2 Kings 21:16
Moreover Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; beside his sin wherewith he made Judah to sin, in doing that which was evil in the sight of the LORD. Moreover Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; beside his sin wherewith he made Judah to sin, in doing that which was evil in the sight of the LORD.
Manasseh's long wicked reign over Judah revived paganism and led the people into idolatry worse than that of the heathen. Tyranny, oppression, hatred of all that is good, perverted justice, and prevailing violence marked that time. The charge joins two evils together: shedding innocent blood very much, and causing Judah to sin by leading the nation into evil and idolatry. That shedding was great and widespread murder of innocent people throughout the capital, filling Jerusalem from one end to another.
The bloodshed was persecution of witnesses for God and the right who testified for truth and righteousness. Those witnesses had developed sturdiness of character through the trying experiences Judah had safely passed during Hezekiah's reign, and their firm stand served as a bulwark against the prevailing iniquity. Their testimony aroused the anger of Manasseh and his associates and officials in authority, who sought to silence every voice of disapproval in order to establish themselves in evildoing. Isaiah was among the first of these faithful witnesses to be killed.