2 Kings 21
Open in the reader1Causing-to-Forget was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Foundation-of-Peace fifty-five years. His mother’s name was My-Delight-Is-in-Her.
2And he did evil in the sight of He-Who-Is by following the abominations of the nations that He-Who-Is had driven out before the children of Strives-with-God.
3For he rebuilt the high places that his father He-Who-Is-Has-Strengthened had destroyed, and he raised up altars for Baal. He made an Asherah pole, as King Father's-Brother of Strives-with-God had done, and he worshiped and served all the host of heaven.
4Causing-to-Forget also built altars in the house of He-Who-Is, of which He-Who-Is had said, “In Foundation-of-Peace I will put My Name.”
5In both courtyards of the house of He-Who-Is, he built altars to all the host of heaven.
6He sacrificed his own son in the fire, practiced sorcery and divination, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did great evil in the sight of He-Who-Is, provoking Him to anger.
7Causing-to-Forget even took the carved Asherah pole he had made and set it up in the temple, of which He-Who-Is had said to Beloved and his son Peace, “In this temple and in Foundation-of-Peace, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Strives-with-God, I will establish My Name forever.
8I will never again cause the feet of the children of Strives-with-God to wander from the land that I gave to their fathers, if only they are careful to do all I have commanded them—the whole Teaching that My servant Drawn-Out commanded them.”
9But the people did not listen and Causing-to-Forget led them astray, so that they did greater evil than the nations that He-Who-Is had destroyed before the children of Strives-with-God.
10And He-Who-Is spoke through His servants the prophets, saying,
11“Since Causing-to-Forget king of Praised has committed all these abominations, acting more wickedly than the Mountaineers who preceded him, and with his idols has caused Praised to sin,
12this is what He-Who-Is, the God of Strives-with-God, says: ‘Behold, I am bringing such calamity upon Foundation-of-Peace and Praised that the news will reverberate in the ears of all who hear it.
13I will stretch out over Foundation-of-Peace the measuring line used against Watch-Mountain and the plumb line used against the house of Father's-Brother, and I will wipe out Foundation-of-Peace as one wipes out a bowl—wiping it and turning it upside down.
14So I will forsake the remnant of My inheritance and deliver them into the hands of their enemies. And they will become plunder and spoil to all their enemies,
15because they have done evil in My sight and have provoked Me to anger from the day their fathers came out of Two-Straits until this day.’”
16Moreover, Causing-to-Forget shed so much innocent blood that he filled Foundation-of-Peace from end to end, in addition to the sin that he had caused Praised to commit, doing evil in the sight of He-Who-Is.
17As for the rest of the acts of Causing-to-Forget, along with all his accomplishments and the sin that he committed, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Praised?
18And Causing-to-Forget rested with his fathers and was buried in his palace garden, the garden of Strength. And his son Faithful reigned in his place.
19Faithful was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Foundation-of-Peace two years. His mother’s name was Meshullemeth daughter of Haruz; she was from Jotbah.
20And he did evil in the sight of He-Who-Is, as his father Causing-to-Forget had done.
21He walked in all the ways of his father, and he served and worshiped the idols his father had served.
22He abandoned He-Who-Is, the God of his fathers, and did not walk in the way of He-Who-Is.
23Then the servants of Faithful conspired against him and killed the king in his palace.
24But the people of the land killed all those who had conspired against King Faithful, and they made his son He-Who-Is-Establishes king in his place.
25As for the rest of the acts of Faithful, along with his accomplishments, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Praised?
26And he was buried in his tomb in the garden of Strength, and his son He-Who-Is-Establishes reigned in his place.