire in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom.

Not only did he embrace these abominations, but he also fell into the sin of sorcery. He practiced augury and enchantments, dealt with familiar spirits and wizards, further provoking the anger of the Lord. In his greatest act of defiance, Manasseh placed a graven image of an idol he had made, in the house of God. His deeds led Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem astray, causing them to do more evil than the nations the Lord had destroyed before them.

The Lord Jehovah tried to call Manasseh and his people to repentance, but they did not listen. Angered, God brought the Assyrian army upon them. The captains of the host of the king of Assyria captured Manasseh, bound him in chains, and took him to Babylon.

Caged in a foreign land, in distress, Manasseh finally turned to God with a humble heart. He sought Jehovah earnestly, humbling himself greatly before God. He prayed, and God, gracious and merciful, heard his supplication. God was entreated by him and restored him to his kingdom in Jerusalem. Then, Manasseh knew unequivocally that Jehovah was God.

After these events, Manasseh’s reign changed drastically. He fortified the city of Jerusalem, disposed of the foreign gods, and the idol from the house of the Lord. He desecrated the altars he had built in Jerusalem, and outside the house of the Lord. He rebuilt the altar of Jehovah and commanded Judah to serve Jehovah, the God of Israel. Though the people continued to sacrifice in high places, it was now only unto Jehovah their God.

The tale of Manasseh, his evil deeds, his turning to God, and his actions thereafter are written among the acts of the kings of Israel. His sin, his distinctive prayer and how God reacted to his entreaties are written in the chronicles of the seers.

After reigning for fifty-five years, Manasseh died and was buried in his own house. His son, Amon, succeeded him as king. Amon, however, walked in the sinful footsteps of his father’s early reign, worshipping the graven images Manasseh had made. He lacked his father’s contrition and humility, his trespasses grew ever greater until his own servants conspired and killed him.

Despite the chaos, the people of the land avenged Amon’s death, killing those who had conspired against him and then set Amon’s son, Josiah, to rule as their king. The legacy of Manasseh, a king whose life tells a tale of disgrace, transformation, and redemption, was marred by his son’s actions. Yet, his story serves as a testament to God’s unfailing mercy and mighty power for all generations.