2 Chronicles 33:11
Wherefore the LORD brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, which took Manasseh among the thorns, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon. Wherefore the LORD brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, which took Manasseh among the thorns, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon.
Manasseh and the people heard God's warnings yet refused to heed them, and after those appeals went unheeded God brought the Assyrian captains against him. The Lord brought upon them the commanders of the Assyrian host, permitting them to seize Manasseh among the thorns, bind him with fetters, and carry him to Babylon. That captivity was punishment and consequence for Judah's apostasy, yet it was also compassionate correction, showing that God had long borne with His people and did not abandon them to the enemy's will.
The affliction served as a warning of what would happen to Judah if the people remained unrepentant. It brought Manasseh to his senses and humbled him, leading him to pray, and the Lord heard him and restored him to Jerusalem and his kingdom. But his repentance came too late to undo the damage of years of idolatry or to save the kingdom from its corrupting effects and consequences.