Manasseh: Although King Manasseh is the Judahite king with the longest tenure (fifty-five years, ca. 698/697–643/642 B.C.), he is presented as the prime embodiment of evil in the Deuteronomistic History (2 Kgs. 21:1–18). He is particularly blamed for leading the people astray with the result that they had to be punished with exile. The portrayal of this king in Chronicles, however, is very different. We have seen examples of good kings (according to the Deuteronomistic version) turned into blemished kings by the Chronicler (of which Asa is perhaps the best example). Here, with Manasseh, we see the opposite happening: a bad king is turned into a repentant king by the Chronicler.

For example, the Chronicler’s narrative omits the king’s shedding of innocent blood (2 Kgs. 21:10–16) and instead …