Read the Bible

¹ Manasses was of twelue yeer, whanne he bygan to regne, and he regnyde in Jerusalem fyue and fifti yeer.² Forsothe he dide yuel bifor the Lord bi abhomynaciouns of hethene men, whiche the Lord destriede bifor the sones of Israel.³ And he turnede, and restoride the hiye places, whiche Ezechie, his fadir, hadde destried. And he bildide auteris to Baalym, and made wodis, and worschipide al the knyythod of heuene, and heriede it.⁴ And he bildide auteris in the hows of the Lord, of which the Lord hadde seid, My name schal be in Jerusalem with outen ende.⁵ Sotheli he bildide tho auteris to al the knyythod of heuene in the twei large places of the hows of the Lord.⁶ And he made hise sones to passe thorouy the fier in the valei of Beennon; he kepte dremes; he suede fals diuynyng bi chiteryng of briddis; he seruyde witche craftis; he hadde with hym astronomyeris and enchaunteris, `ethir trigetours, that disseyuen mennus wittis, and he wrouyte many yuelis bifor the Lord to terre hym to wraththe.⁷ Also he settide a grauun signe and a yotun signe in the hows of the Lord, of which hows God spak to Dauid, and to Salomon, his sone, and seide, Y schal sette my name with outen ende in this hows and in Jerusalem, which Y chees of alle the lynagis of Israel;⁸ and Y schal not make the foot of Israel to moue fro the lond which Y yaf to her fadris, so oneli if thei kepen to do tho thingis whiche Y comaundide to hem, and al the lawe, and cerymonyes, and domes, bi the hond of Moises.⁹ Therfor Manasses disseyuede Juda, and the dwelleris of Jerusalem, that thei diden yuel, more than alle hethene men, whiche the Lord hadde distriede fro the face of the sones of Israel.¹⁰ And the Lord spak to hym, and to his puple; and thei nolden take heed.

¹¹ Therfor the Lord brouyte on hem the princes of the oost of the kyng of Assiriens; and thei token Manasses, and bounden hym with chaynes, and stockis, and ledden hym in to Babiloyne.¹² And aftir that he was angwischid, he preiede `his Lord God, and dide penaunce gretli bifor the God of hise fadris.<sup>13</sup> And he preiede God, and bisechide ententifli; and God herde his preier, and brouyte hym ayen `in to Jerusalem in to his rewme; and Manasses knew, that the Lord hym silf is God.¹⁴ Aftir these thingis he bildide the wal with out the citee of Dauid, at the west of Gion, in the valei, fro the entryng of the yate of fischis, bi cumpas `til to Ophel; and he reiside it gretli; and he ordeynede princes of the oost in alle the stronge citees of Juda.<sup>15</sup> And he dide awei alien goddis and symylacris fro the hows of the Lord; and he dide awei the auteris, whiche he hadde maad in the hil of the hows of the Lord, and in Jerusalem, and he castide awei alle with out the citee.<sup>16</sup> Certis he restoride the auter of the Lord, and offride theronne slayn sacrifices, and pesible sacrifices, and preisyng; and he comaundide Juda to serue the Lord God of Israel.<sup>17</sup> Netheles the puple offride yit in hiy places to `her Lord God.¹⁸ Forsothe the residue of dedis of Manasses, and his bisechyng to `his Lord God, and the wordis of profetis, that spaken to hym in the name of the Lord God of Israel, ben conteyned in the wordis of the kyngis of Israel.¹⁹ And his preier, and the heryng, and alle synnes, and dispisyng, also the places in whiche he bildide hiy thingis, and made wodis and ymagis, bifor that he dide penaunce, ben writun in the bokis of Ozai.²⁰ Forsothe Manasses slepte with hise fadris, and thei birieden hym in his hows; and Amon, his sone, regnyde for hym.

²¹ Amon was of two and twenti yeer, whanne he bigan to regne; and he regnyde twei yeer in Jerusalem.²² And he dide yuel in the siyt of the Lord, as Manasses, his fadir, hadde do; and he offride, and seruyde to alle the idols, whiche Manasses hadde maad.²³ And he reuerenside not the face of the Lord, as Manasses, `his fadir, reuerenside; and he dide mych gretter trespassis.<sup>24</sup> And whanne his seruauntis `hadden swore to gyder ayens hym, thei killiden hym in his hows.²⁵ Sotheli the residue multitude of the puple, aftir that thei hadden slayn hem that `hadden slayn Amon, ordeyneden Josie, his sone, kyng for hym.