In 2 Chronicles 33:11-17 we have a word concerning Manasseh. He was the son of Hezekiah and he reigned for fifty-five years.
Manasseh was disciplined by Jehovah and was captured by the Assyrians and taken to Babylon (v. 11).
Manasseh entreated Jehovah his God in his distress, humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, and prayed to Him. God heard his supplication and brought him back to Jerusalem to his kingdom. Then he knew that Jehovah indeed was God (vv. 12-13). He came to know this through God’s discipline.
Manasseh fortified the city of David (Bethlehem) and put the valorous captains in all the fortified cities in Judah (v. 14).
Manasseh removed the foreign gods and the idol from the house of Jehovah and all the altars that he had built on the mount of the house of Jehovah and in Jerusalem and cast them out of the city (v. 15). This indicates that, having repented, he cleared away all the impurity from the holy place.
Manasseh restored the altar of Jehovah and sacrificed on it sacrifices of peace offerings and thank offerings. Also, he commanded Judah to serve Jehovah, the God of Israel (vv. 16-17). From this we see that although Manasseh had a bad beginning, he had a good ending.
In 34:3-7 there is a word concerning Josiah the grandson of Manasseh.
In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, Josiah began to seek after the God of David his father (v. 3a). He was only eight years of age when he became king, and in the eighth year of his reign he began to seek after God. This indicates that man has the capacity to contact God at a young age.
In the twelfth year Josiah began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherim, the idols, and the molten images. The people tore down the altars to the Baals in his presence, and he hewed down the incense altars and ground the Asherim, the idols, and the molten images to dust and scattered it upon the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. Then he burned the bones of the priests upon their own altars (vv. 3b-5).
Throughout the land of Israel, Josiah, who was the king only of Judah, tore down the altars, beat the Asherim and the idols into dust, and hewed down all the incense altars (vv. 6-7).
Second Chronicles 36:20b-23 speaks of the duration of the captivity of Israel and the proclamation of their release by Cyrus.
The children of Israel became servants to the kings of Babylon for seventy years, until the reign of the kingdom of Persia, so as to fulfill the word of Jehovah by the mouth of Jeremiah (vv. 20b-21).
In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, Jehovah stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout all his kingdom for Israel’s return to Jerusalem to build the temple of God (vv. 22-23; Ezra 1:1-3).