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Two Views of King Manasseh   Read 2 Kings 21:1-18; 23:24-27; 24:3-4; Jeremiah 15:1-4; and 2 Chronicles 33:1-20.   What things did the Chronicler delete from Kings version of Manasseh? Add? Change? Why did the Chronicler make these changes? What is the function of Manasseh’s story within the book of Chronicles? What does Manasseh’s story in Chronicles say to faithful readers?   What most surprised you in these readings? Why? What troubled you? Why? How do the Kings storymakers interpret Manasseh’s responsibility for Judah’s sinfulness? Why according to Kings did Jerusalem fall? How is this interpretation of the matter related to Jeremiah’s view of things? (Compare 2 Chron 36 for a different rationale for the fall of the city of God.) Why did the narrator of Kings blame Manasseh without even letting readers know of his repentance and revival? In what ways does Manasseh’s revival in Chronicles sound like those of Hezekiah and Josiah in 2 Kgs 18:3-8; 22:8-23:25?   Summarize the implications of your observations with respect to interpreting Manasseh in Kings and in Chronicles. Copyright © 2009 ScriptureWorkshop.com