Antiquities of the Jews — Book 10, Chapter 3

1. When king Hezekiah had survived the interval of time already
mentioned, and had dwelt all that time in peace, he died, having
completed fifty-four years of his life, and reigned twenty-nine. But
when his son Manasseh, whose mother's name was Hephzibah, of Jerusalem,
had taken the kingdom, he departed from the conduct of his father, and
fell into a course of life quite contrary thereto, and showed himself in
his manners most wicked in all respects, and omitted no sort of impiety,
but imitated those transgressions of the Israelites, by the commission
of which against God they had been destroyed; for he was so hardy as to
defile the temple of God, and the city, and the whole country; for, by
setting out from a contempt of God, he barbarously slew all the
righteous men that were among the Hebrews; nor would he spare the
prophets, for he every day slew some of them, till Jerusalem was
overflown with blood. So God was angry at these proceedings, and sent
prophets to the king, and to the multitude, by whom he threatened the
very same calamities to them which their brethren the Israelites, upon
the like affronts offered to God, were now under. But these men would
not believe their words, by which belief they might have reaped the
advantage of escaping all those miseries; yet did they in earnest learn
that what the prophets had told them was true.

2. And when they persevered in the same course of life, God raised up
war against them from the king of Babylon and Chaldea, who sent an army
against Judea, and laid waste the country; and caught king Manasseh by
treachery, and ordered him to be brought to him, and had him under his
power to inflict what punishment he pleased upon him. But then it was
that Manasseh perceived what a miserable condition he was in, and
esteeming himself the cause of all, he besought God to render his enemy
humane and merciful to him. Accordingly, God heard his prayer, and
granted him what he prayed for. So Manasseh was released by the king of
Babylon, and escaped the danger he was in; and when he was come to
Jerusalem, he endeavored, if it were possible, to cast out of his memory
those his former sins against God, of which he now repented, and to
apply himself to a very religious life. He sanctified the temple, and
purged the city, and for the remainder of his days he was intent on
nothing but to return his thanks to God for his deliverance, and to
preserve him propitious to him all his life long. He also instructed the
multitude to do the same, as having very nearly experienced what a
calamity he was fallen into by a contrary conduct. He also rebuilt the
altar, and offered the legal sacrifices, as Moses commanded. And when he
had re-established what concerned the Divine worship, as it ought to be,
he took care of the security of Jerusalem: he did not only repair the
old walls with great diligence, but added another wall to the former. He
also built very lofty towers, and the garrisoned places before the city
he strengthened, not only in other respects, but with provisions of all
sorts that they wanted. And indeed, when he had changed his former
course, he so led his life for the time to come, that from the time of
his return to piety towards God he was deemed a happy man, and a pattern
for imitation. When therefore he had lived sixty-seven years, he
departed this life, having reigned fifty-five years, and was buried in
his own garden; and the kingdom came to his son Amon, whose mother's
name was Meshulemeth, of the city of Jotbath.